Review Roundup: Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy brings Crash back

The original Crash Bandicoot games scored fairly well in reviews, but apparently, it was time to bring Crash back – without really creating something new. Out of the urge to bring Crash back, we’ve been given Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, a remake of the original trilogy on PlayStation 4.

With the game taking the original games and making them prettier than ever, you’d think the games would see scores pretty similar to when they first launched. Currently, Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy is sitting on Metacritic at 82/100  and on Opencritic at 81/100.

Overall, the trilogy is reviewing pretty much the same as the originals. Check out some reviews from around the web below:

GameSpot

“This is all to say that Crash is what it’s always been: a charming collection of platforming challenges that shift gears from one stage to the next. By putting three games next to each other, the N. Sane Trilogy overflows with nostalgia. The warm and fuzzy feeling you get from seeing familiar Crash levels presented in a way that mirrors what you held in your imagination is undeniable. But so too is the reality that Crash games aren’t timeless. No amount of lighting or funny animations can make up for the rudimentary 3D platforming on display. You could even say that the look of these games belies their true nature.

“The culprit behind Crash’s dated feel is the passage of time. Vicarious Visions, for its part, succeeded in revitalizing Crash from an artistic perspective while preserving the charm that made him appealing when he first showed up, but years have passed since the original PlayStation was relevant, and we are well past the formative years of 3D gaming. It’s easy to imagine how a dyed-in-the-wool Crash fan will fall in love all over again via the N. Sane Trilogy, but if you’re experiencing Crash for the first time–or the first time in a while–it might pain you to realize that Crash’s original adventures aren’t as inventive or surprising as they were 20 years ago”

6/10

Game Informer

“Not all games from yesteryear hold up well. The original Crash Bandicoot likely would drive people nuts if it returned in its original form. Vicarious Visions made it fun again, without altering its DNA – a feat that deserves recognition. Although Crash spins and jumps his way through most levels, variety was the key to this series’ success. Naughty Dog always included a different wrinkle or evolution of a concept in each stage, and that continues here. For all three games, the feeling of repetition never sinks in, a factor that goes a long way in making this trilogy a blast to play. It’s good to have Crash back in the limelight. I hope this isn’t the last we see of him.”

8/10

Destructoid

“Impressive effort with a few noticeable problems holding it back. Won’t astound everyone, but is worth your time and cash.”

8.5/10

IGN

“I didn’t want the Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy to break what wasn’t broken. Thankfully, Vicarious Visions clearly didn’t want to either, and the studio’s reverence for the original maddening yet rewarding challenges that still remain fun is clearly on display. On one hand, that leads to the frustrating limitations of the original Crash Bandicoot persisting 20 years later. But it also results in the incredible visual and aural overhaul and the gameplay tweaks to earlier entries, like time trials and crate counters, that Naughty Dog added later in the series. Those additions make the overall package so much more cohesive while never forgetting what made, and what still makes, so much of Naughty Dog’s original trilogy a blast to play.”

8.5/10

Attack of the Fan Boy

“Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy is a fantastic remake of some of the best platformers of all time. The new visual polish looks great on PS4. Though you might get frustrated by the dated gameplay at times, powering through will show why these games were so beloved 20 years ago.”

4.5/5