A game made to push the PS1's hardware and create Sony's answer to Mario, the original Crash Bandicoot is a hard shot to the arm of anyone going back to it after playing future titles. A far greater focus on slow, raw platforming married with a brutal "no death" Gem rule, and 9 months later, out popped a save system locked behind bonus rooms that feels designed to tell players to go fuck themselves, make for a title that's no doubt proven hard for many to go back to in its original, polygonal form. Yet, I'll stand by it as an entry still worth giving a shot; it's plenty likely to click with those who like a challenge, even if not always for the right reasons. There's also a lot to love on both a graphical and musical front, and the core gameplay is still plenty fun. In the face of the N Sane Trilogy, the OG release is a bit of a bitch to go back to, but if you really want to see how Crash started, it's hard to go too wrong.

Reviewed on Aug 09, 2022


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