Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy Review

Since the introduction of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 back in 2013, this console generation has been filled with numerous remasters, remakes and re-releases of games that came out on Xbox 360 and PS3.

But now we’re getting to a point in this generation, where even older generation games are being remastered for the current consoles, such as Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy.

Now I’m not the biggest Crash Bandicoot fan, especially since most of the older Crash Bandicoot games (especially the first three Crash games included in this complication) came out on PlayStation One and I only ventured into console gaming with the PS2, then the Wii, then Xbox 360 and now the Xbox One. But I have played some of the Crash Kart games in the past.

Gameplay

The game is a 3D platformer in which you control Crash (or later is his sister Coco) through the first three Crash Bandicoot games. You’ll be either going to be controlling Crash to a finish line that is away from you or towards you (which is usually levels that has you running away from a boulder or something).

You’ll defeat enemies, collect Wumpa Fruits, extra lives and Aku Aku masks while jumping over obstacles and passing checkpoints. The game has both manual and automatic saving. You can save the game from the game’s level select screen.

Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy is a lot of fun to play, there are some moments where it gets frustrating and you fall to your death and have to start the level over but that’s part of the fun. But it may also seem difficult for players who are new to Crash Bandicoot games or platformers in general.

I did notice that there was a slight delay when you press a button like the jump button but it’s nothing to be worried about but you may experience it as well. All the game audio and cutscenes have been remastered and include new audio recordings.

Presentation

The Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy collects remastered versions of Crash Bandicoot, Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back and Crash Bandicoot: Warped. Everything from the ground up has been fully remastered by the team at Vicarious Visions.

The characters and enemies look great and colourful. They truly look like they’re from games of this console generation. Each of the levels has lots of detail, even though you’ll be blazing through it to quickly finish the level.

The game is also Xbox One X enhanced with it being playable in 4K Ultra HD and HDR.

Final Thoughts

Overall, Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy is a great remaster, it truly brings Crash and the rest of the characters to life and breathes new life into the series which has been absent for quite a while.

Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy is available now for Xbox One, PS4, PC and Nintendo Switch for $49.99 CAD ($39.99 USD).

I conducted this review using an Xbox One review copy provided by Activision’s PR agency.

Pros

• Great visuals
• Lots of content
• Variety in levels
• High replayability value

Cons

• High difficulty, especially for new Crash players
• Some delay in button actions
• Fiddly controls