Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy [2023]

 Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy Introduction:

The Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy is a platform video game created by Vicarious Visions and published by Activision. It serves as a remastered compilation of the first three titles in the Crash Bandicoot series: Crash Bandicoot (1996), Cortex Strikes Back (1997), and Warped (1998). These original games were initially developed by Naughty Dog for the PlayStation console. Initially, the N. Sane Trilogy was launched exclusively for the PlayStation 4 in June 2017, but later it was made available on Nintendo Switch, Windows, and Xbox One in June 2018. The game garnered generally favorable reviews from critics and managed to sell over 10 million copies by February 2019.

In the N. Sane Trilogy, players can experience remastered versions of the first three Crash Bandicoot games, namely Crash Bandicoot, Cortex Strikes Back, and Warped. Each game follows Crash Bandicoot as he embarks on various adventures to thwart the plans of Doctor Neo Cortex, who seeks world domination. Just like the original titles, Crash utilizes spinning and jumping abilities to defeat adversaries, break crates, and gather items like Wumpa Fruits, extra lives, and Aku Aku masks for protection. The remastered trilogy introduces several new features across all three games, including unified checkpoints, pause menus, and save systems (both manual and automatic), as well as time trials (first introduced in Warped). Players also have the option to play most levels as Crash's sister, Coco. Additionally, the game features enhanced audio and cutscenes, featuring new recordings by the franchise's more recent voice actors.

Gameplay:

Before the N. Sane Trilogy was announced, the Crash Bandicoot series had been on a hiatus for about six years, with the last release in 2010. Activision's then-CEO Eric Hirshberg expressed a personal desire to bring Crash Bandicoot back, citing his fondness for the games from his own childhood. The co-creator of Crash Bandicoot, Andy Gavin, and fellow co-creator Jason Rubin also expressed hope for a reboot or HD remaster of the original games. Andy Gavin suggested modernizing the series while preserving its whimsical charm.

In July 2014, Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Andrew House hinted at the possibility of reviving the Crash Bandicoot series, stating that it was never off the table. The official return of Crash Bandicoot was revealed at E3 2016, with the announcement that the first three games would be fully remade from the ground up. Crash also made an appearance as a playable character in Activision's Skylanders: Imaginators game. The remakes, developed by Vicarious Visions under the title Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, were initially released for PlayStation 4 on June 30, 2017. Vicarious Visions also expressed interest in creating a new Crash Bandicoot game after the N. Sane Trilogy's release.

Final Words:

The game was developed using the Vicarious Visions Alchemy game engine, and it introduced the concept of "Remaster Plus," which involved rebuilding the gameplay from scratch while retaining Naughty Dog's original level geometry. Since the source codes for the original games were mostly unavailable, Vicarious Visions had to rely on various internet communities to capture the essence of the original games. They also had fans test the game and provide feedback. Additionally, the game received post-launch downloadable content, including two additional levels: Stormy Ascent (originally cut from the first game due to its difficulty) and Future Tense (a new level created by Vicarious Visions for the third game).

After a year of timed exclusivity, the N. Sane Trilogy was ported to Nintendo Switch, Windows, and Xbox One on June 29, 2018, with different developers handling each platform's version. The decision to port the game to the Nintendo Switch was made after a successful test of the game's first level on the platform. In Japan, Sega published the Switch version, while Sony Interactive Entertainment published the PlayStation 4 version.