Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back (PS1) Review

The original Crash Bandicoot was a hit, becaming one of the reasons to buy a PlayStation. However, it feels pretty dated in some areas concerning gameplay. Like I mentioned in my last review, it suffered from Early Installment Weirdness, where it was trying to figure out what sticks and what doesn't. It's there that its sequel, Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, went and established the gameplay formula that some of the later titles would emulate. It made for one of the finest video game sequels anyone could ask for.

Set right after the first game, Dr. Neo Cortex (now voiced by Clancy Brown) discovers a Power Crystal after his defeat. His new assistant, Dr. N. Gin, concludes that they need 25 "slave" Crystals in order to harness its power. Lacking in any allies, Cortex enlists the help of Crash by pretending that he is turning over a new leaf. However, N. Brio from the last game asks Crash to collect all of the 42 Gems to defeat Cortex, becoming a race on who gets what.

I think the story would have played out well if we did not know that Cortex was the bad guy the whole time. It makes his final "reveal" all the more redundant. Sure, hiding his plan would still be pretty obvious to even the least genre savvy players, but it was a better way to go. Still, we don't really play Crash Bandicoot for its plot.

Crash 2 does introduce some of the series' recurring characters. The first is Crash's sister, Coco. Why exactly does he have a sister now? Apparently, Crash's girlfriend, Tawna, was omitted from the series because her design was considered too sexy, which led to the creation of Coco. She's a welcome addition to the cast of characters. She doesn't have much screen-time, but she serves as a nice foil to Crash. Crash is more laid-back and lazy, while Coco is much more intelligent... and she can speak. Some of the villains like N. Gin and Tiny Tiger (excellent name, by the way) also become the series' mainstays and recurring boss characters.

Crash 2 ups the presentation more than its predecessor did. For one, there is a variety of animations to behold, like Crash leaving footprints or breathing in the snow levels. In the chase levels, there are times where Crash will turn his head to see what is chasing him and look scared. He is also given some of the funniest death animations like being just a head with feet when squished or getting stung by a bee. Best of all, Crash's signature dance makes its debut here, which never gets old.

The score by Josh Mancell continues to amaze me. It's just as catchy and upbeat as the original with more memorable tracks like the snow levels, which add these jingles; the water skiing levels, which have a surfer rock type of music; and the chase levels which have a sense of danger when the beats become fierce. My favorite track, however, comes in the sewer levels. There is something about hearing the pipes banging that made it so appealing to listen to; it's like something out of Stomp.

Everything that the first game did, Crash 2 did a whole lot better in gameplay. Crash now has some additional new moves like the slide, crawl, and belly flop. The slide is especially useful when it is used to make a large jump over certain gaps. There will be later levels that require the slide jump so be sure to master it on the way. When you're not doing the usual platforming, you'll also be riding a jet ski, get chased by boulders, riding a polar bear, and flying on a jetpack.

In Crash 1, you were only limited to using the D-Pad to move, which felt pretty stiff at times. Now you can finally use the analog stick to move Crash, which feels much smoother to control. The only downside is that the analog control is only available in the Greatest Hits edition (or Platinum in Europe). If you have the original black label version, which came out less than a month before the release of the DualShock controller, you have to use the D-Pad.

Instead of the first game's world map, Crash 2 features the Warp Room as the main hub to select levels. There are 5 levels in each and you can do them in any order you want, which is a welcome change. In case the player has a hard time completing one level, they can try again later. Best of all, you can save the game anytime you want. Yup, the save system from the first game can go jump down a bottomless pit now!

Unlike the first game, where your main objective is to go from Point A to B, you have to collect a Crystal in between. Crystals are important to collect because they take you further into the game. Completing a level without collecting said item or quitting three times results in Cortex yelling at you in different ways, It's a funny detail worth noting.

Once you collect each hub's crystals, you can take the elevator to a boss fight. I've mentioned that the boss fights in the previous title were nothing to brag about; just dodge their attack patterns and strike at the right time. It's the same here, many of them being pretty easy. I will say, however, that the fight against N. Gin was the best one because it has some form of challenge: just throw Wumpa Fruits at his weak points while dodging his lasers and missiles. I do remember dying on that fight a lot, so it's a welcome rise in difficulty.

The bonus stages return, but this time, you don't have to collect tokens. You'll just encounter a platform with a "?" sign and you'll be sent to it. Just break boxes and collect Wumpa Fruit to add to the counter. If you die, you can always try again as many times without losing a life.

Those bonus stages, however, are nothing compared to the Skull Paths. In certain levels, if you go without dying, you'll get access to a Skull Path. These are sections that usually have a second gem lying around. What makes them different from the bonus stages are that they are difficult. I'm serious, they do not mess around. When the music for a Skull Path is much faster in tempo, you know you're up for a challenge. You gotta master your platforming skills in order to successfully navigate these paths, which makes getting a Gem all the more rewarding.

That's right, the Gems make a return as another important collectible. In the last game, in order to collect a Gem, you have to break every box and complete a level without dying. Here, you can die as many times as you want and it won't prevent you from getting a gem, which lowers the frustration. Just like in the first game, there are some levels where you cannot break every box right away. Either you do not have a colored gem which takes you to a secret path, or you have to access a secret area in another level.

I said "secrets," didn't I? Well, if I have another thing to praise about this game, it's its attention to detail. Some players may notice things that do not seem right, but cannot point their fingers to it. For example, in the level, "The Eel Deal," there is a room full of Nitro Crates. Why are they all placed in a room of little significance? It wasn't until I found out that I can walk through the door behind the stack of Nitro Crates and find a secret path that leads me to the Green Gem. Who the heck would figure that out the first time?

Heck, if one is curious, some secrets might be discovered by complete accident. In the bee levels, there are these plants that spit out bombs. Once you get near them, they will duck and cower in fear. Not only can you bounce on them like a trampoline, you can crush them with the belly flop and collect Wumpa Fruit from them. So then I began crushing whatever plants were in my way. However, when I crushed a certain plant, I found myself transported to the secret Warp Room which now gives me access to a previously inaccessible area from another level.

Lastly, some secrets can also be found by violating common sense. We all know that bottomless pits are bad; we must not fall on them or we lose a life. In one level where you are chased by giant polar bears, one of them opens up a new bottomless pit, but the bridge that covered it is not completely destroyed, whereas all the other ones were. It wasn't until I found out that you have to jump down that bottomless pit to get the boxes you were told that you missed. It's like Naughty Dog was messing with the players.

These secrets, on the other hand, lead to one of my gripes with this game: the backtracking. It was frustrating in some levels in Crash 1, and it's frustrating here as well. There are still some levels that have branching paths, leaving me to run towards the screen yet again without even looking ahead because of the fixed camera angles. When running towards the screen in the chase levels, it's fine because the camera zooms out a bit to see what is ahead of you. The other levels, on the other hand, do not do that.

The worst offender when it comes to backtracking is having to break all boxes in the level "Cold Hard Crash." To achieve this, the player must navigate the entire Skull Path and break all boxes there. Then you have to go back to the entrance of that Skull Path to take you back to the regular level and break the rest of the boxes there. Getting the Gem for that alone almost drove me insane.

Caddicarus already addressed this in his re-review, but I might as well do so here. I cannot stand the ice physics. When you jump after you bump into a crate which stops you, your momentum keeps going regardless, which can sometimes lead to falling into a bottomless pit. It's a hindrance that Naughty Dog seriously overlooked.

Lastly, while I have complained about the bosses not being all that great, the chase against Cortex is the worst boss fight in the trilogy. That's right, a chase! Give the Komodo Brothers credit: despite having the accuracy of a Stormtrooper, they at least put up a fight. He does not. The sad thing is that the worst final boss in the trilogy has quite possibly the best final boss theme. The faster beat gives a sense of urgency to stop him and it features a great arrangement of his theme from the first game.

With that said, I say Crash Bandicoot 2 is an excellent follow-up to its predecessor. The gameplay is solid, the music is catchy, the presentation is amazing, and it has some replay value. Everything that the first game did, the sequel did a whole lot better, making the former inferior in comparison. The backtracking keeps me from loving it more, but nevertheless, it is...

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