Crash Bandicoot

CRASH BANDICOOT
Universal Interactive Studios /
Naughty Dog
Sep 1996
Sony PlayStation
Mild Violence: Kids to Adults
3D Platform

-- by Maria Munoz

Forget Mario. He is old news. CRASH BANDICOOT is spinning onto the 3D platform gaming scene with loads of fun, eye-grabbing graphics, and hours and hours of play!

Crash was once an ordinary bandicoot minding his own business, eating a few fruits on his tropical island off Australia when suddenly, he was nabbed by the evil Dr. Neo Cortex and his assistant Dr. Nitrus Brio. They subject poor Crash with brain powering experiments which transform Crash from a dumb bandicoot to a dumb and crazy bandicoot that can walk on his hind legs. (Sense a bit of an Island of Dr. Moreau theme here?) Not only do they reject him as a freakish failure, but they also take his lovely girlfriend Tawna away from him and will do the same to her. Oh no! This is where the player steps in!

The goal of this game is simple: go through many obstacles, try not to get killed, and save the damsel in distress. Sounds easy, right? Wrong! It is not as easy as you think!

Crash Bandicoot has to travel through three main Islands. The first one has eight levels and one boss monster, Papu-Papu, a rather plump looking native king. The next has six levels and two boss monsters, Ripper Roo, a maniacal kangaroo, and Koala Kong, an all brawn, no brains koala. The final island is the most difficult with ten levels and three boss monsters, Pinstripe Potoroo, a pinstriped suit wearing rodent, Dr. Nitrus Brio, and Dr. Neo Cortex, himself.

On the first island, the player learns Crash's basic moves like jumping and spinning. This allows the player to accustom himself to the controls, so Crash gets through the active tropic environment around him. Levels such as Boulders, that have the player running and jumping away from several large boulders Indiana Jones style gives the player the hand-eye coordination to tackle other levels. Hog Wild, a funny frolic on a wild hog, has the player dodging obstacles such as natives with shields, spiked poles, and ravines. This first island prepares the player for more difficult ones. On the second and third islands, the levels get more difficult and the boss monsters multiply.

Like most platform games, Crash Bandicoot relies on the player's hand-eye coordination and patience to finish the game. Also, to add to Crash's troubles, he is not alone. Island monkeys, turtles, skunks, natives, and even Man-Eating (Bandicoot-Eating?) Plants are out to stop him at all costs. Crash moves in three ways: he walks, he jumps, and he spins. Spinning will destroy most baddies and open crates as will jumping.

The player takes Crash and collects Fruits, smashes crates, and jumps upon Up-Arrow Crates to leap up to new levels. One hundred fruits are worth an extra life. Smashing a Check Point crate allows a player to restart at that checkpoint after losing a life. Crates marked with a "?" contain good stuff such as Bonus Round Tokens (Tawna, N. Brio, and Dr. Cortex) and Masks of Protection. Masks of Protection float next to Crash's head when the player picks them up, and can protect Crash from one, two, or even three hits. Collect three Masks of Protection in a row and Crash wears the mask and is invincible for about twenty seconds.

There are also Secret Levels that the player can enter by finding the two Keys in the game. Successfully beating a Dr. Cortex Bonus Round will reward the player with a Key. Gems are another extra bonus. There are 26 gems in all, and if the player can score a perfect on all the levels of each island, they get a gem! There are two different endings, a regular one and a better one. I will not tell you how to get there, you will have to figure it out yourself.

CRASH BANDICOOT is adventure into the Austrailian Outback, but without Crocodile Dundee or those "shrimps on the barbie". I recommend Crash Bandicoot to any game player into platform-type games; it is loads of fun.

Rating: *** stars