After spending several years away from the gaming world, Bandicoot Crash came back with a vengeance in 2020, in a game that was one of the Best of the Year.
Now in 2021, the game has arrived for more platforms: the Nintendo Switch it’s the PRAÇA received the game, as well as the new generation consoles, which have improved versions of the game.
The same game…
We already have a full review of Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time published here on the website, signed by our comrade Renan. I also recommend reading, since the game itself is still the same.
Completely ignoring the games that have been released in recent years, this new crash is a direct sequel to Crash 3: Warped, from 98. The game’s own title makes a joke of it — after all, it’s taken more than two decades for a legitimate sequel to come out.
The game’s history shows that the villains Neo Cortex and N. Tropy they’ve found a way to crack spacetime, and they’re going to take advantage of this feature to try to master all the existing dimensions.
To prevent this from happening, crash, Coconut and aku aku will go out on a search for the Quantum Masks, artifacts that exist to preserve space-time, and will be of great help in this journey.
With the same challenge…
Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time is a 3D platform game that respects its predecessors’ legacy of difficulty.. The game is extremely challenging and will require a lot of skill in the controls, especially in bonus stages and VHS tapes that release “retro” challenges.
There are many more types of challenges than in the past: now, in each level you can (or may not) collect a total of 6 diamonds — not counting the time challenge gem — if you can accomplish objectives such as breaking all boxes , or finish the level with a maximum of 3 kills.
The level design is neat, but also “*******” with the player, hiding secrets and boxes out of the player’s field of vision. And if a level has 200 boxes, and you broke 199 of them, there’s no forgiveness: if you want to try again, get ready to break ALL the boxes again, not just the one that was missing.
Quantum masks, which grant new abilities to characters, also introduce mechanics that boost the game’s difficulty level, leaving tangible/intangible platforms, for example. Fortunately, the very well-calibrated and responsive gameplay does the trick, that is: when you fail, it will be your fault, not the game.
And many new features
Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time it was already a beautiful game a generation ago, and that hasn’t changed. In terms of audiovisual, the game remains amazing, very colorful, vibrant and super consistent with the franchise proposal.
The news starts with performance: at Playstation 5, the game runs in 4K at 60fps. The stability is quite impressive: there are no glitches or framerate drops even in the most frantic boss battles.
the resources of the DualSense they also add extra spice to the recipe: by using the Grappling Hook from tawna, for example, we can feel the trigger resistance. This type of effect is also present when we are on the skateboard/jet ski, as well as when using the “vacuum cleaner” of the dingodile.
The control also vibrates at different intensities, providing richer haptic feedback according to what happens on the screen. It doesn’t have the same immersion level as Astro’s Playroom, but it is still an interesting addendum. And speaking of immersion, the game takes advantage of 3D audio, but it demands a compatible headset which, unfortunately, I don’t have yet, so I couldn’t test it.
Load time also takes advantage of new generation hardware and SSD: Crash 4 is a game with very large stages, which could take a while to load. At the PS5 that’s no problem: between the map and the start of the level, the wait doesn’t reach 5 seconds.
Finally, I think it’s worth noting that the game makes good use of the “Cards” of the Playstation 5 — feature that not every game uses. Available “out of the game” (on the console dashboard), Cards show challenges and game activities that you’ve already started but for some reason haven’t completed.
When you click on a specific card, the game automatically opens and takes you to the right area in a matter of seconds. It is a very practical resource, as it skips the menus, the introduction, the stage map, in short, everything you don’t need to see, and puts you “in the face of the goal”.
The most impressive thing is that the game is not loading a save, it is literally starting up in a specific place.. A hitherto underused feature of the PS5 that definitely deserves more attention — and can no doubt help platinumers get the insane 106% game completeness.
Conclusion
Following the improvement guide we’ve seen in other titles recently, Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time it doesn’t reinvent the wheel of the original game, but offers a faster, more fluid and more immersive experience in the new generation.
Whereas the upgrade is free for those who already had the game in the past generation, there’s no reason not to take this chance to revisit this great and challenging adventure of one of video game’s most beloved characters.
Users of Xbox Series X|S will likely have a similar experience, as well as those from PRAÇA (according to the hardware, of course). We don’t know how the game runs on Nintendo Switch, but I think it’s valid to expect a slightly more modest presentation, which doesn’t compromise the fun.
With the new versions, Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time is now available for PC, Playstation 4, Playstation 5 (reviewed version), Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch.
It is noteworthy that the game is 100% localized to our language — including our friend Luiza Caspary give voice to Coconut, sister of crash.
