Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy, the review for PC Steam

Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy come on PC, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch one year after the release on PS4. This is a historic event for each of these platforms, since the saga created by Naughty Dog was initially closely linked to Sony consoles and never moved from there, leaving only the following episodes, in the hands of different publishers, the possibility of aspiring to the multi-platform format. The project behind the return of Crash, of course, starts from afar: there was talk of a possible remaster already in unsuspected times, then came the sensational announcement, the enthusiastic debut on PlayStation 4 and now, precisely, the unprecedented landing on the other systems; although in this review we will only deal with the Steam version which, let's say it right away, with its resolution up to 4K real it 60 frames per second, hardware permitting, is undoubtedly a candidate to be the best ever.



Structure and peculiarities: a journey into the past

As you certainly know, if you have read our enthusiastic review of the PlayStation 4 version, Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy collects the three chapters of the original Crash Bandicoot trilogy, those developed by a still novice Naughty Dog, in a completely redesigned version . From the main menu it is possible to access each of the three games without any limitation, even carrying out all the titles at the same time thanks to a compartmentalized saving system. Crash Bandicoot, the first chapter, is undoubtedly the one that will unleash your nostalgic side, net of a gameplay and a structure lacking the facets introduced later.



Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy, the review for PC Steam

It was a product for the time revolutionary, in its own way, which not only catapulted us into a three-dimensional environment for a large part of the experience, but which was able to exploit in an extraordinary way the computational capacity of first PlayStation and therefore to represent on the screen detailed and colorful characters, who moved within cartoonish and evocative scenarios. Accompanied by a three-quarter third-person view, we were asked to complete more and more difficult routes, collecting apples and smashing crates in search of valuable items, avoiding dangerous chasms and spikes, as well as eliminating enemies scattered along the way using the character spin attack.

Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy, the review for PC Steam

However, a vision based on the variety situations, and so in some stages we found ourselves making the reverse path, perhaps fleeing from a huge boulder, while in still other levels we proceeded according to the canons of classic two-dimensional platformers. To enrich the whole there was the important factor of replayability, since each scenario was hiding something and you had to go back again and again to complete it 100%, collecting all the apples, destroying all the chests and getting all the collectibles. The remake made by Vicarious Visions remains absolutely faithful to this formula, reproducing the dynamics that made Crash Bandicoot famous, the timing of the jumps and attacks, the secrets to be discovered and the bonus sections, while carrying out a painstaking reconstruction work from scratch.


Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy, the review for PC Steam

What the N. Sane Trilogy proposes is not in fact the 1996 code to which new assets have been applied, but rather a new product, which mimics the original in a surprisingly effective way, smoothing just a few edges in terms of gameplay and controls. Modern Crash has an irresistible look, a bewildered look and funny poses that are also reflected in the attack and movement animations. A similar argument should be made for the scenarios, also completely redone while respecting the design of Naughty Dog, with surfaces covered with clear and non-trivial textures, a scarce concession to the repetitiveness of the elements, dynamic shadows that change intensity depending on the light and, in general, the sensation of a cohesive and coherent world, which decisively cuts the bridges with the subdivision between active parts and background that was clearly visible twenty years ago.


Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy, the review for PC Steam

Evolution and graphics

As mentioned, it will undoubtedly be the first episode of Crash Bandicoot to provoke the Magone in memory of the youth spent in front of the PlayStation, but the second and above all the third chapter will make you understand the evolution of the franchise, with the introduction of new ideas. and an ever greater freedom of action: elements that laid the foundations for what Naughty Dog would later achieve. In Crash Bandicoot: Cortex Strikes Back the simple alternation of levels is replaced by a more reasoned structure, with a central hub and a series of portals that will project us into very different environments from each other, able to influence the gameplay precisely on the basis of their peculiarities: the slippery ice sheets, the water channels in which it is better not to fall, and so on.


Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy, the review for PC Steam

It also introduces i crystals that Crash has the task of collecting in each stage and some vehicles that the character can use within the increasingly frequent variations on the theme, while the boss fights retain the original setting, indeed rather trivial, which provides an attack pattern which invariably ends with a stalemate which must be taken advantage of to hit the enemy. The maturity of the franchise comes with however Crash Bandicoot: Warped!, who puts on the table the narrative expedient of time travel to contrast the sympathetic peramele with Dr. Neo Cortex, supported in his latest attempt to conquer the Earth by the evil Uka Uka, Aku Aku's deviated brother.


Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy, the review for PC Steam

In command of both Crash and his sister Coco, a feature that in the N. Sane Trilogy has been extended in an unprecedented way to some levels of the previous episodes, we will therefore find ourselves exploring medieval Europe, ancient Egypt, Nevada in the 50s, the First World War and others location again, again determined to collect valuable collectibles and defeat Cortex's allies. As expected, the major facets of these chapters are also reflected in the goodness of the remake, which apart from some carelessness (the completely inert water within a Cortex Strikes Back scenario) offers some truly suggestive and spectacular sequences, especially right when viewed on a large Ultra HD screen.

Which brings us back to the obvious technical superiority of Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy on PC. Using the test configuration we were able to play the collection at real 4K, with all settings at maximum and sixty frames per second granite: the best way to enjoy the experience packaged by Vicarious Visions, especially in terms of fluidity, since on consoles it was decided not to go beyond thirty frames. The adjustments are few, in truth: you go from resolution to target frame rate, from vertical sync to motion blur, passing through the quality of anti-aliasing, shadows, ambient occlusion, bloom, depth of field and fur blur, which "smoothes the hair" of the characters for a better rendering. In any case, this is a sufficient amount of settings to scale the experience on less powerful configurations.

PC System Requirements

Test Setup

  • Processor: Intel Core i5 6600K @ 4,2 GHz
  • Video card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti
  • Memory: 16 GB of RAM
  • Operating system: Windows 10

Minimum requirements

  • Processor: Intel Core i5 750, AMD Phenom II X4 965
  • Scheda video: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660, AMD Radeon HD 7850
  • Memory: 8 GB of RAM
  • Hard disk: 30 GB of space required
  • Operating system: Windows 7

Comment

Tested version PC Windows Price 39,90 € Resources4Gaming.com

9.0

Readers (29)

8.9

Your vote

Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy marks the debut on PC of the original Naughty Dog trilogy as part of a remake of extraordinary quality, able to imitate the classic episodes in their mechanics and even in some of their inevitable shortcomings; all from scratch, with a new code and completely redesigned assets. The result is an amazing collection, unmissable for anyone who lived those years as a kid and is dying to try their hand again with the adventures of the shrewd peramele, aware however that some aspects of the product will necessarily be anachronistic, beyond a factor challenge conceptually different from what we are now used to.

PRO

  • Flawless remake, with attention to the smallest details
  • On PC it looks great at 4K and 60 frames per second
  • Interesting new features and optimizations ...
AGAINST
  • ... but mechanics and structure feel the weight of the years
  • Still very slippery in collisions
  • Some steps require the use of the calendar
add a comment of Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy, the review for PC Steam
Comment sent successfully! We will review it in the next few hours.