Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped is both the final game of the series to appear on the PS1 console and the last time the developer Naughty Dog would work on a mainline title of this IP. It is the end of an era in more ways than one and luckily it ended on a good note. Originally released in 1998, a single year after the second title, we once again see the iconic villain Dr. Cortex at it again with his nefarious schemes. This time around however he is joined by the dark entity known as Uka Uka, who came up with a plan to gather powerful crystals spread out against multiple time periods in history. From the prehistoric age to futuristic cities, there is no lack of places we’ll have to traverse as we race to gather the crystals before they do.
Starting off, we again find ourselves in one of five hub areas, each featuring five levels and a boss to defeat. It is thankfully a lot better designed than the awful elevator system of the prior title, so even when we unlock a lot of them, it is quick and easy to access whichever level we want. You’ll soon notice that there is a lot more variety in the levels than before. One moment you’ll be swimming deep underwater through mine-infested tunnels and the next you will be riding a tiger across the great wall of China. They certainly make good use of their time travel plot to always keep the player guessing as to what is going to come next.
Your returning abilities include a slide and being able to leap a much higher distance if you jump right after your slide. Interestingly enough, the belly flop is also back but you must first defeat a boss before being able to acquire it and be able to destroy metal-enforced crates. The bosses are just as difficult and wacky as ever, with every single one containing a new goody or power to unlock. To name a few you will be able to double jump, which makes platforming significantly easier than ever before, and you’ll also get your hands on a bazooka for long ranged attacks. All of them offer a new way to approach situations, but aside from a few situations, you’ll never need to make use of them if you prefer to keep things like the first two titles.
They put a lot of levels featuring unique gameplay to spice things up from the regular platforming routine, though I’d argue they went just a tad overboard. Shooting down bombers with a WW2 era plane or racing through a 1950’s looking locale on a motorbike is fun and extremely memorable, yet they take up far too many of the overall stages. Another problem related to this is that the platforming sections this series is known for are much, much easier than ever before. It is the perfect title to start your kids on, but for fans that have played the last two, they are going to be entertained more by all the charm packed into them and collecting everything, more so than edge of your seat gameplay.
In true Crash fashion, you’ll have plenty of incentives to return to previous levels whether it be trying to smash all crates, beating a time trial, or discovering secrets. It is also needed to unlock the last five levels and being able to see the true ending, so if you truly want to see it to its conclusion, there is quite a lot of content to sift through. Due to the amount of quick “gimmicky” levels and low difficulty, you will be able to plow through it far faster than previous titles, though in terms of fun I’d rate this one above them. It is just so over the top and wacky that you’ll likely be grinning all the way through. The new remastered graphics of this version really brings it to a new level and it is quite exciting to see your favorite levels brought to the modern age.
Crash Bandicoot 3 is a weird beast. It is a title with a ton of ideas thrown into it, yet none ever feel fleshed out. For example, there is no situation where you will ever need a bazooka, it is just there to make an already easy game even easier. You’d be forgiven for not knowing that after you receive the ability that lets you spin multiple times consecutively, it also has the added effect of allowing you to drift through the air. It tells you via text when you receive it, though neither it nor anything new it brought to the table is ever put to use. The platforming is the weakest it has ever been and with none of the ideas they threw at the wall sticking, that is a problem. Given its short one year development, it is not much of a surprise things feel half-baked, but in my opinion, they focused on the wrong aspects on this title.
The second game in the series felt like an evolution of the title that started it all, while this third one lost its focus and tried too hard to impress the player, rather than focus on its core gameplay. Overall, while the trilogy ended on a somewhat disappointing note, it did not completely lose touch as to what made it fun in the first place. If you were already a fan of Crash, there is really no reason not to pick this one up and if you are new, this is also the best place to start since the story is by no means important. Crash Bandicoot: Warped is the most creative and most varied in terms of environments as well as levels. It still holds its own just fine, yet when compared to its predecessors, it is also the most flawed.
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