As a veteran gamer and streamer whose been playing since the original Crash Bandicoot debuted in 1996, I‘ve been yearning for a proper sequel for over 20 years. After mediate attempts like The Wrath of Cortex failed to recapture Crash‘s glory days, could Crash Bandicoot 4: It‘s About Time finally get the formula right? While not perfect, Toys for Bob‘s vivid remake shows this rad Marsupial still has tricks up his furry sleeves.
A Visual Showcase Faithful To Crash‘s Cartoon roots
Make no mistake – with 4K 30 FPS fidelity on the PS4 Pro and silky animations, Crash 4 represents a sheer graphical showcase. Developer Toys For Bob utilize the latest Unreal Engine to render the most dazzling and smooth Crash graphics ever seen. Crash‘s updated design stays true to his original gangly, exaggerated proportions while adding cleaner textures and more detailed fur.
These visuals truly sell the zany cartoon aesthetic. Levels like the lush jungle Dino Dash burst with vibrant HDR colors and effects like sunlight streaming through the trees. Even dark industrial stages like Ship Happens pop thanks to small touches like sparks flying from damaged machinery. Every texture across Crash‘s diverse environments, from sandy shores to snowy tundras, looks razor sharp.
Toys for Bob even implemented clever tricks to boost fidelity like dropping resolution in the periphery of the screen. This allowed for 4K with a mostly locked 30 FPS outside some minor hitches during graphically intense sections. Overall, Crash 4 sets a new bar for cartoon visuals in a platformer.
The Familiar Crash Sound You Remember and Love
On the audio front, Crash 4 impresses as well by incorporating iconic sounds effects veterans know and love. The classic "whoa!" Crash cries when falling to his demise will hit your nostalgic senses hard. Signature sounds like bouncy crates and tik tok explosives return too along with remixed takes on memorable themes.
Several catchy new compositions like Snow Way Out‘s beat had me bopping along while battling hazards. However, a few songs feel oddly flat or lacking punch for this style of zany platformer. Still, Toys for Bob get the sound mostly right by ensuring Crash‘s audio roots permeate each level. It transports me right back to days of gluing my eyes and ears to that old CRT playing the original trilogy!
Gameplay Modernizations Make Crash Fresh Yet Familiar
Now for the most crucial element – does Crash 4‘s platforming live up to its predecessors‘ addictive gameplay? After sinking 15+ hours into the campaign, I‘m pleased to say Toys For Bob strike a masterful balance between modernizations and faithfulness to Crash‘s roots. Core mechanics like spinning, sliding, and jumping feel instantly familiar with tight responsive controls. The instinctive flow between running, hopping on enemies, and chaining spins comes rushing back like muscle memory.
Yet dashing between alternate timelines using quantum masks thrusts Crash‘s mobility into the modern era. Their gravity manipulation, dark matter powers, and time slowing abilities infuse Crash‘s moveset with spectacle and experimentation opportunities. These evolve the formula rather than simply rehashing it.
Toys for Bob gets inventive with level goals as well – for instance, one stage has you outrunning a creeping wall of fungus in a thrill-inducing escape. Boss encounters also test skills mastered up that point with multi-phase battles spanning various playstyles. Overall, the second-to-second platforming remains compelling and rewarding from beginning to end.
A Story Campaign Tailor-made for Longtime Fans
The dimensional-hopping plot catalyzing Crash‘s latest adventure proves surprisingly humorous and charming thanks to slick comic book style cutscenes bringing characters to life. While not Shakespeare, it does the job propelling players across vividly realized environments. Each quantum-shifted realm such as a dinosaur-infested past or apocalyptic future packs unique gameplay twists and visual flairs to keep thingsinteresting.
Toys For Bob cram callbacks to earlier Crash adventures around every corner that long-devoted fans will cherish. For instance, stages like Snow Way Out contain segments instantly reminiscent of iconic Crash 2 and Warped levels. Unlockable skins allow you to suit Crash up like his baby nephew or give Coco her old tye-dyed shirt – adorable touches. There‘s even retro CRT graphical filters alongside the lives/game over systems of the 90s entries toggleable at any moment for max nostalgia factor.
Painful Difficulty Choice Undercuts Accessibility
However, Toys for Bob do make some blunders when it comes to difficulty tuning. Specifically, the brutal challenge required for full completion may alienate fans longing for a more relaxed romp through nostalgia lane. While the main story only asks moderate platforming proficiency with generous checkpoint placement, collecting all gems to see the true ending remains a hellish grind for us mortal players.
Tasks like clearing all stages without dying once or beating time trial runs with milliseconds to spare are controller breaking fits of fury. The hitbox on projectiles combined with one hit kills saw me lose dozens of flawless runs to absolute nonsense through zero fault of my own. Alternatively, younger and casual players may find the simply completing each level relatively breezy. This indicates a lack of proper difficulty options to accommodate fans of all ages and skills appropriately.
Is Crash Back for Good or Teetering On The Edge?
In closing, Crash Bandicoot 4 will satiate fans yearning for a meaty new entry capturing the spirit of the PlayStation icon many of us grew up with. Toys for Bob modernize Crash‘s formula via exhilarating escapes, imaginative worlds brimming with quirky details, and welcomed mobility mechanics without losing sight of what defined the bandicoot‘s glory days.
However, sadistic design decisions around completionism requiring inhuman reflexes and luck betray the franchise‘s family friendly roots. Additionally, a lack of multiplayer or substantial unlocks reduce incentive for repeated replays though N.Verted levels add plenty of bang for buck.
Ultimately, Crash Bandicoot 4 signals a bright return to form for the orange marsupial – while the punishing difficulty hamstrings its potential longevity, I‘m hungry for more wild adventures after 100%-ing the story campaign. Crash 4 receives an overall score of 8.5 out of 10 from this long-devoted fan.
