Crash Bandicoot™ N. Sane Trilogy Review Summary

Beautiful graphics and excellent remasters of Crash 2 and 3 shine, but inconsistent hitboxes and a frustrating Crash 1 that needs fixes hold this collection back.

Beautiful graphics praised: Many reviewers highlight the remastered graphics as a standout feature, describing them as beautiful, colorful, and modern while still fitting the classic style. The visuals are consistently praised for their quality and aesthetic appeal.

Excellent remaster of classics: The game is widely regarded as a fantastic remaster of the original Crash Bandicoot trilogy, with reviewers noting that it captures the essence of the originals while updating graphics and gameplay. It is often described as one of the best remasters ever made.

Crash 2 and 3 stand out: Crash 2 and Crash 3 are particularly praised for their level design, difficulty curve, and variety, with Crash 3 often considered the best of the trilogy. These games are seen as improvements over the original.

Fun and enjoyable gameplay: Reviewers consistently describe the game as fun, delightful, and addictive, with smooth and pleasant gameplay that keeps players entertained from start to finish. The overall experience is highly praised.

Strong nostalgic appeal: The game evokes strong childhood memories and nostalgia, with many reviewers appreciating the trip back to their youth. The nostalgic soundtrack and characters contribute to this emotional connection.

Hitboxes are inconsistent: Hitboxes and collisions often don't match visual expectations, causing unfair falls and frustrating moments. This issue spans multiple games, with Crash 1's hitboxes being particularly overtuned.

Crash 1 needs fixes: Crash 1 is criticized for lightless levels, suspended bridges, and frustrating bridge levels. It feels unpolished with bad controls and depth perception, making it challenging for the wrong reasons.

Game causes frustration: The game can feel very frustrating instead of entertaining, leading to an overall unfun experience. This frustration is a recurring theme across multiple clusters.

Game has launching issues: The game fails to load properly, won't start, or has startup problems. These technical issues prevent players from even accessing the game.

Vehicle controls are awful: Vehicle levels have horrible controls and don't feel good to play, with janky and clunky controls. This is especially problematic in Crash 3's racing and railroaded levels.

Remaster of classic trilogy: The game is a remaster or remake of the original Crash Bandicoot trilogy, featuring updated graphics and improved gameplay while staying faithful to the originals.

Collection of three games: The game is a collection containing all three original Crash Bandicoot games, offering a trilogy of classic platformers in one package.

Classic platformer gameplay: The game is a classic platformer with simple mechanics like running, jumping, and spinning, maintaining the old-school style of the original games.

High difficulty level: The game is known for its high difficulty, especially the first game, which is challenging and punishing, with a steep difficulty curve in later levels.

Time trial mode: The game includes a time trial mode in all games, allowing players to race against the clock and earn time relics.

Poor optimization and stuttering: Players experience stutters, low FPS, and frame pacing issues, indicating poor optimization. This is a common complaint affecting gameplay smoothness.

FPS capped at 60: The game is artificially limited to 60 FPS with no option to increase, frustrating players with high-refresh-rate monitors. Some mention a 30/60 cap that doesn't work properly.

Game fails to launch: Multiple players report the game not loading, failing to open, or having startup problems. This is a critical issue preventing play entirely.

High refresh rate issues: On monitors above 60Hz, the game stutters or locks FPS below 60, and VRR only works in fullscreen forcing 60Hz. This is a significant problem for modern displays.

Resolution and display bugs: The game launches in absurd resolutions like 4K or 8K on 1080p displays, showing only part of the screen until fixed with Alt+Enter. This is a major usability issue.

Recommended for platformer fans: Many reviewers recommend the game to fans of platformers, including those who enjoy classic or challenging platforming experiences. This is the most common positive recommendation across the feedback.

Worth the price: Reviewers frequently state the game is worth its price, with some noting it is especially good value when on sale. This indicates strong perceived value for money.

General positive recommendation: Many reviewers simply recommend the game without specific conditions, expressing overall satisfaction. This broad endorsement suggests the game has wide appeal.

Buy on sale: Several reviewers advise waiting for a sale before purchasing, indicating the game is good but perhaps not at full price. This is a common sentiment for value-conscious players.

Recommended for Crash fans: Fans of Crash Bandicoot and the franchise are particularly encouraged to play, and the game is also recommended for newcomers to the series. This shows the game satisfies both existing fans and new players.

Community fair range: $10.00 - $20.00.

Game completion: 12.5h.

Story completion: 10.0h.

Endgame: 35.0h.

The core platforming loop is addictive from the start, but technical issues like frame pacing and locked framerate, along with occasional difficulty spikes, can create friction for some players.

Friction: bad stutter/frame pacing out of the box; weird V-Sync implementation causing uneven frame pacing; locked framerate requiring workaround; tweaked jumping mechanics leading to accidental deaths; long loading times; controller detection issues.

Unlock drivers: Installing SpecialK; Overriding V-Sync; Unlocking framerate; Enabling VRR; Using Steam Input for controller mapping.

Nostalgic Veteran: Plays through the games for the story and nostalgia, may not go for 100% but appreciates the challenge. Motivation: Relive childhood memories and experience the classic games with modern graphics. Stance: buy.

Completionist Achievement Hunter: Meticulously completes every level, collects all items, replays for time trials and perfect runs. Motivation: Achieve 100% completion, earn all achievements and relics, and overcome challenging content. Stance: buy.

Curious Newcomer: Plays through the main story, may struggle with difficulty, may or may not pursue completion. Motivation: Experience a classic platformer and see what the series is about, or test their platforming skills. Stance: sale.

The game performs well on most hardware, but the 12-15GB VRAM cohort shows significant performance problems including stutters and crashes.

Windows <8GB VRAM: positive. Mostly positive, with one report of lag at lowest settings; the majority report smooth gameplay.

Windows 12-15GB VRAM: negative. Multiple reports of framerate stutters, crashes, and poor port quality, with many negative performance reviews.

Windows 8-11GB VRAM: positive. Performance is generally good, though some users mention V-Sync and frame pacing issues that can be fixed with third-party tools.

Steam Deck: The game generally runs well on Steam Deck, with many users reporting smooth performance. However, a subset of users experienced issues that required tinkering with Proton or graphics settings, adding minor friction to the experience.

Linux and Proton: Linux/Proton compatibility is generally positive. The game runs out of the box with default Proton for at least some users, and runs well at high settings. Minor tweaks such as using DXVK for high refresh rate monitors and switching Proton versions for a specific level boot issue are mentioned, but these are easily resolved and do not prevent gameplay.

Remake of original trilogy: The game is widely recognized as a remake or remaster of the original Crash Bandicoot trilogy from the PS1 era, with improved graphics and modern visual upgrades. It is described as a faithful preservation of the classic games on modern hardware.

Compared to original versions: Reviewers frequently compare the game to the original PS1 and PS2 versions, noting differences and similarities. This comparison is a central part of the review experience, as players assess how the remaster holds up against the classics.

Available on Steam and PC: The game is accessible on Steam, with features like Steam Achievements, Steam Points Shop content, and Steam Deck compatibility. It is also noted as being well optimized for PC, with some reviewers preferring it on PC over console.

Compared to Crash 4: The game is compared to Crash Bandicoot 4, with some reviewers finding Crash 4 more fun, fair, and forgiving in terms of difficulty. This comparison highlights differences in game design and player experience between the remaster and the newer title.

Purchased on sale: Several reviewers mention buying the game on sale, with one noting a 90% discount. This suggests that the game's value proposition is often considered in the context of its sale price.