If you haven’t already heard, Activision is prepping a brand new Crash Bandicoot game for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Not only will it be a new entry in what used to be one of gaming’s biggest franchises, it will also be a numbered sequel. That’s something we haven’t seen or received since the original PlayStation era, when Crash Bandicoot, Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back and Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped were all released.
Titled Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time, this new, current-gen adventure will take players on quite a colourful ride. One that will involve a trip through time, and will feature the familiar faces of Crash, Coco, Neo Cortex, Dr. N Trophy and Uka Uka.
After 22 years (between numbered sequels, not spin-offs), Crash and Coco are called into action when the aforementioned villains open up a hole in the space/time fabric. The two heroes will then have to travel to different time periods and perhaps even dimensions, as they do battle with their iconic nemeses. Helping them out will be four quantum masks, which just so happen to be the universe’s guardians. Enlisting the help of these masks will allow players to do things like slow time and manipulate gravity.
You’ll also have the ability to dash, which will be helpful during certain levels.
This game is being called Crash Bandicoot 4 for a reason, and that is its linear progression. The team at Toys For Bob (who previously remastered the first three games as part of the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, developed the Spyro Reignited Trilogy, and also worked on multiple Skylanders games) aims to bring this series back to its roots, by presenting a campaign that progresses linearly and utilizes a hub. Those are two things that the original games were well known for.
There will also be a good amount of difficulty, although within reason. Another thing the Crash Bandicoot games were known for was being challenging, and that won’t change here.
Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time is set to release on October 2nd. It’s currently listed at $84.99 Canadian, on Best Buy’s website, but that is said to be a placeholder.