It’s always difficult dealing with nostalgia, particularly when it comes to old pop culture of yore. This particular brand of glasses, you know, the ones with the all too familiar tint of the rosy persuasion, often carves a path that lights the way to disappointment. Usually this feeling is accompanied, and exacerbated, by a considerably lighter wallet. Video games are no exception, which is why we are subject to remaster upon remaster of classic games. This is because developers and publishers understand that we gamers have a blind spot where it comes to games that played a part in forming our respective gaming sensibilities.



Fortunately, there are times when a remaster is crafted with this shared love and respect. This is one of those times. I love platforming games, and much of this obsession is owed to the muted marsupial, Crash Bandicoot. I eagerly devoured the trilogy on my PS1, to the point where I had collected every gem, completed every time trial, and could get through the notoriously difficult Hog Wild stage with one life.

The N. Sane Trilogy is a collection of Crash’s first three games, initially released on PS1. What I appreciate, is that this is a remaster in its most classic sense, updated visuals with stage layout, enemies, music, sound and dialogue identical to what came before. Of course, calling them ‘updated visuals’ is an understatement of n. sane proportions. The game is staggeringly beautiful, with an eye-popping colour palette, where even the smallest details have been lovingly recreated and are noticeable on-screen. During some of the darker stages, the gloominess is juxtaposed against the colourful light in a way that brings tears of joy to this gamer’s face.



The sound effects are all of an impeccable quality, with each move, death animation, splash, explosion and jump sounding exactly as I remembered. Similarly, the voice acting is equally on point. Of course, some of the dialogue itself is debatable in terms of content, but the delivery thereof, coupled with the unbelievable voice-to-animation syncing, more than makes up for it. The music, again, is a carbon copy of what came before, so it doesn’t sound remarkable, but I can respect that the developers made the conscious decision to remain true to the source. It’s worth noting that the music in Warped is infinitely more melodious than the music of both Crash 1 and 2.

The overarching story, told over the course of three games, starts with the nefarious, vertically challenged, mad scientist, Dr. N. Cortex giving anthropomorphic life to an unsuspecting, dimwitted bandicoot named Crash. The no-words-all-action marsupial escapes, and sets off to foil the good (bad) doctor’s master plan: Rule the world. As you can see, the ‘story’ exists merely to provide Crash with obstacles to avoid, jumps to make, boxes to smash, apples to devour, and gems to collect.

I'd like you take a step back for a minute. Have a look at the age restriction box in the bottom left hand corner of the game case. You will see a 7. Your initial thought may be that this is a game for younglings, and won’t offer much of a challenge. An easy platinum trophy, perhaps? This is your first mistake, but don’t worry, it won’t be your last. The second mistake you’re likely to make is to witness a presentation of cute characters, initially harmless enemies (equally cute), all populating a game just filled to the brim with bright and colourful surroundings. It’s fake news, people. Don’t get sucked in. These games are excruciating in their difficulty. Only patience and precision timing will see you through. Sometimes, the game gives you less than a split second to react, and if your timing is off, by even a fraction, you will pay with a life. Fortunately, the game knows its tough, which is why apples are found hidden in boxes and are readily available for a hungry bandicoot to munch on throughout. Pick up a hundred apples and the game will award you with an extra life. In addition, bonus stages are also commonplace, and provide players with an opportunity to increase their lives without costing them one.



The one caveat to all this awesome is one that I had hoped would be remedied, or at least refined. The game seems to operate on 2D sensibilities, brought to life in a 3D environment. This comes with it, the frequent inability to successfully judge the distance of certain jumps. What then happens is you become unsure of yourself, so not only is there a depth perception issue, your confidence is also shaken with most of your subsequent jump attempts. I will say though, that by the time you get to Warped, you will have developed a strategy and an understanding of distance in this world, reducing the effect of the game’s biggest flaw.

Another minor gripe comes in towards the latter half of Crash 2. Rocket pack controls are horrid and completely counter-intuitive in two or three levels. It’s utterly frustrating, but there are less than a handful of levels where this is a factor, so not game breaking by any stretch of the imagination.

The N. Sane trilogy is a bucket-load of fun, and is another shining example of a remaster done right. The campaigns of each game are relatively short, coming in at around 8 hours a piece, but to do everything on offer will take considerably longer. If you had to peg me for which of these three adventures is the best, I would go with Warped. Crash 1 implements some good ideas, and a solid foundation. Crash 2 provides the exterior of the house that would be built on said solid foundation. Warped, however, is where the house is built and is now furnished, displaying all the unique finishing touches. The fully furnished house cannot be realized unless all that came before paved the way for its existence.