Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time will pick up where the Crash Bandicoot: Warped story left off. Neo Cortex and Doctor Nefarious Tropy once again threaten the dimensional rift by escaping and seeking to take over every dimension. Crash Bandicoot: Warped released nearly 20 years ago, and Crash Bandicoot 4 will bring back N Sanity Beach, the first level of the original game that released in 1996.
N Sanity Beach was where the entire franchise began. Players could fall in love with the combination of simplicity and complexity quickly discovered within the first level. Besides being a nostalgic experience, N Sanity Beach was an introduction to how the game would play for decades. The famous crates make their debut as players experience their first Crash spin, with the classic sound followed by the destruction of the crate to find fruit.
Nearly 25 years ago, players experienced their first set of obstacles in Crash Bandicoot, and now will face the same challenge in Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time. However, the Crash 4's level design will not be identical. As seen in the PlayStation State of Play trailer, N Sanity Beach has new obstacles as well as a new art style throughout the level.
Crash Bandicoot 4 will also have dynamic levels. As players progress through the game, levels will change to have a new look and feel and different gameplay elements. As seen in the trailer, Crash plays through one level normally and next time he progresses through it, the level is completely underwater. Levels will change in different ways based on the dimensional destruction caused by Doctor Tropy and Neo Cortex, so players will have plenty to complete besides the story.
The newest Crash Bandicoot title will include quantum masks that change the environment and gameplay in different ways. Masks can flip gravity, slow down time, and phase shift platforms for Crash to reach. The quantum masks are just one of the many new gameplay features that Crash Bandicoot 4 will have. Players will get a taste of nostalgia with N Sanity Beach with a new, fresh take on the classic platformer.
By bringing back N Sanity Beach, the developers are paying homage to the game many fell in love with decades ago. Fans of the original game will remember the iconic N Sanity Beach with extremely updated graphics, while new fans can fall in love with the level for the first time and perhaps kick start a love for the franchise.
Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time releases October 2 on PS4 and Xbox One.
