If you grew up with a PlayStation 1, you probably think you’re good at platformers. You’ve beaten Cortex, you’ve outrun the boulders, and you’ve gathered all the crystals. Then you boot up Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time and reality hits you like a Nitro crate. Toys for Bob didn't just make a sequel; they made a gauntlet.
It’s brutal.
Seriously, this game is a fascinating case study in how to revive a franchise while simultaneously turning the difficulty dial up to eleven. It looks like a Saturday morning cartoon, but plays like a precision-engineered nightmare. For the most part, that's exactly why it works.
Forget the N. Sane Trilogy physics
Most people assumed this would feel exactly like the Vicarious Visions remasters. It doesn't. While the N. Sane Trilogy was built on the bones of the original code—leading to those weird "pill-shaped" collision boxes that made you slide off ledges—Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time was built from the ground up on Unreal Engine 4.
The weight is different. Crash feels snappier, more responsive, and a bit faster in the air.
There's this new circle shadow under your character now. Use it. It’s not just a visual flourish; it’s a mandatory tool for survival because the depth perception in these 4K environments can be a total liar. If you try to play this with "old school" eyes, you're going to miss half your jumps. The levels are longer—way longer—than anything Naughty Dog ever designed in the 90s. Some stages like "Cortex Castle" or "Toxic Tunnels" feel like they're three levels stitched together into one marathon.
The Quantum Masks change everything
The core gimmick here involves four masks: Lani-Loli, Akano, Kupuna-Wa, and Ika-Ika. They aren't just power-ups. They are fundamental shifts in how you perceive the space around you.
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Lani-Loli lets you phase objects in and out of existence. It’s basically a rhythm game played with your triggers. Then you have Akano, which turns you into a dark matter whirlwind. You don't just spin; you glide. It changes your jump arc entirely. Honestly, the most stressful parts of the game are the sections where the game forces you to swap between these masks in mid-air. One second you’re slowing down time with Kupuna-Wa to hop across falling ice blocks, the next you’re flipping gravity with Ika-Ika to avoid a ceiling of spikes. It’s mentally taxing.
The 106 percent problem
Here is where the community gets divided. Completing the story? Fine. It’s a challenge, but it’s doable for most gamers. But getting that 106% completion trophy? That is a descent into madness.
To "fully" beat Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time, the game asks you to:
- Find every hidden crate (and some are hidden behind scenery where you can't even see them).
- Earn every N. Sanely Perfect Relic (beating a level while breaking every crate without dying once).
- Complete every N. Verted level (mirrored versions with weird filters).
- Earn Platinum Time Trial relics.
It’s a lot. Maybe too much.
The "N. Sanely Perfect" relics are particularly polarizing. In the old games, if you died before the first checkpoint, you could still get the gem. Here? If you die once at the very end of a ten-minute level, you have to restart the whole thing. It’s a design choice that rewards perfection but can feel disrespectful of the player's time. You’ve got to really love the grind to see that final ending.
Why the N. Verted modes exist
Basically, N. Verted mode was a way to double the content without doubling the asset budget. Developed by Beenox, these levels mirror the map and add a filter. Some are cool, like the "Son-of-a-Pitch" level where everything is black and white and you splash color onto the world by spinning. Others, like the underwater-style filter that makes everything move in slow motion, are just frustrating.
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It feels like padding. You're doing the same long levels again, just backwards and with a headache-inducing filter. Most players tend to drop off during this part of the completion journey.
Multiple characters and fresh perspectives
One thing Toys for Bob nailed was the variety of playstyles. For the first time, we get to play as Dingodile, Tawna, and Neo Cortex in a way that actually feels integrated into the plot.
Dingodile is the standout. He’s heavy, he has a vacuum gun, and he just wants to run his diner. His gameplay is slower and more methodical. Then you have Tawna, who is a complete reimagining from the "damsel" version in the first game. She’s got a grappling hook and wall-jumps. Her sections feel more like a modern action-platformer.
Cortex is the trickiest. He can’t double jump. Instead, he has a dash and a ray gun that turns enemies into platforms or gelatinous bouncers. Playing as Cortex requires a totally different part of your brain because you have to solve environmental puzzles rather than just reacting with twitch reflexes.
The Flashback Tapes: A love letter to the hardcore
If you want to see where the real difficulty hides, look for the Flashback Tapes. These are side levels that take place in the 90s, supposedly during Neo Cortex’s initial tests on Crash and Coco.
They are pure platforming puzzles. No fluff. Just crates and TNT.
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To even unlock them, you have to reach the tape in a level without dying. It’s a brilliant way to acknowledge the series' history while providing the "purest" platforming experience in the game. They feel like the "B-Sides" from Celeste—short, incredibly difficult rooms that teach you the nuances of the jump mechanics.
Technical performance and visual fidelity
On PS5 and Xbox Series X, the game runs at a buttery smooth 60 frames per second at 4K. This isn't just about the looks. In a game this hard, frame rate is everything. If you’re playing on a Nintendo Switch, you’re looking at 30 FPS and a resolution drop, which makes those pixel-perfect jumps a bit harder to judge.
The animation is expressive. Crash has more personality in his idle animations than most characters have in a full cutscene. It’s clear that the developers looked at classic Looney Tunes for inspiration. The way his eyes pop out when he hits a Nitro crate or the way he pancakes against a wall—it’s classic slapstick.
What you should do next
If you're just starting out or thinking about jumping back in to clean up your save file, don't try to be a perfectionist on your first run. It will ruin the game for you.
- Switch to Modern Mode immediately. Retro mode (with limited lives) is a cool nostalgia trip, but in levels where you might die 50 times, it's just a recipe for a "Game Over" screen that kicks you back to the map.
- Ignore the crates on your first pass. Just get to the end of the level. Learn the layout.
- Use the yellow ring shadow. Go into the settings and make sure the "Enhanced Shadow" is on. It tells you exactly where you're going to land.
- Watch the "Crate Path" videos. If you’re missing one single crate, it’s probably off-screen or tucked behind a piece of foreground geometry. Don't waste hours searching; use a guide for the hidden ones so you can focus on the actual platforming.
Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time is arguably the best game in the series, but it’s also the most demanding. It respects the player's intelligence and skill, even if it occasionally pushes its luck with how much it asks of you. Whether you’re a casual fan just looking for a fun romp or a completionist looking for a digital mountain to climb, it’s a masterclass in modernizing a classic. Just be prepared to see that "Death" counter hit triple digits on the final stages.