man, pains me to do this but it's aged horribly for me. until this week this was, probably, my 2nd favourite in the franchise from childhood memory. there's still a definite fondness for what remains, I love the soundtrack, there's a lot of personality, and I think the explorable levels are a legitimately excellent progression for the Crash games to take (not to mention some of the puzzles involving Crash + Cortex) but it's just
sorta dogshit to play lol
hit boxes are crazy, Aku Aku masks don't protect you from Nitro explosions for some reason (made worse by said hitboxes), and maybe worst, all the unskippable cutscenes that the game throws your way every time you die... which is probably a lot with those hitboxes and the camera and...
still playable for sure but this took quite the hit for me. I'd be forgiving if those respawns were more generous too. on a level sliding down a mountain and avoiding obstacles, you think the game would be smarter about not dropping you next to the edge you can't jump over because you don't have the speed built up, right?