Crash returns in the first numbered entry in over twenty years
Toys for Bob, most recently known for Spyro Reignited Trilogy, a remastered collection of the series' first three games, is the 16th studio to pick up the mantle with the upcoming Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time.
The newest entry picks up directly after Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped, released in 1998. Series antagonists Neo Cortex and Dr. N. Tropy have escaped their interdimensional prison, but not without leaving a tear in the fabric of the universe. It's again up to Crash and Coco to stop them before they conquer any and all dimensions.
According the trailer premiered during PlayStation’s State of Play, time and the warping thereof is a central theme of Crash 4 and ties into story beats, new gameplay mechanics, and settings. Instead of just progressing through various stages like the games of old, players will jump back and forth through different eras ranging from lava-filled Neolithic wilderness to neon-soaked, futuristic, urban sprawls.
The core platforming mechanics players have known will also make a return, described as "tense, precise, and perspective-shifting." The game will have players retread classic areas from previous games such as N. Samity Beach – the start of it all, only now in current-gen fidelity.
Crash 4 will also introduce the use of 'Quantum Masks,' which allows the player to bend the laws of time and space to progress. For example, Crash (or Coco – who will have a more prominent role than previous titles) can use them to slow time, change the direction of gravity, or even phase objects in and out of existence.
There will be new playable characters, such as Dingodile or even Neo Cortex himself – each with their own unique set of abilities. Not only will you be able to experience levels with different abilities, but also new perspectives as they experience the same stages from alternate points in time.
You can even earn skins to customize characters throughout the game, with no microtransactions required. In fact, there aren't going to be any microtransactions period.
To add replay value, Crash 4 will introduce a brand-new "N. Verted Mode" – which allows players to replay levels in wildly different ways. While one can submerge the entire stage underwater, completely shifting the jumping and fall mechanics, another might be totally devoid of color and require the player to spread paint to find the way forward.
"This is the first new game in the Crash Bandicoot series in more than a decade," said Chief Creative Officer and Co-Studio Head at Toys for Bob Paul Yan. "So we felt it was important to introduce a brand-new style of play."
The message is clear, as Toys for Games hopes that they've done enough to bring a classic franchise to the modern age without erasing the original heart that enamored players decades ago.
Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time will release on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on October 2, 2020.
