In Crash Bandicoot 4 Mobile Doctors Neo Cortex and Nefarious Trophy never run out of ideas when it comes to turning the universe upside down. Did we write the universe? We should rather evoke the multiverse since the two evil zigotos have fun mixing dimensions. Twelve years after the third episode subtitled “Warped”, it’s high time to find Crash and Coco in a new adventure that knows how to build on its foundations. Only here at ApkCorner.
About Crash Bandicoot 4 Mobile
Crash Bandicoot 4 Mobile: It’s About Time, the platformer with the good smell of yesteryear Once a staple food consumed by millions of gamers hungry for colourful worlds, the 3D platformer has lost popularity. Crash Bandicoot is the faithful representative of this decline in notoriety. Star of the 32-bit machines in the 1990s thanks to three very popular episodes, it gradually fell into oblivion in the 2000s. Crash Bandicoot 4 Mobile returns today with a real fourth opus, whereas it is actually the eighth title of the series. In this new adventure, this minuscule Cortex foments a new diabolical plan not to conquer the world, but worlds. A horrible intention that serves as an excuse for the developers to deliver software that has fun revisiting the past while bringing a touch of novelty.
The epic begins where it began 24 years earlier: on the paradisiacal beach of N.Sanity Island. Toys for Bob might have wanted to go out of the way of Naughty Dog by making a 3D platform game with greater freedom of movement, as Traveller’s Tales attempted for Crash Twinsanity. Que Nenni, Crash Bandicoot 4 Mobile: It’s About Time is played the old-fashioned way, following a fairly narrow path defined by the designers. Whether the camera is located behind the protagonist, in front of him or on one of the sides like a side-scroller, it cannot be controlled freely. As usual, the progression results in the destruction of wacky opponents and various crates until the encounter with tougher-than-average bosses. Double jumps, tackles, wall runs, spinning attacks and quantum skills are just some of the abilities that need to be mastered to get the job done. Or rather, the end of Cortex and his mate. With its rhythmic chase sequences and abundant winks, the title published by Activision builds on the much-loved foundation of his first trilogy. Of the later parts, Toys for Bob doesn’t borrow much.
CRASH, COCONUT, AND THEIR FRIENDS WEAR THE MASKS
Crash Bandicoot 4 Mobile: It’s About Time, the platformer with the good smell After many years of absence, the marsupial and his little sister could not return empty-handed. Supported by four “Quantum Masks”, the duo enjoys different powers as they progress. Lani-Loli grants the ability to materialise elements (boxes, platforms, etc.) belonging to other dimensions. The player must quickly master this mechanism if he wants to climb mountains and pass obstacles: it is indeed not uncommon to see adjacent platforms belonging to two different dimensions, forcing the player to move from one to the other in the middle of the jump. Akano gives the ability to perform a devastating swirling attack in addition to reducing the hero’s gravity, which is useful for reaching distant objectives. Kupuna-Wa slows downtime for a few seconds and Ika-Ika reverses gravity once activated. As you will have understood, a majority of the dangerous situations encountered during the epic can be circumvented with good use of these special faculties. Important precision, it is not the player who chooses which mask to activate as he wishes, but the game that allows the use of the powers on well-defined segments. Leaving it up to the player would have made sense if It’s About Time had focused on the free exploration of large universes, but this is not the case here. Above all, this feature brings a bit of variety to the basic actions of the main protagonists, which for the time being is rather well felt in a title based on the platform. So we can be glad that we no longer have to control the insipid monsters we meet in Crash of the Titans. Well, almost…
Like some of his comrades who officiate in almost the same category (Sonic, to name but one), Crash Bandicoot 4 Mobile succumbs to the fashion for playable characters with distinct skills to embody. There is Dingodile, for example, who has a sort of hoover that is as good as Luigi’s, Cortex, equipped with a gun capable of turning enemies into platforms, and Tawna, equipped with a classic grappling hook. We understand Toys for Bob’s desire to offer a bit of diversity by bringing more diversified mechanics through protagonists from former Crash Bandicoot 4 Mobile, but the test is not transformed. The levels that feature these side characters are rarely inventive and much less fun to experience than those in Crash/Coco. The intention to give another point of view on a situation already experienced by the basic duo is interesting, but these stages flirt with filling, especially since the end of the levels is the same as the one already played (in a more difficult version). Fortunately, these “Timeline” worlds featuring additional characters are a bonus and are by no means obligatory to reach the final stage. For the rest of its structure, It’s About Time remains in the nails of the original works, with its world map to browse, its bonus stages and its numerous collectables to unearth… in order to unlock dozens of additional skins. This is proof that he also knows how to surf the trends of his time.
