1. Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time
(Available on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One)
Honestly, when I played Ghost of Tsushima back in July, I swore up and down that it would be my game of the year pick. However, then Toys for Bob came crashing in with the first Crash Bandicoot game in over a decade that is the best game in the entire series.
To say that Crash 4: It’s About Time brings Crash Bandicoot back and better than ever would be a drastic understatement for the level of ambition and care that went into making it. At its core, the game offers the same kind of challenging and fine-tuned platforming the series is known for, but with some minor tweaks and big additions, the game treads some great new ground. There’re new masks that allow players to alter gravity, time, and space to traverse the excellently designed level in new ways and ramp up the challenge to new heights. The new level themes, including Crash traveling to a pirate world, prehistoric days, an alien planet, a foodie filled future, and even back to 1996 for some nostalgic adventures, bring their own set of challenges and just look absolutely stunning.
They’re especially fun with the different kinds of gameplay the game offers as Crash isn’t the only character that players can get their hands on this time. Toys for Bob FINALLY does Coco (voiced by Eden Riegel) justice in having her be playable from start to finish in a new Crash game while also allowing iconic characters like an alternate version of Tawna (voiced by Ursula Taherian), Dingodile (voiced by Fred Tatasciore), and even Neo Cortex (voiced by Lex Lang) be playable. Cortex was especially fun to play with as his gun that changed enemies into platforms was such a unique gameplay mechanic that was very fun to use. Hell, they even had the foresight to have a circle under characters so when they jump players know where they’re landing and it’s a testament to how Toys for Bob really understood player experience and knew what minor tweaks players would love.
Reuniting with Crash and company is also great because its just as delightfully wacky and funny as ever. There’s plenty of amazing banter between Crash and Cortex, the new masks add in their own hilarious lines and have great interactions, and there’s a great little twist with N. Trophy (voiced by JP Karliak) finding love in an unexpected way that’s just plain perfect. There’s even a hilarious nod to Crash memes that’s totally unexpected and had me dying when it happened. The greatest showing of the ambition that went behind making Crash 4 definitely has to be the incredible costumes players can unlock and Toy’s for Bob’s take on a mirror mode called N. Verted Mode.
Not only are the costumes rewarding to unlock since they’re tied to completing special objectives in levels, but they look amazing as players can turn Crash and Coco into different animals, dress them in special costumes based on level themes, and even turn them into their original pixelated designs. The heart of the game’s ambition is easily found in N. Verted mode as it challenges players even further by giving level in each area there own imaginative twist. From having to play levels underwater where the jumps and timing are a little floatier than usual to having players use their slam and spin attacks to add color to blank canvas of the level or to see the level in front of them in an insane sonar mode, N. Verted mode is legitimately mind-blowing and wildly imaginative.
The return of Crash Bandicoot could’ve just been more of the same, but Toys for Bob made it something special by delivering an imaginative and ambitious take that’s everything fans could dream of and so much more. Crash 4 sets a new standard for the series I didn’t even think could exist and makes Toys for Bob a studio to keep their eyes on as they’ve just nonchalantly delivered a flawless masterpiece right before our very eyes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qF5JrciMnU
