Highlights
- Crash Bandicoot 4 introduced new playable characters, creating exciting gameplay opportunities beyond simple platforming challenges.
- Characters like Tiny Tiger, Polar, and N-Tropy have the potential to be playable in future games, adding new dynamics to the series.
- Aku Aku, Crash's sidekick, should receive more recognition and potentially have his own set of levels, similar to other sidekicks in gaming.
When Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time was released in 2020, fans were surprised by just how good the game was. After so many different versions of Crash had come out since the PS1 era, it was nice for things to go back to the original tried and tested platforming formula. Even more surprising, though, was the fact that the game included some new levels that allowed fans to play as some other characters in the series other than Crash. While players were used to being able to switch to Coco in the N-Sane Trilogy, fans can now use Tawna, Dingo Dile, and Neo Cortex in levels that require more than simple platforming challenges.
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Since this experiment was so successful, it is hard not to think what characters could show up in a sequel. The Crash Bandicoot series has so many great side characters, that it would be great to see some again in the new games.
6 Tiny Tiger
A Giant Wrecking Ball
- Debut: Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back
Tiny Tiger is a large cat with a menacing grin who is the complete antithesis of what his name suggests. He first showed up in the series as a boss fight in Crash Bandicoot 2, and it was here that Tiny TIger demonstrated his slow wits and platforming ability. He has since been a mainstay in the Crash Bandicoot canon.
Sadly. Tiny Tiger did not show up in the fourth game. However, it is easy to see where he would fit in the series as another playable character. Tiny Tiger could participate in platforming levels like Crash and Coco, but his brute strength could be used to get rid of large obstacles or get rid of powerful enemies.
5 Polar
A Fast Animal Companion
- Debut: Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back
The riding levels in Crash Bandicoot have been a staple in the series since the first game. However, the fast-paced level received a much better reception when the games introduced Polar as the riding companion. The cute bear has been a familiar face in the games ever since, appearing in Crash Team Racing as an optional driver, and he even showed up in a new riding segment in Crash Bandicoot 4.
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Despite this inclusion being received well, it would make sense for Polar to strike out on his own in the next game. He could still exist in the riding levels, but it seems there is no longer any need for him to be driven by Crash.
4 N-Tropy
Rewinding Time Is A Great Mechanic
- Debut: Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped
N-Tropy first appeared as a villain in Crash 3 and then reappeared as an antagonist in Crash 4. He is a magical presence, who is able to wield a staff that allows him to control time. As a result, this villain could be used in a set of levels where manipulating time can be used to progress.
The ability to fast-forward and rewind time is always great when used as a puzzle-solving mechanic in video games, so N-Tropy would be perfect if used in this way. There has even been a female version of the character established in the newer games, so players can pick which one to play, as, like with Crash and Coco. The only problem is that the series would need to introduce a seriously powerful new villain for N-Tropy to fight alongside Crash and Co.
3 Nitros Oxide
A Side Character Who Could Do With More Of A Spotlight
- Debut: Crash Team Racing
The main series of Crash Bandicoot games has never been shy about including vehicle levels or segments. Over the years, Crash and Coco have ridden bikes, jet skis, and zorbing balls. However, these types of levels could be distributed to another villain in the series.
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Nitros Oxide is an alien who first appeared in Crash TeamRacing to challenge Earth to a series of races in an effort to take over the world. If he is not seen in a car in these racing games, Nitros Oxide is seen in the rest of the series in a tiny spaceship. As such, this could always be used in vehicle sections for the next game.
2 Professor N-Brio
A Scientist With Plenty Of Potions
- Debut: Crash Bandicoot
In the first ever Crash Bandicoot game, Professor N-Brio showed up as more of a sidekick to the main villain, Doctor Neo Cortex. He even acts as the second-to-last boss in this game. Since then, N-Bro has moved on and become more of a character in his own right. He also returned in Crash 4 for another boss fight.
The thing that makes Professor N-Brio such a good candidate for a new playable character is that his gameplay mechanics are baked into his character design. In every boss fight with N-Brio, he will throw potions at the player that can either do damage, create a new creature, or transform something in the environment. As such, this selection of potions could be used to navigate specific platforming challenges or puzzles in his own set of levels.
1 Aku Aku
Crash's Sidekick
- Debut: Crash Bandicoot
In every video game he appears in, Crash Bandicoot is accompanied by a floating mask known as Aku Aku. He mainly acts as the characters' health indicator in the game, but he also provides key plot information. As such, it seems strange that this mask hasn't received more of a spotlight in the series yet.
Even Spyro the Dragon's sidekick, Sparx, got his own set of levels in Spyro 3, so it only makes sense for Aku Aku to get the same treatment in the future. The levels could be similar to those of Sparx, and it won't even take away too much from the main story. He is the brains of the operation, after all.
