After a painfully long wait, fans of theCrash Bandicootfranchise were finally treated to a brand new game withCrashBandicoot 4: It’s About Time.Better yet, the game saw a return to the corridor-style of platforming that fans had been crying out for sinceCrash Twinsanityand subsequent main console releases changed the franchise’s iconic gameplay.Crash 4waswell-received by fans and critics, exemplified by its85 Metascore on PlayStation 4.
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Considering that the game is a sequel toCrash Bandicoot: Warped,which hit storesall the way back in 1998, it should come as little surprise that Toys For Bob implemented numerous new features tothe 2020 game. Along with Flashback Tapes and Timeline stages,Crash 4lets players switch up their style with numerous skins for the two main protagonists, Crash and Coco.
10Future Past
One of the many great features about the main story ofCrash Bandicootis that, much likeWarped, it takes place in numerous different periods, allowing the developers to create wonderfully imaginative levels. One of the game’s main areas takes place in a futuristic city, where players can unlock a Coco skin that looks like someone kicked her throughCyberpunk 2077.
Players can unlock the Future Past skin by collecting ten gems in the stage Rush Hour.
9Party Gras
One of the best new features thatCrash Bandicoot 4introduces is the ability to play as multiple characters with different playstyles, one of which is Dingodile. The Party Gras skin is unlocked when players collect six gems in the level Home Cookin', which is the former villain’s introductory stage.
The skin isn’t a reference to the Home Cookin' stage itself, but instead one of the game’s most well-designed and memorable levels: Off Beat.
8Crate Crusher 9000
Ubisoft may be planning to sue Activision over the Crate Crusher 9000 skin, as the limbless appearance makes Coco look likethe French company’s own mascot platformer, Rayman. Differentiating the skin from the limbless hero is the futuristic, robotic appearance that looks like something out of a 60s horror film.
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Crate Crusher 9000 is one of the toughest skin to unlock on this list, as it requires players to obtain eleven gems in Toxic Tunnels.
7Fuzzy Crusader
It’s fair to say that the days of superheroes being a niche interest predominantly found in comic books is well and truly dead. Superheroes and supervillains, particularly those from Marvel and DC, are now a huge part of pop culture, led by the Avengers films, which have smashed numerous sales and viewership records.Crash 4lets players see what Coco may have looked like if she was inEndgamewith the nicely designed Fuzzy Crusader skin.
The superhero skin becomes available when players earn seven gems from the stage Bears Repeating.
6Wanda the Wombat
The Wanda The Wombat skin isn’t just a nod towards another animal native to Australia; it’s actually a reference toCrash’s early development stages. Although it’s hard to imagine today, Crash Bandicoot wasn’t always the name and character design of the iconic platforming hero; he was originally titled Willy The Wombat. Coco’s Wanda The Wombat skin, as well as Crash’s Willy The Wombat skin that is also unlockable in the game, are glimpses into an alternative reality forthe mascot characters.
The skin is unlocked when the player completes The Past Unmasked in N. Verted Mode.
5Pursona
The Pursona skin doesn’t just have a great look that is befitting the stage it’s unlocked in, it’s also a possible reference toCrash Bandicoot: Warped.Anyone who has playedWarpedwill remember the stages where Coco rides a Tiger named Pura on the Great Wall of China; the Pursona skin may be a nod to this, as the skin looks like Pura and Coco were put in a blender.
To unlock Pursona, players need to earn six Gems in Draggin' On.
4The Classic
Coco didn’t make her first appearance untilCrash Bandicoot 2: The Wrath of Cortexand wasn’t a playable character untilCrash Bandicoot: Warped, where she only appeared in a handful of the vehicle and animal-riding stages. For anyone still disappointed about this over twenty years later,Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Timehas the perfect solution, as the game lets players platform as Coco in a retro skin reminiscent of the PlayStation 1 era.
Players earn The Classic skin by completing Stage Dive in N. Verted Mode.
3Through the Wringer
It can often be difficult for developers to balance a game with casual and hardcore fans, such as theMario,Zelda, andLEGOfranchises. A common way to combat this is to have a simple-to-beat main story but tons of tricky extra content that makes the game challenging to complete 100%. TheCrash Bandicootseries is famous for this, though the latest game clearly leans more towards its hardcore fanbase.
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Although the flashback tapes, time trials, and N.Sanely perfect relics are a significant step up in challenge, the main story is stilltricky to completealone. Toys For Bob were clearly self-aware of this, as beating the game earns the player a rather battered and bruised iteration of both Crash and Coco.
2Fake Coco
Much like Willy The Wombat, there is more to the Fake Coco skin than many would expect. The skin is Coco’s version of Fake Crash, which is also unlockable in the game and has a history of appearing in the franchise. Fake Crash (also known as Trash Bandicoot) made his first official appearance as a joke in a Japanese ad forCrash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, after a poorly made toy of the character was found in the country. Fake Crash has since made appearances in numerous games, includingCrash Bandicoot: WarpedandCrash Team Racing.
Completing 4th Time’s a Charm in N. Verted Mode will unlock the Fake Coco skin.
1Floater
The Floater skin doesn’t just appear on this list for its great look and subtly comedic name, but also because it has a unique feature. Unlike most other skins on this list that have very little functionality, the Floater skin has its own unique death animation where Coco will pop like the balloon she now is when impaled by a sharp object.
Players can experience the unique death animation for themselves by earning eight gems on a stage with a similarly subtle comedy name, Rock Blocked.
NEXT:Crash Bandicoot The Wrath Of Cortex: 10 Hardest Platinum Relics, Ranked
