I remember my first experience with Crash and I remember it well too, I will turn back the clock for the year 2000 I think when I was a little kid making his way in the world of games, I remember my father Ali once entering a game of Crash Bash on the PC and I do not remember whether my experience of it was through the Emulator or it was issued a copy On the PC at the time with the Playstation 1, but what I know and what I'm sure of is that I never forgot my memories with that game, yes, it was different from the regular Crash series, but it was she who made me try the rest of the parts to get attached to that series and to enter my heart and remain engraved in my mind to this day That is until Activision decided to bring us Remake for roughly three months through N'Sane Trilogy, and I remember being like a kid at the time the game was released with a new game from scratch: Crash Bandicoot 4 It's About Time
Conditions have changed because for the first time in years, we got a new part of Crash Bandicoot designed from scratch literally and coming to follow the events of a game released 10 years ago !! Toys For Bob had decided to surprise us to announce Crash Bandicoot 4 It's About Time in a name that bears the name of the truth because the game actually revolves around the factor of time and at the same time it is a good return that is not long overdue and I cannot express to you how happy I am with trying this game.
What do I say about Crash Bandicoot 4 It's About Time ?? I can sum it up as being close to the heart, playful, welcoming to newcomers to the new generation series while at the same time bringing back the sweetest memories and beautiful nostalgia that developer Toys For Bob has played on so much.
My feeling when I saw Crash for the first time was indescribable and my feeling when seeing Dr. N. Cortex was also wonderful and all the characters of the story were presented attractively with enough space for each of them to introduce themselves to the newcomers as well, but in general our story is like any story by Crash is of course superficial by judgment It is a cartoon game, that is, do not take into account that you get Plot Twists, for example, or drama, or those elements that you find in the story of any game, the story here is very normal and it did not surprise me, but at the same time it was very satisfying to me.
After the events of the last part of the original series, N. Cortex and Dr. Nefarious Tropy with Uka Uka and their assistants, Uka Uka tries to find a time gap to create a hole in time and thus escape to another dimension of the prison in which they live, and this is what actually happens, but in the meantime, a disorder occurs in space-time that results in the collision of dimensions with each other and thus time with each other. Also here, Aku Aku, Crash's friend, comes out to warn him and tell him that he must collect four masks, each with supernatural ability, and by combining them, he will be able to close the time hole and return things to their course and save the world while confronting the evil Dr.
The story is very straightforward without twists or any deviation from the principle, it is a superficial experience in which you will spend a beautiful time and the story of a struggle between good and evil without any surprises and an experience that will really be very close to your heart and you will enjoy it very until its end.
What Crash Bandicoot 4 is really good at is the humor and sense of fun that exists in the game, and I was blamed for it, and I say that he was overbearing and was not funny at times, but he drew a smile on my face many other times or most of the time. Joy when there is danger, there is N. Cortex, which is supposed to be evil, but it is Anti-Hero, if I can say that his humor is so loud that it gave the game a general atmosphere of fun that I did not even feel the extent of evil that I had to confront because of the constant funny scenes.
Play style
The gameplay of Crash Bandicoot 4 It's About Time kept the old-fashioned looks and old mechanics in the interest of nostalgia without excessive philosophizing, but he was not satisfied with being a Remake or Remaster and he added major changes to himself in order to put his personal mark on the series, which was perfectly balanced by Toys For Bob.
I want you to worry, Crash Bandicoot 4 It's About Time has retained the platformer elements and the design of the old stages, whether from camera angles to play in 2D and 3D at the same time and in the same movement of Crash and Coco and their strikes and how they rotate with the work of Slam and jump twice and break boxes to get mango fruits and a lot more One of the usual details even with fighting opponents by jumping on them, and I will not forget the details of the barriers and obstacles that require quick wit, proper timing on the part of your hand and a lot of balance factors when your character is in the air.
The developer took advantage of the masks factor excellently because he simply changed the gameplay completely and made his style much faster than before and there are four masks each with supernatural abilities and different practical applications across the stages:
Time Mask: Can slow down time so that you can pass over fast obstacles
Gravity mask: makes you play upside down, i.e. upside down, and this is a precedent
Dark Matter Mask: Enables you to turn harder and stronger than before while jumping high
Dimensional mask and change of state: This mask transfers materials to you across dimensions, so what was in some distance away from you is now closer to you, and the boxes are a good example
If you are tired of the story, you can engage in a lot of the content offered by our game, such as the N'Verted mode, which reflects the shape of the stage as if you are looking in a mirror and try it different and fun even for the same stage that you went through, there are special tasks for Tawna, Dingodile and Cortex and you can play with them With a story frame explaining how they reached Crash across dimensions, for example, you have the Chambers tasks that take you back to the era of the 1990s at a time when Crash was imprisoned by Cortex and trying to escape is adding a peak in nostalgia and beauty.
Finally, the online modes!
On the level of cooperative play, it is the ability to play with friends from 2 to 4 players within the framework of the same story stage.
Checkpoint Race developed in which you compete against the rest of the players in a racing mode to reach the checkpoints spread across the stage within a time frame of course, and the winner is the one who is able to reach the largest number of Checkpoints first before his competitors.
Crate Combo mode in which you compete against your buddies who will break the maximum number of game boxes.
What I can say about the online is that it is very fun and a good way to preserve the game.
Graphics and audio!
The graphics are a masterpiece and remind me of N'Sane Trilogy, the animations are new for all the characters and the game looks more shiny and smooth as well, and of course the design of the characters is tired and it is clear that it is designed from scratch.
The graphics are cartoonish, and yet it provides an excellent touch and elegance of Draw Distance and how many details appear from afar or from near, and I will not forget the password, which is the colors, which were very vital and added a beautiful spirit that went along with the sense of humor that the game has and I felt that it is very eye-catching.
As for music, it is the silent warrior here, the truth is that I tried the game without music and found it literally devoid of any soul and felt the value of the music factor here even though I did not feel it and the fact that each stage has its own music so it is varied, in line with the general atmosphere of the game and with the situations that occur Within each stage, it also did not bother me or disturb me in my game, so it is a positive addition in any case.
NEGATIVES
Crash Bandicoot 4 It's About Time suffered from deadly negatives sometimes, had it not been for it, I would have given the game 9.5 or 9 without hesitation, but unfortunately there were dilemmas that troubled the game a lot.
1- The game is very difficult
I know that in all platform games the challenge is a key element, and I like games that challenge me in general, but it seems that Toys For Bob forgot himself in the nineties, which we experienced as children, and whoever lived in that period will understand what I am talking about, the idea that the games of the past were difficult and difficult Just because it wants it and most of the time its difficulty is not in its stages as much as it is technical problems or matters such as the camera, design of obstacles and other things.
As usual with any game, Crash Bandicoot 4 It's About Time needs the following: unnatural quickness of mind, quick action and making decisions in a very fast pattern that does not stop and will not show mercy to you or give you any opportunity for understanding besides it asks you not to lose a lot to get a better record, but the idea is that you will lose Certainly, it is necessary to be able to memorize the stage more and thus avoid a barrier or an obstacle in a certain way that you will not be able to avoid the first time unless you are lucky of course.
2- The second problem is the camera angles, which make the game more difficult!
The camera angles almost made me crazy because I did not see in front of me well often and its problem is magnified when the shooting mode is 2D and here and by virtue of you do not know what is next in your face or what the next obstacle, so that point was another hell in itself because the camera does not give me the time or space to be Ready for what is coming for me, and I just have to astrology, to live together, or for my luck to be perfect and it wasn't.