Activision will release its upcoming Crash Bandicoot remastered collection, Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, for PlayStation 4 on June 30. The collection will cost $40 and includes updated editions of Crash Bandicoot, Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, and Crash Bandicoot: Warped.
Crash fans pining for a revival of the classic platformer got their wish when the trilogy was revealed at E3 2016. There’s been speculation about how effective the remaster treatment would be for a trio of games that, frankly, haven’t aged incredibly well. After all, the original Crash Bandicoot turned 20 last year, and the most modern game in this collection, Crash Bandicoot: Warped, was released in 1998. Vicarious Visions, the studio tasked to bring Naughty Dog’s iconic hero back to life, seems to have given these concerns their due diligence.
In a December PlayStation Blog post, Vicarious Visions declared Crash N. Sane Trilogy as a “remaster plus.” According to the game’s director, Dan Tanguay, a traditional remaster would’ve been nearly impossible because of the age of the games. Still, Tanguay and his team wanted to replicate the Crash aesthetic. All levels, gameplay, and characters have been rebuilt using their original frameworks.
The trilogy features a myriad of refinements, as well as new features. Real-time lighting effects and increased texture size will help the games adhere to modern expectations. There’s also new animations and cinematics inspired by the original games, which will render in 4K for PS4 Pro users. Menu UI has been updated, and a unified checkpoint and save system will be installed, which is particularly notable since the first game that lacked a traditional save system. Time trial modes will be playable in each of the three entries, and additions have been made to bonus levels. Classic Crash tunes have been fully remastered for the game’s soundtrack, and controls have been refined, including full analog stick support.
