Crash Bandicoot's triumphant return to modern consoles, including the Nintendo Switch is serving to remind many who enjoyed the game in their youth that, dang, it's difficult! The challenging platforming from Naughty Dog's original three releases has largely retained its difficulty, even if improved checkpointing and multiple save slots have made things a touch less frustrating. Still, Crash will test your jumping and spinning skills whether this is the first time you've played or even if you collected every gem in every level as a kid. Don't forget those extra stages (Stormy Ascent and Future Tense) too!
If you're having a tough time of it, don't worry. Here are a few tips and tricks to help you crash your way through all three games and stop Neo Cortex for good!
Practice those jumps!
If you're new to Crash or haven't played for years, it can be a bit tricky to get into the swing of Crash's jumps--especially on levels where the camera is behind him. Spend some time practicing jumps in the early levels to get a feel of how far he can jump with and without a running start. All three games love to play with platform distances to force players to adjust how and where they jump off, be it a short jump from mid-platform or a flying leap from the very edge. The better feel you have for these jumps, the better you'll do. Don't be afraid to pause and think some of the platforming sections out...assuming you're not being chased by a giant boulder!
One trick you can use for pesky jumps onto small platforms is to watch Crash's shadow while he's midair and adjust his placement so his shadow is right above where he's landing. You only have a split second to do it before he either lands or falls into an abyss, but it's a good gauge to see if you're on while there's still time to correct.
Getting extra lives
Unless you're a Crash expert, you're going to die a lot in all three Crash Bandicoot games. It's expected, so don't let it stress you out! But do be aware of how you can collect extra lives to make those deaths a bit less painful. Every 100 pieces of fruit you collect will get you an extra life, and some levels will also have extra life tokens you can snag. Those tokens will respawn every time you tackle the level anew, so if you find a level you can beat easily without dying that has quite a few tokens, you can farm it for a bit for fruit and tokens and stock up on lives to work on some of the harder stages with.
If farming doesn't sound fun, just make use of the game's save slots. Save on another file when you have a ton of lives, and if you just can't beat a stage and exhaust a ton of lives doing it, swap back to the slot where you had lots of lives and try again!
Forget the cheat codes
Crash veterans might fondly recall certain cheat codes you could enter to unlock later levels, among other things. That doesn't work in the N. Sane trilogy, though, so you'll have to work your way through all the stages on your own.
Gem collection
All three Crash Bandicoot games in the collection include special gems you can collect in each stage. In the first game, these are pretty straightforward, although it's worth mentioning that if you're after any gem other than a White Gem you'll have to get it without losing a life once in that stage. In later games, some of these gems will be unlocked by finishing certain tasks, such as backtracking, completing certain sections of the game in certain ways, or destroying crates. Others will be tied to a secret warp exit, and still others are a part of secret levels.
To get all the gems in all three games, you'll have to backtrack sometimes and won't be able to do it all in one run. Be patient, finish the levels, then return later on to catch up on the gems you missed. Be sure to explore every side path, nook, and cranny of each level to make sure you didn't miss any crates, apples, or secret exits!
Need more help?
Stuck on a level in Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy? Let me know in the comments and I'll help you out!
