Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back

Overview

Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy is a 2017 platform game compilation developed by Vicarious Visions and published by Activision for the PlayStation 4. It includes remasters of the first three video games in the Crash Bandicoot series: Crash Bandicoot (1996), Cortex Strikes Back (1997), and Warped (1998); which were originally developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. It was later ported to Nintendo Switch, Windows, and Xbox One in 2018.

Prior to the compilation's announcement, the Crash Bandicoot series had been dormant since 2010. Vicarious Visions, lacking the original source code, rebuilt the games using polygon meshes provided by Sony and Naughty Dog, decoding outdated formats. Missing animations, textures, and music were recreated by cross-referencing video footage, concept art, and fan feedback from online communities. Modern enhancements included high-resolution textures, dynamic lighting, an updated soundtrack with live instruments, and the addition of Crash's sister Coco as a playable character across all games, while preserving core gameplay and speedrunning exploits.

The N. Sane Trilogy received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise for its faithful yet visually improved recreation of the original games, cohesive presentation, and nostalgic appeal, though the dated controls, inconsistent difficulty, some unpolished vehicle sections and altered jumping physics received criticism. The game was a commercial success, selling 20 million units worldwide by June 2024.

Screenshots

Game details

Genres

Platform

Developer

Vicarious Visions

Publisher

Activision

Series

Crash Bandicoot

Engine

Vicarious Visions Alchemy

Platforms

PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One

Age rating

ESRB E10+

Modes

Single player

Yes

Local multiplayer

No

Online multiplayer

No

Co op

No

Age ratings

ESRB

E10+

PEGI

7

Release dates

Trophies

Trophies25

Platinum possibleYes

Platinum

1

Gold

6

Silver

11

Bronze

7

Total

25

Points

1275

Platinum time

15 to 30 hours

Difficulty

6 out of 10

Playthroughs for platinum

2

Online trophies

0

Missable trophies

0

• The N. Credible Crash Bandicoot! Collect all the Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back trophies. Platinum 22.43% of players
• Professor Pulverized Defeat Ripper Roo. Bronze 38.4% of players
• Komodo No Mo Defeat the Komodo Brothers. Bronze 35.01% of players
• Tiny Tricked Defeat Tiny Tiger. Silver 33.53% of players
• Mech Wrecked Defeat N. Gin. Silver 31.62% of players
• Cortex N. Adequate Defeat N. Cortex. Gold 30.83% of players
• A Road Less Traveled Discover a "?" Bonus Path. Bronze 41.69% of players
• A Diamond in the Rough Discover a Gem Path after earning a Color Gem. Silver 31.46% of players
• Cheated Death (For the Time Being) Discover a Death Route. Silver 34.15% of players
• Jumping the Jetboard Unlocked the Secret Exit in Air Crash. Silver 30.81% of players
• Island Hopping Unlocked the Secret Exit in Bear Down. Silver 31.39% of players
• The Flora Flop Unlocked the Secret Exit in Diggin' It. Silver 28.97% of players
• No Bear Left Behind Unlocked the Secret Exit in Unbearable. Silver 29.24% of players
• Hang In There, Maybe! Unlocked the Secret Exit in Hangin' Out. Silver 30.57% of players
• One Man's Trash Earn 21 Gems. Gold 27.21% of players
• Laser Powered Vengence Earn 42 Gems. Gold 24.26% of players
• Kick the Tires! Earn 5 Relics. Bronze 26.83% of players
• Light the Fires! Earn 10 Relics (gold or better). Silver 23.73% of players
• Wumpa-Burner Engaged! Earn 27 Relics (gold or better). Gold 22.44% of players
• A Helping Paw Don't feel guilty about jumping on him. Bronze 31.96% of players
• Crash Cubed Fly, then die. Silver 33.7% of players
• Buzz Off! Die as Crash. Bronze 33.03% of players
• Cortex N. Furiated Just "forget" it. Repeatedly. Bronze 29.82% of players
• Boom Shakalaka! Defeat 5 enemies with Coco's Double Leg Drop. Gold 31.11% of players
• 99 Percent Perspiration Earn 99 lives. Gold 28.82% of players

Playable today

Playable offline todayYes

Single-player only, with no online features.

Online

Plays offlineYes

Credits

Publisher

Activision

Developer

Vicarious Visions

Released

2017-06-30

Age rating

ESRB E10+

Region

US

Time to beat

about 10 hours