For the generation of players who grew up with the PlayStation console in the mid-nineties, this game was the most commonly played by Crash Bandicoot. The knife who likes to play has become the icon of Sony‘s first gaming platform because at that time the console sold a mascot and not its hardware – Nintendo had Mary, Sega had Sonica, and Sony, after unpopular Polygon Manan, accepted the first nice 3D character Jumped on their platform. This generation of players is now in their twenties and thirties, and the remaster collection of Crash Bandicoot games in so called. The Sane trilogy in that context comes as a gift from the sky.

N.Sane Trilogy is the original Crash, just like you remember it. All the old levels are here, the known enemies are in the same places, the boss battles are dealt with the same way and no piece of the game is acting strange. There are some tiny additions, but they are not intrusive and are mostly optional. For example, instead of Crash you can control his sister Coco, later you can play Time Trial mode, have automatic shooting games etc.

“N.Sane Trilogy is the original Crash you remember – all levels are there, enemies in places, and no shots seem strange.”

The feeling of playing is just as fun as it was twenty years ago. The concept of breaking a box, collecting apples and overcoming obstacles does not bother you even after all three games. After all, if you play them correctly, the crash from the sequel to the sequel is getting better. In a unit, for example, you can play only a line, but you can choose between five and six available levels in two. It is also in the top three, which is most varied and contains more variations in gameplay – type diving, racing, and so on.

All three games enjoy a uniform visual view because everything is made from the foundation. And that show is fantastic, very close to the Ratchet & Clank lineup that still holds the title of the most beautiful 3D platform today. Crash has its original look, that is, it is not rugged as in Skylanders games, and is particularly impressive as it is animated. Illumination, water effects, and sharpness of the image – all at a very high level of presentation that definitely comes to praise.

“Enhanced graphics are at the very top of the offer with excellent animation and sharpness of the display.”

It did not even bother me that the games did not go in 60 frames per second. Here is more important that the framerate is stable, and if you have a TV with the image smoothing feature, you can simulate 30+ fps because there is no free camera control, so the TV compensates for a more fluid picture. The only problem with no support for HDR, I think it would be good for such colorful games.

Unfortunately, the technical performance is no shine beyond what you can see. It’s doubtful, say, that the game has so many loads. They are not very long – in the worst case they take half a minute to enter and exit the level. However, loads also appear where there is no technical reason for doing so. For example, when you enter the game you will be welcomed by the animated animations for Activision and the Vicarious Visions development team that you can not interrupt and last for more than a minute. Then you see the main menu, and there you are waiting – loading the main menu!

“These hits did not have any original games on the first PlayStation!”

What the game is loading for about fifteen seconds – maybe the fonts or the sound of a narrator who tells you which game you have chosen – I have no idea. I only know that you are expecting to load when you enter one of three games, and when you enter it then you are expecting another load when you enter the level. So many downloads were not even in the original PlayStation games!

Fortunately, with little patience, it is possible to ignore this anomaly and dedicate itself to playing. The thumb will automatically go to an analog stick that you control the image, but from my experience this is a bad idea because the games kept the old motion model and the analog control was added later and you just felt it was not designed for that. The whole control system simply does not fit and it is noticed from the first second when you jump to the boxes and realize that controls are not precise enough to do what you want without a hassle.

“You can move now with the help of an analog stick, but it will not make you overjoyed.”

Crasha fans might say that it’s a game of magic and part of her weight, but with due respect – that’s a pretty good argument. There is a clear distinction between the control system and the weight of the game. I have no problem at all that the game is tough or challenging, provided I feel that I have the right control over the character. For example, the Super Meat Boy is a brilliant platformer, even though it’s hard-pressed. Crash Bandicoot is hard, but mostly out of completely stupid, almost disgusting reasons.

With frustrating non-responsive controls, regardless of whether you played an analog or d-pad, it is often happening to make a jump that is identical to the one on the first barrier you’ve come across as a joke. It is often the case that the movements are fine and imprecise, and the design of the player’s games requires maximum, almost milimeter accuracy. For example, the enemy hitbox area is bigger than you expected, so some turtles kill you by tapping the tail. And crash games are designed by the old school for instant punishment for just one mistake. In most cases, you do not have the opportunity to correct the mistake of today’s other platforms.

“Crash Bandicoot games are heavy, but usually for completely silly reasons.”

I realize that the developers wanted to preserve the essence of the original template, but when they decided on the controls outdated for today’s terms, almost as if they had a lag, then they could at least add a casual way to those who want to visit the worlds again Crash Games , But they do not want to frustrate their weight. I think that N.Sane Trilogy will deny so many new players, which probably means that this will not be a new beginning for Crash, but only a one-time recollection of the past.

Unfortunately for those stubborn fans, no dessert was prepared in addition to the main dish. It would be nice to see bonuses in the form of conceptual drawings or short documentary about the development of the game. If the problem was already in the licenses, since it was the Naughty Doga game, we could at least get some content content in the form of a documentary from the perspective of Vicarious Vision.

I think such things are commendable when the game is sold to someone who has already bought it, maybe twice – just as on DVD / Blu-ray movies you get bonuses if you buy a movie you’ve already paid for in the movie. All in all, Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy is a coin on both sides which are not equally good. Which side you turn most depends on what you think about buying a game. If you buy it as a fan series, minus will not bother you anymore. The value of these games is invaluable to you because of your nostalgia and the real rating of this collection will never be high enough.

However, if you buy a game like someone who has never played Crash Bandicoot, but heard that the thing is great, I think you could be honest . These are games from the second time, different philosophies in design and different approaches to the player. Looking at them from today’s perspective, they are the archaic remnants of something that has replaced the platform in the genre of more modern ideas.