"Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy" Switch Review

For the last decade, Crash Bandicoot had devolved into the Pauly Shore of gaming icons, having lost his relevancy and become more of a historical curiosity than an enduring gaming icon.

That all changed last year with the release of "Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy," which remade the three original PlayStation games from the ground up, using the original assets as guidelines rather than porting them over.

After a year of PlayStation 4 exclusivity, the trilogy has dropped on the Xbox One and the Switch. The latter is perhaps the most inspired landing space for the compilation, because the game seems naturally broken up into bite-sized missions geared to be played on the go.

The games retain the feel and hints of the looks of the originals, but are more user-friendly and evolved than their ancient counterparts, which were burdened with interminable load times and a haphazard save system.

The remade trilogy plays more smoothly and faster than ever before, with the spirit of the originals remaining intact. The jumps, collectibles and combat all combine to make as appealing a package as ever.

While "Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy" may pave the way for the hero's re-emergence on the gaming scene in the form of a true sequel, it also hails as a love letter to the franchise's past, and a more innocent, unassuming time for the platformer genre. Playing the old games in new form feels like looking at a rose-colored rear-view mirror.
Publisher provided review code.