Crash Bandicoot™ 4: It’s About Time (PS4) (incl. PS5 Digital Upgrade)

As a big Crash Bandicoot fan since the early days of PlayStation I was thrilled to see after the remasters of 1-3, that a fresh new entry was upon us with popping visuals and a return to its original platforming formula, complete with zany characters and PG humour. The game now also offers a free PS5 upgrade on purchase of the PS4 version which amps everything up to 4K alongside quicker loading times (which make a world of difference since they were rather slow on the PS4 version).

The game does a superb job of delivering nostalgia for returning fans as a lot of the level design takes cues from the previous entries. They also did not shy away from the difficulty either, as some levels can be very punishing if your timing is off! There’s a ‘beginners trap’ in almost every level which forces a trial and error style of approach. In light of this, the devs have added a feature that removes lives and simply allows you to play each level dying as many times as necessary to finish without starting from scratch, and instead just respawning at the last check point. You can however turn this feature off, at your own risk, for an extra challenge.

As a whole, I did enjoy the game early on but as the levels began to get longer and trickier – especially if you’re a completionist like myself and like to smash every box for those Gems – it began to stagger my play through as I would get fed up of the tireless juggling of new mechanics that are brought in to the game via the Power Masks, and the box locations can be very frustrating, especially in the Bonus stages. It can also feel at times as if the game is trying too hard to be a Crash game (if that makes sense!), almost like it’s trying to outshine its predecessors in a slightly arrogant way. The character dialogue is a bit cringy in places in my opinion and by the time I’d reached the last dimension, I was kind of relieved that it had finished.

One redeeming factor for the game is the Flashback Tapes, which are pretty much short-lived box smashing puzzles that require surgical precision platforming, along with some old school Crash music from precious games in the background and Cortex throwing a few quips along the way. It’s a nice refreshing change from the standard part of the game, however you do have to go through the pain of reaching a checkpoint in each level without dying AT ALL to obtain them, some of which are gruelling without repeat play throughs.

I’d recommend this game for anyone looking for a challenging platformer that feels fresh and original at times, but does require some patience if you want to squeeze the very best out of the game. For me, I wouldn’t class it as a true Crash game – Warped is my personal favourite – but certainly worth a go.

Classic crash bandicoot, but with the added ability to play and pass with your friends.

Great classic game made for current times.overall 8.3/10

I’ve played all the Crash Bandicoot games since the original on the first PlayStation, and this is definitely a good one. I personally don’t think it’s as good as Crash 3 or the first one but it’s not far off and you can lose hours without noticing and it makes me smile, which is what it’s all about. Would recommend for sure.

The developers have done a brilliant job bringing this series back but I find that they have been too clever in their approach and made this game stupidly hard.

I have completed the game but there were frequent times where I could not enjoy it due to the sheer difficulty they have put into the game. If you remember the bonus rounds in crash 1-3, these are more like death rounds for the fourth game . There was only one or two bonus rounds i was able to complete due to the difficulty. I’m not a bad a gamer but the level designs are definitely aimed for professional gamers. Considering this game is aimed for kids and older generations who love franchise, I dont think they will enjoy this addition as much as the originals.

The game is still worth purchasing but I really hope the developers ease on the difficulty for future entries or they will lose a lot of the fan base.

Crash is back.

The game looks fantastic, and the gameplay feels very much like a highly polished version of the classic trilogy, making jumps has never been so precise, and boy will you need that precision. This game is hard.

If your a completionist, this game will make you cry, as every level has pretty deviously hidden crates to break that at times feel unfair, whilst there are many fiendishly difficult platforming sections.

On the base ps4, the performance of the game does chug a little but rarely enough to be more than an annoyance. But overall this is an extremely solid crash bandicoot game, I would defiantly recommend to fans of the series, or anyone looking for a platform game that will challenge and frustrate.

They’ve definitely turned the difficulty up in this game! I love the pass n play feature

Difficult, frustrating and just dosent have the same feel as the classic ones. Still I had a good time playing and the game looks stunning but don’t think I’ll bother attempting to compete it 100%.

My partner and I LOVE this game, highly frustrating and highly nostalgic.

Edit 21/2/21
I finally got 106% completion and the Platinum Trophy.
It took me 203 hours!!!

This is, by far, the most difficult Crash game ever but, for me, the most enjoyable.
The developers have done a fantastic job and created an amazingly detailed game that feels familiar and new at the same time.
I’d still rate this 5*.
I’m so glad I bought this.
– – –
I played the Crash 1, 2 and 3 remakes a few years ago and easily got the platinum trophies.
However, Crash 4 offers a whole new level of difficulty.

I was wondering how they could justify the high price (I paid 55 for my copy) but now I understand.
For me, getting 106% along with the platinum trophy will require many, many hours of hard work but the game rewards you with stunning graphics, extremely rich, dense levels and entirely new forms of gameplay, which in my opinion more than justifies the high price tag.