Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy Review

Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy Review

- Dom D’Angelillo

Having spent most of my childhood collecting the gems, crystals and wumpa fruit of the original Crash trilogy, jumping into Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy is the perfect antidote to the nostalgia blues. Having all the first three Crash titles to go between at your own choosing is what Crash fans have wanted for many years. But while everything remains exactly the same, albeit with a shiny HD coating, the remastering highlights some of the frailties of mid 90’s gaming.

That’s not to say that Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy is a bad game. It isn’t. Developer Vicarious Visions has done an impeccable job in dragging the polygonal and shaded originals into the 21st century, complete with bright colours, an all new auto-save and analogue controls. However, don’t be fooled. All three bring with them a staggering level of difficulty that would turn even the hardiest of plat formers into a sweaty palmed and screaming wreck.

Of all the updates and changes made, the original still feels very much ‘of its time’. For all the intrigue in seeing the 1996 title in full HD, Crash’s limited move set and some seriously tough platforming and level pacing make it more of a grind than it should have been. Jumps have to be pixel perfect and at times feel just out of reach. This isn’t helped with a 3D plain being added onto some of the 2D focused levels, meaning that nudging the stick ever so slightly can throw Crash of alignment with platforms. On more than one occasion, the good old D-pad saved my life on some of the tougher, classic levels.