When Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time was announced, the developers at Activision and Toys For Bob made it very clear that this was a direct sequel to Crash Bandicoot: Warped, and that it will be taking players all the way back to the 90s; because that's when the last good Crash Bandicoot game was released.
Jokes aside, Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time is a reboot of sorts, so every game that has been released after Crash Bandicoot: Warped, all of the events that have taken place in other games will not affect this new title's story in the slightest; giving the developers more creative control.
With that said, players shouldn't expect the new Crash Bandicoot to stray too much from the first three original, and Naughty Dog-developed titles, but the developers at Toys For Bob are still adding new elements that aim to keep things fresh for fans; again, while still keeping all of the elements that have made the series a household name.
One of the new features that Toys For Bob will be including in Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time are some new retro-looking levels, that will literally make players feel like they've been transported back to the '90s, in the form of "Flashback" levels.
As per the official press release, these Flashback levels will add more replay value to Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time, by introducing challenging new stages that will see players solving puzzles and testing their skills as the beloved bandicoots.
Interestingly enough, these Flashback levels, as the name very appropriately suggests, will also shed some light on the origin stories of Crash and Coco, so they aren't there just for kicks; they will open up the series' lore, for sure.
Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time is a Crash Bandicoot game through and through, so these Flashback levels won't be that easily accessible. No, players will have to search and collect Flashback Tapes in order to access these challenging levels; again, adding more replay value to the game.
The best is yet to come, as the Flashback levels will also look like they came out of a '90s CRT monitor. Graphics look like a current-gen game, granted, but the devs have added this retro-looking filter that makes the game look like being played on an old monitor. Pure class.
Take a look:
Picking up where the original trilogy left off, Neo Cortex and DR. Nefarious Tropy have escaped their interdimensional prison and in doing so have fractured the boundaries of time and space. It's up to Crash and Coco to save the day.
Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time will release for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on Friday the 2nd of October.