If you’ve been struggling with the Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy, you aren’t alone. Millions of gamers flocked to their local retail store last month, making the Crash remasters one of the most successful revivals of this console generation, but many fans have struggled with the games over the last few weeks.
Reviving a franchise like Crash Bandicoot always feels like something of a gamble. Remasters might be in vogue right now, but there aren’t many HD releases from the last few years with the same following as the former PlayStation mascot. And the fact that Vicarious Visions had to rebuild all three games from scratch only makes the feat that much more impressive. But many Crash Bandicoot fans have noticed some differences between the original games and the PS4 remasters published in June. The most common complaint seems to be a perceived increase in the game’s difficulty. And it turns out there’s some merit to the claims.
A new post on the Activision Blog, penned by Editorial Manager Kevin Kelly, explains a handful of changes Vicarious Visions introduced in Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy. Some tweaks are meant to modernize the aging platformers; particularly the first game, which relied on outdated save and checkpoint systems. But the new game engine also makes some aspects of the Crash Bandicoot trilogy more difficult than many fans remember.
“Our game engine features a different collision system than the original game, and combined with the addition of physics, certain jumps require more precision than the originals,” Kelly wrote. “Much like the handling, we iterated on collision and physics throughout development to make it fair to all players and as faithful to the original games as possible.”
Kelly says “increased precision” is now required to best the first game in the series. In fact, there’s been enough of a difficulty increase for Activision to suggest that fans familiar with the series should consider playing the second and/or third Crash Bandicoot games before returning to the original. Kelly also acknowledged the additional frustration this could create for seasoned veterans who’d intended to rely on muscle memory when revisiting the series. But it doesn’t sound like Vicarious Visions had much choice in the matter. Some of this is just the sort of thing that happens when you’re asked to rebuild a trilogy from scratch.
Head to the Activision Blog for more on the changes in Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy.
Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy is currently available on PlayStation 4.
