FEATURE: A Look Back At Crash Bandicoot [1996]

Despite its recent downfall, the Crash Bandicoot series started out as something truly incredible which defined an entire generation of gamers.

Developer: Naughty Dog

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment

Released: August, 1996

Genre: Platform

History/Storyline

Before Crash Bandicoot, Naughty Dog had some games out there such as Keef the Thief and Way of the Warrior, among others - yet these didn't really put the company on the map so to speak. It wasn't until 1996 when Crash Bandicoot launched exclusively on PlayStation in which we really saw what Naughty Dog had to offer the industry - one of the most innovative and enjoyable games of all time. Sure, the company might be currently praised for The Last of Us, but let's not forget where this company's incredible story really began to take shape.

During a trip to Los Angeles, California, co-creators Andy Gavin and Jason Rubin came up with the idea for Crash Bandicoot as it was suited to their idea of creating a platforming game with a distinguishable character to match. The initial concepts were also aided through analysing which genres were being adapted to 3D the most successfully at the time, and wanted to bring the platform genre into the equation. 

The story consists of the notorious Doctor Neo Cortex and his experiments up in his castle with wild animals and granting them highly powerful strength, this is where Crash himself comes in - originally planned as another subject in the Cortext Vortex machine, Crash was rejected, which enraged the Doctor, leading to a very entertaining pursue straight out of the castle and straight to the vast ocean below. 

Another experiment was Tawna, the female equivalent to Crash - having become attached to her during captivity, it would become Crash's mission to work his way back to the castle and eventually rescue her, and this is where the game starts on the well-known N. Sanity Island level.

Crash himself in between the "princess" and "villain", 

showcasing what he's fighting for throughout the game.

Graphics

Crash Bandicoot featured some of the best and vibrant graphics, each level had this beautifully polished sheen that brought the most out of the PlayStation's capabilities at the time, and its partly due to its visuals that the game stands as one of the most memorable games of all time.

Each character had their own unique look, for example Crash first introduced his famous blue shorts, which he would continue to wear throughout the franchise, Neo Cortex had that quesitonable hairstyle complete with a huge 'N' printed on his huge forehead, whilst Tawna sported that sexy and desirable look.

It's unfortunate the same couldn't be said about the various enemies, most are generic animals, which still look impressive visually, but didn't offer much in terms of imagination. With that said, each boss also featured their own distinguishable graphical characteristics - this made for an instantly memorable experience thanks to the detail put into the character modelling.

All of the levels had their own themes which were brought to life through the time and effort put into enhancing the environments textures - some levels featured jungle scenery, whilst another might include fog effects accompanied with ice and snow elements. This added a level of depth that made each new level exciting to play.

Ripper Roo, one of Cortex's first creations stands as one
of the most iconic bosses in the game.

Music/Audio

Ooga-Booga!

Anyone who's played Crash Bandicoot should remember how catchy and plain entertaining the music was and still is when heard today, whether it's that all too familiar theme song played (see below) as you were heading into the game or those tunes that manage to set the atmosphere and tone for whatever level you're currently playing.

A good example of this is "Hog Wild, Whole Hog" (see below), which accompanies the hectic gameplay involving Crash riding a hog through tight narrow spaces, all whilst avoiding traps and enemies at an accelerated pace, and it's because of the song that this particular level becomes even more frenzied. It's fast-paced and exciting, perfectly reflecting the level itself.

Sound effects enhanced the game further, especially when it came to Crash's famous spin-attack - this whirlwind sound would follow as you defeated enemies or smashed through boxes, there was a strange satisfaction hearing that gust of wind. Other noticeable sounds included the countdown to a TNT box exploding, the roar of a fire as it almost burns Crash' furry backside, or that cartoon-sounding whistle that occurred when falling to your death from a high platform.

Hog Wild, Whole Hog

Theme Song

Gameplay

One of the most unique elements to Crash Bandicoot was its ability to create different gameplay experiences with the majority of levels played, some levels you either played through a perspective in which you controlled Crash as he had to progress head-on as opposed to the usual left and right movement most of us were used to back then (Sonic the Hedgehog, Super Mario, Megaman).

If you managed to get three Aku Aku mask's (see below), Crash became invincible and would be able to dash his way through enemies like they weren't even there, they also made one of the most memorable sounds in gaming history - the "Ooga-Booga!" noise upon collecting a mask.

Aku Aku became to be one of the most
recognised items in gaming.

Of course, there were levels featuring left and right movement, and sometimes you didn't take control of Crash in the traditional sense - rather rode on the back of a hell-bent hog as he rampaged through the level in an on-rails type of gameplay. All of this meant practically each level offered a different way of playing the game, which a few games tried to do before but never really succeeded - Crash Bandicoot utilized this perfectly, making for an incredible experience.

You would traverse three islands in total, all whilst fighting various boss battles along the way - a total of 32 levels are playable, including ones that can only be accessed through collecting the appropriate amount of gems, which were rewarded through breaking all boxes in a level. Some influences from well-known platformers make themselves known in the game - the fact you'd have to collect 100 pieces of Wumba Fruit to gain an additional life much like you'd do in Super Mario Bros. but with coins. This is by no means a bad thing, influences from such iconic games made Crash Bandicoot one of the best games of all time. 

The world map, showing off obvious influences from previous
platformers such as Donkey Kong Country and Super Mario World.

Tons of replayability is added, such as going back to previous levels in order to 100% the game by seeking out all of those gems, playing through those (often extremely difficult) secret levels, completing all the bonus stages, and so forth - there's a level of depth in this game that would keep you occupied for a lengthy amount of time. Crash Bandicoot is a perfect example of outstanding game-design through and through, whether it's the graphics, audio, or gameplay - Naughty Dog created an incredibly fun game, all whilst offering that level of challenge that could appeal to both casual and hardcore gamers. feature1