Our Crash Bandicoot 4 It’s About Time Review looks at the latest Crash game that Activision launched on 2 October 2020 on PS4 and XBO. Toys for Bob is the developer for this instalment, bringing the fun action game to your home television.

Crash Bandicoot brings back some memories. I played the first three games and so many side games, such as Crash Bash and Crash Team Racing. We’ve all been waiting for a new game, and It’s About Time that Crash Bandicoot 4 arrived.

We are fortunate to be able to provide a Crash Bandicoot 4 It’s About Time Review for the PS4 and XBO platform as a combined review.

How does it live up to the previous Crash Bandicoot games? Are there new features, and what does it look like? Read more in our Crash Bandicoot 4 It’s About Time Review.

Story

Crash Bandicoot is back, and so are Neo Cortex and N.Tropy and every character we’ve met before. The baddies have sprung the prisons of the dimension they were locked in, and it’s Crash’s job to stop the rift. It’s a great beginning for our Crash Bandicoot 4 It’s About Time Review.

When you start, you can choose to play Modern or Retro modes. Considering that I was in my teens when the originals were out, calling it Retro makes me feel old. The Retro version lets you play with a specific amount of lives as before, while Modern mode has infinite lives.

That doesn’t make it easier, though. You still need to meet different conditions for 100% completion. One of them is dying less than three times in a round. Of course, if you are aiming for all the crates (as we did for this Crash Bandicoot 4 It’s About Time Review) and you missed one, you can force your death in Modern mode and go back for it from the last checkpoint.

The story plays out over different worlds or islands. Each one consists of different chapters which you’ll need to complete at least once to unlock a new one. The plot is interesting and is definitely a fine addition to the series.

Gameplay

All of the same gimmicks are back from before. Smash crates, jump on boxes, collect loot, spin enemies… You can also grind on rails, switching from side to side or hanging upside down. As the levels progress, they become more challenging and you’ll spend more time clearing stages.

The one main feature I enjoyed for this Crash Bandicoot 4 It’s About Time Review was the four Quantum masks that give you special abilities, as follows:

• Lani-loli: phasing objects from one realm of existence to another;
• Akano: the all-powerful, unblockable, infinite spins;
• Kapuna-wa: slow down timel;
• Ika-Ika: Flip gravity.

Of course, they only become available on stages where you require them. You can also play as Coco if you prefer, since both of them have the skills for passing each of the missions.

There is also a local multiplayer mode. You can play up to four players in a race against time or smashing as many crates as possible. Sadly, this isn’t available as split-screen, and you’ll spend a frustrating amount of time passing the single control around while taking turns.

You can also share the controller for the story mode, passing it to the next player when you die. While it prevents the annoyance of continuously dying at the same spot over and over, letting two play on the same screen in a co-op mode would have been better.

My greatest grievance in this Crash Bandicoot 4 It’s About Time Review is the timing of input to action. Many circumstances call for quick button-bashing action. Jump here, swing there, switch sides, change phases, etc. It feels like the game struggles to keep up and I’ve died a few times from input not executing on time in the game.

Graphics

The graphics have definitely received an upgrade from previous titles, we feel in this Crash Bandicoot 4 It’s About Time Review. The images are immaculate and the colours are bright and shiny. We also enjoyed all the unlockable skins that ensure that Crash doesn’t remain dull throughout the game.

The only gripe in our Crash Bandicoot 4 It’s About Time Review is the same issue I’ve had with any Crash title, so I guess it’s a good thing that it returned? When jumping towards objects over a deep abyss, even with a yellow circle under me, it’s sometimes challenging to tell if I’m going to land on them properly. I’m not sure if that’s just me, or maybe I have a hand-eye coordination problem.

My own issues aside, the creature designs are superb and you can tell the graphic artists went all out to bring the beauty of this game to the screen. Simply superb, a few hidden easter eggs in between.

Sound

Now, for the sound portion of our Crash Bandicoot 4 It’s About Time Review. The sound quality is just as great, bringing back all the same sound effects from before, but in better quality. There’s different soundtracks for each stage, getting your heart beating as you run the gauntlet to the end of the stage. It’s really good to have a Crash game at hand again.

Crash Bandicoot 4 It’s About Time Review: Final Verdict

Let’s summarise some points in this Crash Bandicoot 4 It’s About Time Review.

It’s undeniable that Toys for Bob have done an amazing job filling Naughty Dog’s shoes. All of the great Crash elements are back, with more added for some extra excitement. The story is immersive, the graphics and sounds are brilliant, and the gameplay is, well, frustrating, but in a way that all the Crash games have done before. Be prepared to die plenty of times to get that loot.

Crash Bandicoot 4 It’s About Time is worth buying, whether or not you’re a fan of the series. If you want to wait for the price to drop, then that’s fine too.

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