Chances are, if you’re a Crash Bandicoot fan from its explosive beginnings in the late ‘90s, you’ve been holding out for decades for the zany marsupial’s return to form. Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time--as the name suggests--aims to course-correct the series and poises itself as a direct sequel to the original trilogy that ended in 1998. Here, Crash is back to run, jump and spin his way through dimensional rifts and into new worlds. 

For the ultimate Crash Bandicoot fans, it’s safe to say It’s About Time feels exactly how the original series ever did, with all the visual splendour console gaming offers in 2020. The game’s voice acting and animation is so well detailed it’s hard to argue its parity with today’s 3D cartoons. Developer Toys For Bob is no stranger to injecting new life into classic series, especially given its work creating the Skylanders series and “reigniting” the Spyro trilogy in 2018.

All that said, I have to confess, the original Crash games were on the outer orbit of my gaming experiences as a kid, so any time spent playing them was limited to visiting friends with PlayStations (I had an N64 at the time). So while the game does feel like an authentic addition 22 years later, I have to say I had a real hard time with any sort of precise platforming I’ve been spoiled with since then. I’m reluctant to say it’s bad platforming, but it’s definitely lacking in tactile maneuverability that competing 3D platformers offered around that era--and have since iterated and improved. Also, I was confused by the inconsistency of invisible walls on some pathways versus others; falling to your death in a platformer is a given, but some platforms prohibited me from walking off the foreground or background, while others didn’t. It was frequently unclear where I was safe and where I wasn’t.

As mentioned earlier, Crash purists will have a thrill jumping in and revisiting all the nostalgic treats on offer here, from the beautifully-coloured locales right down to the marimba-driven melodies that open the game. Level design also remains intact, with the familiar fixed perspective and linear pathways. I’d personally recommend switching off the motion blur in the game’s graphics options, to get a much richer 60 FPS experience.

What’s new in Crash 4, though, are the Quantum Masks that help Crash and his super-smart sister Coco with new abilities. Throughout certain sections of the game, the Quantum Masks (of which there are four) offer new mechanics like slowing time, or giving Crash and Coco a more powerful spin ability to perpetually propel themselves over long distances. I had an especially aggravating time with the phase puzzles, which allowed you to phase different platforms and crates in and out of existence, as it added another layer of difficulty on top of the frustrating platforming. If perhaps this ability was incorporated into the later worlds, after offering more time to get the “feel” of the jumps, then I might have enjoyed the opening hours a bit more.

Going back to Coco, Crash 4 allows you to switch between playing as either character throughout the main game. This mark’s the series’ first time letting players play through a full Crash game as Coco, and even unlocking a wide range of extra skins for both characters that remain visible during the in-engine cutscenes. In fact, the amount of unlockables and extra challenges--such as the Flashback levels that are unlocked by collecting VHS tapes hidden in some stages--will keep players coming back for more. And even on top of that are other characters met throughout the main game: namely Dingodile and an alternate Tawna from another dimension. Dingodile is probably the most fiddly to control, as he wields a vacuum-gun that can suck explosives to be (vaguely) aimed and fired elsewhere; Tawna on the other hand feels great and has a cool grappling hook that can take out ranged enemies.

I felt like I had a more enjoyable time playing Crash 4 in short bursts, rather than diving in for hours-long stretches. This was mainly because stages seem much longer than they have been in previous games, and my difficulty acclimating to the game’s flow. I’d jump in thinking I could tackle a stage in 15 minutes, but would end up spending twice that long and racking up close 20 or more deaths. Thankfully, the game does away with the limited lives and game overs of yesteryear. But at least the controls and mechanics are minimal to the point that playing it on a PlayStation Vita over remote play feels fantastic and doesn’t have much use of the back touchscreen.

While I may have personally struggled to come to grips with the overall Crash experience, I do have to acknowledge that Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time delivers an authentic experience I’m sure fans will appreciate. It’s also a great stepping stone to introduce younger gamers to the series perhaps before jumping into the originals, so that the removal of game overs can be a little more forgiving while they develop some skill (and even enjoy the modern presentation). There’s plenty here for most people to enjoy, and those looking for challenges will find plenty. Crash is back, and after two decades, it’s been about time.