Crash Bandicoot N Sane Trilogy was undoubtedly well-received when it launched on the PS4 last summer, and the remake’s success led Activision to decide to bring the game to other platforms. N.Sane Trilogy does wonders in recreating our memories of our favourite orange marsupial in a much more modern art style, with the same gameplay and collision mechanics as the original trilogy on the original PlayStation. – ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW – What’s truly impressive about Crash Bandicoot on the Switch is how smooth everything runs both in handheld and docked modes even when stacked up alongside the PS4 version of the game. The game runs at less than native resolution in both cases, topping out at 720p even in docked mode, and this obvious drop in resolution compared to the PS4 version can make visuals a bit blurry when playing. You also have reduced quality on shadow and texture quality, while Crash himself isn’t as fuzzy as he is on home console, as his fur effects have been removed. – ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW – However, because of these trade offs the game is constantly running at 30 frames per second with no drops whatsoever throughout the three games. The Switch is a considerably less powerful system, so it’s impressive to see one of last year’s biggest titles run near enough flawlessly on a portable device. What’s new alongside this release is a new level for Crash Bandicoot 3 Warped! called Future Tense, which is themed like the other future levels in Crash Bandicoot 3. Vicarious Visions previously released Stormy Ascent as DLC on PS4, which was a level taken from the cutting room floor of the original Crash Bandicoot, but this time the developer’s have put their creative caps on and made a tribute to Crash Bandicoot using what they learned from this remake This level throughout is very clever and much easier than Stormy Ascent, but it’s a nice extra fun thing to do in this release especially as a returning player, even if I am playing on a different platform. The game controls very well on the Switch and everything feels just right, but this depends on the Crash game that you’ve chosen to play. The original Crash Bandicoot becomes annoyingly difficult as you progress, as the jumping in the original game is as shoddy and unforgiving as it always was, leading to much higher difficulty as the enemies and obstacles become harder. Despite the original game’s core issues, Crash Bandicoot 2 and 3 are easily my favourites from the trilogy and offer better level design and checkpointing that will familiarise players with obstacles and mechanics that aren’t too punishing or unenjoyable. These games also have varied level types like races, using jet ski’s and riding on a tiger or a polar bear with many collectibles and secrets to find. Crash Bandicoot 2 and 3 both ran flawlessly and were definitely more fun to play than the first game, as there are power ups and added abilities which help Crash defy death and makes the later two games feel more like a finished product. With the Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy, you’re getting three PlayStation classics that have been wonderfully ported to the Nintendo Switch. Yes there are compromises in visuals, but you get perfectly stable performance across board because of this. Crash Bandicoot on the Switch shows us that its great level design and gameplay can be enjoyed in 2018 and that Crash Bandicoot feels right at home on Nintendo’s latest platform.<doc-sep>It’s been almost exactly a year since Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy arrived on the PS4, and the game is finally making its way to the Nintendo Switch (as well as Xbox One and Windows). This marks the first time the first three Crash games have been playable on a non-Sony console, and it has been a long time coming. The Switch version we reviewed, in particular, seemed like a match made in heaven for the platform. If you’ve experienced Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy on other platforms, the Switch version is much the same. The main additions compared to the original PS4 release are two new levels (which are now available on all platforms). Other than that, only a slight resolution drop is the only thing that distinguishes the Switch release from other platforms. However, there are some perks to playing on the Switch version that pushes it ahead of the competition. Crash Bandicoot N-Sane Trilogy Review: Blast From the Past Each of the first three Crash games, Crash Bandicoot, Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, and Crash Bandicoot: Warped are presented in Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy. They’ve all received a fresh coat of paint in the form of a total graphics remaster, but the underlying level geometry and programming remain the same as you remember them on PS1. If you’re not familiar with the Crash series, they’re 3D platforms in which you spend most of your time running through linear levels grabbing items and dodging enemies. There are some levels that switch things up with riding a jet ski, Polar Bear, and other things, but for the most part you’re going to be getting a heaping dose of 1990s 3D platforming. Whether or not this collection is right for you really depends on whether or not you care for 3D platformers from the 1990s. Crash was one of the first series to actually get 3D platforming right. In a time when developers were still trying to figure out how to make the transition from 2D to 3D, Crash Bandicoot offered an experience that was actually enjoyable compared to a lot of the nightmare creations of the time. Of course, all three games suffer from the pitfalls of the time, especially the first one. The first Crash game was created before the Dual Analog/Dual Shock controllers were an apple in Sony’s eye, and as such the first three games were optimized for the D-Pad. As such, Crash is really good at moving in four directions, but not so much in others. For players who have spent the last three console generations using the analog stick as the primary means of movement, Crash can feel a bit strange to control at times. Jumping, which you’ll do a lot of still has that floaty, early-3D platformer feel to it as well. This can give an artificial feeling of difficulty since some jumps have to be so precise. Through most of the games you’ll be okay, but every once in a while you’ll find a jump that’ll make you want to just stop playing. You won’t run into this issue often, and it’s mostly contained to the first game, but it makes me wonder why the devs didn’t just slightly alter some level geometry to make those parts less frustrating. Crash Bandicoot N-Sane Trilogy Review: Switch it Around The things that sets the Switch above other platforms when it comes to playing the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy come from the platform’s unique properties. For one, this is the only version of the game that’s portable. Crash‘s levels are relatively short, so it’s a great game for playing on-the-go, and the simple gameplay translates well to a smaller screen. There’s not a lot of reading or complex interactions you have to perform in any of the three games, so there’s not a lot of squinting your eyes involved when playing. The N. Sane Trilogy also looks excellent in docked mode. The Switch seems to look its best when displaying bright, colorful graphics, and the Crash games have those in spades. The Switch version also has an added bonus of having a bit quicker. There are some drawbacks to the Switch version, though, the biggest being that it’s locked to 30fps. With how centered the gameplay is on the motion of Crash and enemies, this is a bit detrimental. In portable mode the screen displays at the full 720p it’s capable of, but unfortunately docked mode is also 720p upscaled to 1080p, so even though I liked the way it looked it may look a bit “soft” to some players. Crash Bandicoot N-Sane Trilogy Review: Crash Into Nostalgia If you haven’t had a chance to check out Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, the Switch is a great version to consider. If portability is essential, it’s the only choice, and it’s a wonderful addition to the Switch’s library. However, if you’ve already purchased the collection on another platform, there’s not much of a draw to pick it up here. Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy is a loving remaster of a series of fan-favorite games. If you need a dose of 32-bit nostalgia, or if you want to see where one of gaming’s iconic characters started you can’t go wrong here.<doc-sep>But that's where the similarities came to an end. From the very beginning, Crash Bandicoot was all about variety, bending the early rules of what was considered standard practice in platformers to create something bold and new. The spinning marsupial would spend one level running away from the camera toward an end goal, then find himself being chased by a boulder or charging dinosaur toward the camera the next. The former played more like a standard side-scroller while the latter completely changed the tempo and difficulty by forcing the player to run headlong into the unknown. Next thing you know, you're fighting a boss, riding a motorcycle, cruising in the water or even hopping on the back of a tiger and racing across the Great Wall.<doc-sep>
Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy has finally arrived on Nintendo Switch. Whether you're planning on double dipping with last year's PS4 version or experiencing these three games for the very first time the verdict is in: the Switch port is almost as good as you could ever hope it'd be. Crash Bandicoot debuted in 1996 as a Naughty Dog exclusive for the original PlayStation, and its blend of colorful worlds, lovable characters and precise platforming spawned several sequels across multiple genres. The N. Sane Trilogy features the series' first three games completely rebuilt from the ground up to take advantage of modern hardware. For Nintendo Switch, it's also been adapted for the console's portable form factor. Players can enjoy all three titles at once, and even dive into two brand-new levels, called Future Tense and Stormy Ascent, at any time. The Switch version is a port of the PS4 release that debuted last year from the development team at Vicarious Visions. With a little assistance from the Skylanders studio Toys for Bob, nearly every part of that 2017 build has been fully realized on Switch. New and returning players can take Crash and Coco across lush jungles, chilly tundras and underground sewers with modern effects and visuals. The remake looks vastly improved over its decade-old code, and it has the same 30 frame-per-second performance as the original version. With levels, enemies and gameplay all lovingly restored from the source material, it should also be noted that the series' retro difficulty standard is well established too. Especially compared to more modern platformers like Super Mario Odyssey, Crash will undoubtedly feel heavy and slow if you're unfamiliar with how these games play. This can make platforming challenges exceptionally difficult, but not necessarily in a way that feels cheap. There are occasional moments of frustration where Crash will seemingly slip off edges beyond your control, but Vicarious Visions has taken great care to offset those headaches by adding plenty of lives and extra checkpoints. These factors make Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy a perfect compliment to most Switch owners' libraries, but hardcore gamers should keep their expectations in check. Like most Switch ports, this one has made some graphical concessions to run on the system's less powerful hardware. While it's hard to pinpoint an exact stat, docked image resolution appears to be about 720p compared to the 1080p visuals on a standard PS4. That means textures have less definition, shadows are blockier and action exhibits occasionally noticeable motion blur. This becomes especially apparent in side-scroller levels where the view of the character isn't as close as it'd otherwise be. These shortcomings most certainly exist, but I'd be hard pressed to say they impacted my gameplay experience in a serious way. That being said, those with an obsessive eye for detail may want to consider the versions of N. Sane Trilogy found on other platforms. For the vast majority of players looking to have some hybrid portable fun with Crash Bandicoot on Switch, however, you probably won't notice much of a difference. Crash's Switch debut is a strong one in almost every way despite its apparent graphical downgrades. I'd stop short of saying this is the definitive build of N. Sane Trilogy, but it's perfect for Nintendo fans and those with active lifestyles. If you favor the versatility of Switch, this game represents it well. Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy is available now on PS4, Xbox One, Switch and PC for a starting retail price of $39.99. What's your take on the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy? Is Switch the best way to play? Tell us in the comments section!