The Video Game Almanac > Articles > Blast from the Past – Naughty Dog’s Crash Bandicoot

Blast from the Past – Naughty Dog’s Crash Bandicoot

When I was about seven or eight, my parents bought my brother and me a Playstation and a handful of games. While my brother preferred TOCA 2, I made Crash Bandicoot my game of choice from the small selection we had available. It certainly provided young me a significant challenge – I don’t think I managed to complete the first one on my own until at least ten years later, but not for lack of trying. I spent some serious time getting frustrated with this game, eventually recruiting my brother’s help to get through the more difficult levels. The pause in our otherwise constant bickering must have been nice for my parents, as we then found Crash Bandicoot 2, 3 and Crash Team Racing in our collection rather quickly.

If you’re not familiar with the series, the first three Crash Bandicoot games are a platformer similar to Mario and Rayman, but Naughty Dog put the camera angle behind the protagonist as opposed to side on as was the case in the other two games. This introduced some interesting challenges, mainly when trying to size up a potential jump or when attempting to avoid any obstacles that get thrust in your way while you ride a warthog, polar bear or motorbike. The challenges are increased further as you progress through the various games as there are so many different varieties of levels in the series. You’re thrust from jungle to sewer, from the Great Wall of China to outer space. You’ll find that there are some bizarre levels in the series that will always keep you interested and on your toes.

There is more than just zany level design to this series though. The developers put a lot of effort into the gameplay as there are some very tricky sections that can require a decent amount of practice before you’re able to obtain all of the goodies from within the level. This is particularly the case in Crash Bandicoot 3, where you need to get used to riding a tiger, a jet ski, a motorbike, an aeroplane, and even a dinosaur as well as running away from boulders and swimming through the ocean in the hunt for the coveted crystals and gems. It may seem like a lot to get your head around and get used to, but this is where Naughty Dog excelled during their time developing the Crash series. It’s a series that is really made for all ages, because it’s so easy to start playing and get to grips with, but it can be a real challenge to master. The further you progress through the games, the more new aspects are added in, be it in the form of new different ways to manoeuvre around the level as I mentioned earlier, or, like in Crash Bandicoot 3, there are five excellent and very useful power-ups that provide you with some very interesting ways to complete levels. While the double jump and super spin may be absolutely necessary in some parts of the later levels, you can use them together with the dash ability to sprint through the earlier levels to obtain all of the harder to obtain relics and gems. While those ones may be required for everything, the best power-up you’ll get your bandicoot paws on is a wumpazooka with unlimited ammo. It can’t be used in every level, but it does make defeating certain enemies significantly easier – and certainly more fun – as you progress through the game. Getting all the secret gems, access to hidden warp rooms and even the gold and platinum relics is not an easy task and while you may not need them to complete the game, you can get bigger and better endings should you seek full completion.

Throughout the series you’ll meet some colourful characters with some nicely worked puns in their names. Every character has a unique and vibrant appearance and personality which makes every interaction you have with them so enjoyable. The banter that is thrown at him from his nemesis make for some very entertaining watches, especially as you thwart their plans further, making Cortex and Uka Uka all the more exasperated. Even though Crash doesn’t talk, his reactions to events – particularly his dancing when he defeats a boss – make it abundantly clear why he was an unofficial mascot for the Playstation.

While the games do suffer from a bit from being a bit formulaic, particularly in the latter two, with five warp zones then a boss being the way to progress, it never really feels dull. Each zone you enter into has a distinct look and feel to it to separate it out to prevent any feeling of boredom. None of the aforementioned quartet does it better than Crash Team Racing. Whereas in Crash 2 and 3 you’ve got a relatively small warp room to navigate around, Crash Team Racing gives you a much larger map to drive around to find different races to join in and even squeeze in a little practice as you powerslide around the map.

I’ve not mentioned CTR too much, and that’s because it is a far different prospect to the other three games. Following on from the successes of the Mario Kart series, and with racing games becoming the in thing at the time, Naughty Dog tried their hand at creating a kart-racing game to capitalise on the popularity of the series and the genre. Without having had any experience of developing a racing game in the past, you’d be forgiven for underestimating this title, but doing so would be a mistake. I’ve never played a more enjoyable karting game which had near-endless replayability. Like the other games in the series, this game was incredibly easy and intuitive to pick up, but mastering it is probably one of the hardest video game experiences I’ve ever had. Completing the story mode is difficult in itself, but definitely within the realms of possibility. The real challenge comes from the time trial mode. Initially, you may race around with a friend trying to beat your time, when you’ll hear a voice that you may recognise – Dr N. Tropy makes a comeback in this game as a hidden ghost in all the time trials, setting some pretty challenging times. But he’s not the real test. Beating his times isn’t too hard, but doing so would unlock the main antagonists times on the track. Trying to finish the race before the ghostly apparition of Nitrus Oxide is incredibly arduous. Beating him once was challenging enough, but attempting to beat all eighteen of his times would probably have driven me to insanity.

The great thing about the Crash Bandicoot series during the Naughty Dog era, and why it’s something I’ll always go back to, is that they managed to create a series that combines excellent gameplay mechanics, great humour and just the right amount of difficulty to make you want to return to it. Getting the maximum completion rating on them is always a fun thing to do over a couple of weekends and is something I’ve recently restarted trying to do. Each game in the series fills me with such nostalgia and enjoyment that it’s a game I can’t help but pick up every few years to play through it again and again. There’s also enough challenge throughout the series to make even an experienced player have to double check the guides, especially when attempting to find all of the hidden warp zones and making your way through to collect all of the coloured gems.