I was out to lunch this week with my good friend Coby this week at work. As we were talking about things, I happened to mention my Donkey Kong article, and then the Switch came up in conversation. I told him I was picking up the Crash Bandicoot ‘N Sane Trilogy for Switch, and how crazy it was that Crash Bandicoot was coming to Switch. He said “Wow! I remember Crash Bandicoot”. That was actually kind of cool, because he hasn’t sat down and played a game in years, and he remembers Crash Bandicoot. In fact, I think the last consoles he may have owned were a first generation Playstation 3 and one of the models of Xbox 360.
I spent many afternoons after school, on the weekends, and even at sleepovers playing Crash Bandicoot with Coby and his brother Eric. In fact, when I started playing the Crash Bandicoot ‘N Sane Trilogy on Playstation 4 when it came out last year, I started playing the original Crash Bandicoot game. I was very confused, because I did not remember any of the game I was playing. It wasn’t until after I booted up the second game, that I realized that was the game that made me fall in love with the series.
So here we are, 22 years after the release of the original Playstation Game, and the Crash Bandicoot ‘N Sane Trilogy is back, and remade from the ground up. And the Nintendo Switch version even has 2 brand new tough as nails levels. If I recall correctly, one of them appears in the first game, and the brand new one is out first on Nintendo Switch, attached to the third game. The games hold up very well too. They are just as tough, and intentionally clunky as the original PSOne classics. And It’s a breath of fresh air. It is amazing how 90’s this game feels though. When you finish a level, Crash Bandicoot pulls the purple crystal out of, what appears to be his butt. If you finish a level with a clear or colored gem, he pukes it up. Then, after these two animations are done, he does a weird little “suck it” dance. It’s not as funny as it was then I was 13, but it’s nice to see a hero with some personality besides Mario and Donkey Kong.
But it all comes back to the memories. I have known Coby since I was about 9 years old, and I think that has a lot to do with why I enjoy the franchise so much. It takes me back to my childhood, a simpler time. And it is for that reason I want to see Crash Bandicoot in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. While we’re on the topic, you should check out all the available stages that Lukas spotted in the reveal trailer and Treehouse footage.
