Crash Bandicoot 2 was originally released in 1997, a single year after the first game struck store shelves and gave Sony their own platforming mascot to market against Nintendo’s Mario or Sega’s Sonic. It was that big of a hit and for good reason. The version we’ll be looking at here is the Remaster which is for all intents and purposes is the same game with only minor differences from its source material. This time around we start off with a cutscene showcasing Crash taking a well-deserved nap after having thwarted Dr. Cortex’s nefarious schemes during his last adventure. As he is woken up and tasked with looking for his sister’s extra laptop battery, he is suddenly beamed up to a strange hub, finding none other than his old rival Dr. Cortex.
The twist being that he seemingly doesn’t want to destroy the meddling bandicoot, instead seeking his help to gather some crystals that will be able to save the world. Without a second thought, Crash agrees to this and is greeted with five portals in the hub-world, each containing a level. They don’t follow a specific theme this time around, an ice level can be located next to an industrial one and so on. Our goal is no longer to simply get through a stage alive, we need to find and bring back that almighty purple crystal. Some levels can branch off into two paths, so if you don’t have the crystal you either need to backtrack or replay it all once more. The path you should take is obvious as they typically guide toward the correct one with collectible fruit, it is just something to be aware of should you reach the end of a stage empty-handed.
Its prior game was known for playing with the uncontrollable camera quite a bit, from having an over the shoulder view to zooming out to give it a nearly 2D look. It continues on with that idea and even adds a top-down point of view in some instances, to vary things up a bit. And yes, everyone’s much beloved running towards the camera sections have made a comeback here for better or worse. Probably the biggest change comes from the added abilities that Crash is now able to perform. He can now use a sweet slide kick to get at certain enemies when a spin attack or a simple stomp to the head won’t cut it. Sliding is also used to avoid or get past obstacles like electric fences. If you jump at the end of a slide you’ll find that the distance you leap is significantly enhanced, making it possible to reach areas you otherwise couldn’t.
Once you manage to conquer all of the five levels, another portal will open up containing a boss. Our favorite kangaroo makes a return and yet again, proves to be much more difficult than the next couple of bosses. After likely losing many a bandicoot to his explosion-loving ways, you will find yourself freed from the hub-world and able to access a new one via the middle of the room. In total there are five of these to explore, and while a cool gimmick at first, it ends up being more of an annoyance than the original title’s perfectly functional map layout of every level. Transitioning to an older hub requires you to slowly make your way through each that came after on that slow elevator-like platform and they each have to load in. It takes more time than you’d like to go where you want to. That is very much a small nitpick, yet something that will be noticeable if you want to go back to play a favorite level.
This sequel starts off easy, but it won’t be long before you’ll be glad to simply have made it through in one piece. The enemies pose a much bigger threat than they ever did in the original. Their placements are trickier to deal with and will often times need more than a spin attack to bring down. On the whole, I’d say this sequel is slightly easier if you only want to get through it, though if you want to get every collectible then oh boy, you are in for quite the challenge. Breaking every box still gets you a gem, but on some occasions, you will have to tackle the ominously named Death Run routes to get every one. These death run routes are a new feature and require you to have not died even once before reaching it to be able to even have a try at it. That should serve as some indicator as to how serious a challenge they’ll pose. Unlike bonus rooms, failing one of these will cost you a life. It’s a welcome addition to the series all told and adds extra replay value for those that dare not try them their first time around.
Graphics remain the same as the original Remastered game and look as great as ever. The raining levels, in particular, are a breathtaking reminder of how far we’ve come with technology during the past 20 years. I’ve experienced no hiccups or issues all throughout which is always nice. There are still a handful of levels that forgo the platforming to offer a new experience like riding a polar bear through the arctic or flying throughout a space-station with a jet-pack. They are a decent change of pace and the ones that were also found in the first title have been improved. Like the polar bear section which is similar to the old warthog one, you can now tell it to go faster instead of being stuck at a breakneck speed. It is still very challenging mind you, though it has received some much-needed polish and made all the better for it.
That’s what this sequel feels like, a more polished product from the one we loved a year prior and a decent evolution considering that small time span. It is still the same experience we all knew and loved, only bigger and badder. The experience as well as confidence the developers Naughty Dog gained from the last one is apparent here. This progress is less noticeable if you’ve only played the remastered versions as they did include some of the series future improvements into the original, most noticeably the save system. With all that being said, if you enjoyed the first title then Crash Bandicoot 2 is a more than worthwhile addition to your collection and well worth playing for owners of the Remastered version.
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