Activision released the first trailer for the new Crash Bandicoot game on Tuesday. Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time is the eighth main installment of the franchise and is a follow up to the critically acclaimed N-Sane Trilogy.
The N-Sane Trilogy, released firstly on the Playstation 4 in June 2017 and then on most other platforms one year later, remastered the first three games in the Crash Bandicoot series; Crash Bandicoot (1996), Crash Bandicoot: Cortex Strikes Back (1997) and Crash Bandicoot: Warped (1998). This new entry is set immediately after the events of Warped. This explains why It’s About Time is named as game number four when in fact there have been many other titles produced since the original three games were released (something that the trailer pokes some fun at). It looks like Activision are resetting the franchise for a new generation of gamers, after giving long-time fans something to relish with the blast from the past provided by the N-Sane Trilogy.
The premise is that Cortex has been banished to the past, which in his own words has given him more time to plan Crash’s demise. He has escaped from his space-time prison along with two of Crash’s other foes – Uka Uka, and Dr. N. Tropy. Crash has to work through a number of different levels to thwart his old nemesis. As with the N-Sane Trilogy, players can also take control of Crash’s sister Coco. Furthermore, as shown in the trailer, there will also be chances to control Cortex and play levels as Crash’s arch enemy.
The trailer makes clear that, while some familiar elements of the old Crash Bandicoot games remain, additional powers and some shiny graphics make this look like an all-new experience. Even compared to the N-Sane Trilogy, the visuals look updated, which the developers have previously explained is in large part down to swapping from the alchemy game engine to Unreal. The game also shows off some new masks, one of which allows Crash to defy gravity while another appears to let him slow downtime. Eye-popping new levels and what looks like some of the richest detail any Crash Bandicoot game has ever enjoyed promises an altogether different experience from other games in the franchise.
Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time is released on Playstation 4 and Xbox One on October 2.
Words by James Hanton