Crash Bandicoot™ 4: It’s About Time

This is a great platformer. I'm giving a thumbs down because almost every level is just hard enough to feel like a chore. I get it, the devs wanted the game to be challenging especially if you want to 100%. But I'm really early on, at least the first few levels should be a breeze. It's not even so much that it's hard, but there are so many gotcha type of trial and error deaths. Super Mario Wonder is a little too easy, but it's so much fun. Super Mario Odyssey has its share of easy Moons, but also some devilishly hard ones. Like, okay devs, throw a bunch of hard stuff in, but save some of that for later. Can I get my feet wet first with a few freebie 100%s? Mechanically it's great and so is the presentation. If you like a game to be pretty challenging from beginning to end, you'll probably see this as a plus, but me personally I prefer a smoother escalation. I certainly don't hate the game, nor do I think it's bad, but it doesn't really give you a chance to warm up to it. TL;DR: I am dying enough times in each stage to where I want to stop playing before I finish the level, which means I'd have to start it over, so in order to not lose progress, I play past the point where I'm having fun, so I can beat the level and not have to do it again from scratch. Yuck. Maybe I'll change my mind as the game goes on, who knows.

This is EASILY the best crash game to ever be released. Personally I would recommend playing the N.Hanced version for the best version of this game but even without (despite it's difficulty) it it easily a game to be remembered and it sucks that Activision has left Crash for dead. Overall a 9/10 A bit unfair in difficulty when trying to 100 percent. Incredible graphics and art styles. Silky smooth frame perfect movement and game play that feels satisfying to pull off. All of this to go along with the fantastic level design with beautiful backgrounds.

Honestly it's not really fun to play, so I can't recommend it. It's like they tried to reinvent the game by adding a bunch of fancy new stuff, but it just feels messy and not really like crash anymore.

It's a good game but only for hardcore Darksouls like gaming for platformers. Crash bandicoot is about a child friendly game which should be medium difficulty and have some challenging moments. This Game is very good graphics new mask mechanics but it is too much, too hard. I can complete the game no problem but it gives me a headache the amount of focus needed and anticipation around every corner. Makes this game what should be relaxing and fun to tedious and frustrating.

Came from getting 100% on N sane trilogy, and after only 18mins I have zero desire to ever play this game again.

do i recommend that you play crash 4 for a nice casual run? yessir!! 100% completion? no i think id rather get stabbed through the eyes hands fingers toes feet arms legs ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ torso brain tongue acid poured down my throat up my ass inside my ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ in my ears up my nose... so anyway running through this game and seeing all the big alive dynamic and colourful levels is a treat. crates look and feel great to bounce on and smash through. the running towards the camera levels are really fun and the slide jump and double jump just being immediately available is a wise choice. the game also does away with the tacked on lame powerups you get in crash 3, and just gives you context sensitive Quantum Masks which act as temporary additional platforming moves/challenges. there's also the rail grinding, which is fun, and stuff like wall running which adds texture and rhythm to the platforming. there are new crates, too. the timed flame crates add challenge, the timed red wireframe crates add urgency, and the two of them fit completely perfectly into crash's toolbox. generally, if you pick a random minute per game in the franchise, this game will be the one that feels and looks better than the others. unless the minute is like zoomed in looking at the main characters. the redesigned characters are across the board downgrades. except like nbrio ntropy dingodile and cortex who look fine. tawna is equal to tawna and isnt a true redesign due to story shennanigans, but the n gin, crash, and coco redesigns are straight downgrades. coco didnt need to be, but her head and neck just dont look right. n gin is unsalvagably ♥♥♥♥ looking though, and crash is basically massacred. that is NOT my boy. he looks fine for a different character in a different franchise, but the weird unhinged glassy eyed nervous wreck from 1 2 and 3 is replaced with pixar boy the smiling animal. i dont hate his redesign at all but i dont like it and i dont think it fits crash. the classic skin is great though. so overall yeah this is a good game. for like a normal playthrough. but that's not how you play crash. crash is a 100% game. the original trilogy are fun to run through, sure, but the real joy of those games came from figuring out the nasty tricks, doing the death runs, sprinting to the finish lines, and smashing all the crates. trying to 100% this game yeah bring out the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ IRON MAIDEN and SLAM THE DOOR OPEN AND SHUT 200,000 TIMES ON ME. ♥♥♥♥ THIS. we've gone from 1 crate gem, 1 crystal, time trial relic, and RARELY a deathgem or a coloured gem, to SIX ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ GEMS one of which is HIDDEN in some truly ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ location, time trial relics, a death tape almost EVERY level, time trial relic, a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ PERFECT RUN relic, AND the ocassional coloured gem with EVEN STUPIDER ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ requirements to find it. oh and then you unlock the inverted level, which just flips the level right to left and puts ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ windows movie maker filters on the screen. AND GIVES YOU ANOTHER 6 GEMS INCLUDING ANOTHER NEWLY HIDDEN ONE. and then an alternate level where you have to play the second half of a level you've already ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ played for, what, the FOURTH time at this point. it's ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ mental. what were they DOING. who played the original trilogy and said "this is good, but i wish it had 80 million collectibles! and when you're 100%ing this game, the cracks show everywhere else. there are too many levels that start with something timed that you have to wait for every time you restart, or the flame crates will randomly start spewing fire with no telegraphing, or the level is genuinely just too long and ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ random to get through comfortably, or you jump onto a wallrun wall and just slip off of it. or you rail grind for the fourtieth time and realise you're just stood still waiting. or you'll find a crate hidden off screen or inside a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ tyre basically invisible or some other ♥♥♥♥. not like when they hid a few crates towards the camera in crash 2, but way way way worse and even more impossible to know it's there. do NOT get me ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ started on the coloured gems. so yes playing this game is good, maybe even great. but 100%ing it is what you'd call "abysmal ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥." i dont like that you can't spin away wumpas or 1-ups. that's classic ♥♥♥♥ that should be in every game. no reason that it shouldn't be included here.

[h2]Save yourself a headache and install the "N.Hanced" mod.[/h2] While the vanilla game is fine for a playthrough, I highly recommend it if you plan on collecting everything, like the game encourages. Cuts out a LOT of frustration, bloat, and chaff. With that out of the way, [h1]All of the game's foundation just felt [i]right.[/i][/h1] Running felt purposeful. Jumping felt smooth and responsive. Smashing crates felt satisfying. Strong. Crash 4 introduces a smorgasbord of fresh mechanics through special masks - Gravity shifting, time slowing, object phasing, and a powerful gliding spin. Not every level makes use of them, which is something I appreciate. Thanks to this, this keeps the level design from becoming too dependent and "gimmicky". And when they do make use of them, they are only for certain sections - not the entire stage. Sometimes the stages throw in multiple masks at different points, building upon previous levels and testing the player's skill. Personally, my favorite was the gravity mask. Wall-running (another new mechanic) upside-down was a highlight. Expressive cutscenes. Every minute of precious screen-time each character got was a treat, and left me wanting more each time a villain bowed out from the story. Each level is hand-crafted with painstaking detail - [b]on a scale I dare compare to Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze.[/b] Standouts include the pirate lagoon-themed "Booty Calls", and "Off Beat" - one of the series' most unique locations yet - a New Orleans Mardi Gras parade. Crash and Coco are again available to play, each with their own set of costumes rewarded for collecting enough Wumpa Fruit. (Some are Activision sign-in exclusive, but this can be bypassed with the N.Hanced mod) Despite some culture-war poisoned people crying "Basic Biology", both Crash and Coco are identically capable, letting you pick whichever you see fit. New to the game are not one, not two, but [i]three[/i] additional side-characters: Tawna (from an alternate timeline), a reformed Dingo Dile, and Dr. Neo Cortex himself. Tawna uses a grappling hook to attack from afar, and reach distant platforms. Dingo Dile can utilize his vacuum-repurposed flamethrower to suck up crates from a distance and throw TNT by reversing the suction, and hover. Cortex can air-dash, and transform enemies into either solid or bouncy platforms. While I enjoyed their inclusion, their unique moves can be frustrating in time trials due to lack of precise aim. (Cortex's blaster seemed straight-up broken in my experience, with shots oftentimes disappearing. Whether this is caused by the mod, or in the vanilla game as well, I do not know) [b]Crash 4 provides a colorful platforming trip that never feels too unfair, but can offer a demanding challenge for those who want to grab every gem and relic.[/b] Glad to know that Toys For Bob is working on a brand new Spyro. Best of luck!