Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time Review

Finally, Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time has arrived. This is the fourth chapter in chronological order of the well-known Crash Bandicoot series. Toys for Bob developed the newest iteration that is a direct sequel to the first three Naughty Dog games. Will this fourth chapter be able to hold its own against the progenitors of the series? Here is my Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time review on PlayStation 4.

STOP THE BADDIES

Before starting my Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time review, let’s quickly try to understand the basis of the title. Toys for Bob set the title after the end of Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped, and begins with the escape of Dr. Neo Cortex and N. Tropy from their dimensional prison. Because of this sudden escape, many spacetime gaps will open around the world and the two mad scientists will try to exploit them to dominate the universe.

Luckily, Crash and his friends won’t be standing idle, but will immediately start looking for a way to stop the bad guys. The plot has never been the most important aspect of Crash games and even that of this fourth chapter does not shine for originality, but overall it is very nice. The story is quite mundane, but the developers made it more interesting and fun in other aspects.

Toys for Bob made it possible to discover how the various characters have helped Crash and Coco in their adventure by playing alternative levels. The characters in Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time will constantly engage with you, since their interactions always lead to hilarious situations. The humor of the game also appeals to multiple audiences, entertaining both children and adults with jokes that work on multiple levels.

USING NEW POWERS

Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time is based on the classic formula of the first titles in the series, but is updated thanks to many additional features. Your goal will always be to get to the end of a level alive by destroying as many crates as possible and occasionally face some bosses. However, to do so, you will have to make use of different techniques.

Besides the classic movements, in this title Crash will also be able to perform double jumps, crouch, and even slide. In addition, of course, you can also count on the help of the new quantum masks: Lani-Loli, Akano, Kupuna-Wa, and Ika-Ika. Lani-Loli is able to make some elements of the levels appear or disappear and Akano will allow you to rotate forcefully and hover in the air. Kupuna-Wa slows down time and finally Ika-Ika can reverse the center of gravity, allowing Crash to walk on the ceiling. All these new powers and abilities combine perfectly, allowing Crash to execute techniques never seen before that can make the gameplay always varied and frenetic. In addition to increasing the variety of the title even more, Toys for Bob and Activision added various extra characters.

In fact, during your adventure you will not only use Crash and Coco, but in some specific levels you will also take on the role of Tawna Bandicoot, Dingodile, and Dr. Neo Cortex. These characters have a very different style of play and abilities from those of the protagonists. Sometimes when playing with them, it almost feels like you are playing another game.

MASTERING THE LEVELS

Compared to the old chapters, Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time is by far the one with the most content. In the game there are many levels that differ a lot both in setting and structure. At the end of each level of the game you will be able to get gems by collecting lots of Wumpa fruits, breaking all the crates, and dying less than three times throughout the level.

You can replay all levels in the N. Verted mode. This is a mode in which you have to cross an inverted version of the area with the addition of certain modifiers, and here you also have to collect the gems. You can also get other collectibles by completing puzzle levels, timed challenges, searching for secrets, and unlocking skins. In short, overall the game offers a lot of content but, given its difficulty, for some players it could prove to be a double-edged sword. Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time is a title that becomes very challenging in the later stages, but offers mechanics to help players. For example, after a long series of deaths you can get the mask of Aku-Aku that could spawn a new intermediate checkpoint to facilitate progress.

The problem is that these aids are completely useless when you try to get all the gems, since you have to be perfect. The only way to complete the game is by playing the levels again and again until you have mastered them perfectly. This challenge brings a lot of satisfaction, but for many players it could instead be really frustrating, as you could end up spending hours always on the same level.

THE ART OF QUALITY

Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time reaches very high peaks. On the technical side, the title offers an exceptional graphic rendering, a stable framerate, and very accurate animations. In addition, the game boasts high accuracy regarding Crash’s movements and collisions with obstacles, minimizing unfair defeats. The only drawback of the title is the rather long loading times when playing on my PlayStation 4 Pro. As for the artistic side, however, the game really reaches incredible heights. All levels differ greatly from each other and boast an obsessive attention to the setting, the details, the design of the enemies, and the soundtrack.

Thanks to the N. Verted mode, Toys for Bob and Activision has reproduced all the levels of the game with a truly sublime alternative style. For example, a futuristic metropolis is transformed into a submerged city, or a prehistoric world is recreated as if it were a wax drawing. These new styles also sometimes affect gameplay, changing the movement capabilities of Crash and his companions.

Do you want to try Activision and Toys for Bob’s Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time? What do you think of my Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time review on PlayStation 4? Please leave your thoughts in the comments below. Are you interested in more recently released games? Check out our reviews for Mafia: Definitive Edition, Crysis Remastered, and Marvel’s Avengers.