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Crash Bandicoot is a multi-million dollar video game series starring Crash Bandicoot as he battles his enemy and creator: the evil Neo Cortex. It was originally developed by Naughty Dog as an exclusive for Sony's PlayStation console and has seen numerous installments created by numerous developers and published on multiple platforms. The series consists predominantly of platform games, but also includes spin-offs in the kart racing and party game genres. The series was originally produced by Universal Interactive, which later became known as Vivendi Games. In 2007, Vivendi merged with Activision, which currently owns and publishes the franchise.
The Crash Bandicoot series has been a major international success, selling over 160 million in dollars and is the 25th best-selling series as of March 31, 2011 with around 40 million copies sold since its debut in 1996. In September of 2011, the series celebrated its 15th anniversary. On June 13, 2016, it was announced that the first three Crash games would be remade from the ground up. [1] The series celebrated its 20th anniversary on September 9th, 2016.
Main characters
- Crash Bandicoot: The main protagonist of the series. He is a bandicoot who often foils Cortex's plans. In the earlier games, despite himself not being so strong, he can use Aku Aku to defend himself and also uses the spin attack along with a range of other moves to destroy enemies. In the later games, he is considerably stronger as he can beat up titans using his bare fists and scale certain walls.
- Aku Aku: Once a human, his soul was absorbed inside a mask and now he acts as Crash's sidekick. He often protects Crash from hazards such as enemies. He also acts as a shield for Crash in the later games. He's the brother of Uka Uka.
- Neo Cortex: The main antagonist of the series. He is an evil scientist with a passion for mutating animals to create an army. Crash often foils his diabolical plans. However, Cortex has made many attempts to kill the bandicoot, but has always failed.
- Coco Bandicoot: Crash's smarter, younger sister. She is very good with technology and has created numerous inventions to help Crash and Aku Aku out on their adventures. She is the only female major protagonist. She is also good at fighting.
- Uka Uka: Like Aku Aku, he was human until his soul was absorbed into his mask. He was then imprisoned by Aku Aku and the Ancients before meeting and teaming up with Cortex. He acts as an overarching antagonist.
- Crunch Bandicoot: A super-warrior of unbelievable strength, he was initially created to be General of the "Cortex Commandos" after Crash defied Cortex. However, Crash freed Crunch and the Super-Bandicoot had defected to the good side.
Overview
The plot arc of the Crash Bandicoot franchise mainly focuses on Crash, an Eastern barred bandicoot who was captured and evolved by the mad scientist, Dr. Neo Cortex who plans to take over the world. During his adventures, Crash vows to stop Cortex or any other evil threat while maintaining peace around the island, with the help of his friends.
The gameplay in most of the Crash Bandicoot games is that of a 3D platformer game. The player controls Crash as he navigates through various obstacles like deep holes in the ground, moving platforms, enemies, and more. Crash's main form of attack is usually either a jump or a spin that can break crates and defeat most enemies. Some of the common collectibles in the games include crystals, gems and Wumpa Fruit. Collecting 100 Wumpa Fruit will earn the player an extra life. In certain sequences, the player would experience different challenges, such as 2D-based platforming, escaping a giant boulder or having to ride a tiger or a polar bear to navigate through a level. In some instances, the player also took control of Coco, Crunch, Cortex, and Nina.
In some multiplayer or party-style games, such as Crash Team Racing or Crash Nitro Kart, the main gameplay is racing-based or in other games, such as Crash Bash, consists of minigames for multiple players to enjoy in short sessions.
In Crash of the Titans and Crash: Mind Over Mutant, the player controls Crash going through levels collecting mojo, defeating enemies, and jacking titans.
Games
Home consoles
| Game | Developer | Release year | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crash Bandicoot | Naughty Dog | 1996 | PlayStation |
| Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back | 1997 | ||
| Crash Bandicoot: Warped | 1998 | ||
| CTR: Crash Team Racing | 1999 | ||
| Crash Bash | Eurocom | 2000 | |
| Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex | Traveller's Tales | 2001 | PlayStation 2/Xbox/GameCube/Xbox 360 |
| Crash Nitro Kart | Vicarious Visions | 2003 | PlayStation 2/Xbox/GameCube |
| Crash Twinsanity | Traveller's Tales | 2004 | PlayStation 2/Xbox |
| Crash Tag Team Racing | Radical Entertainment | 2005 | PlayStation 2/Xbox/GameCube/PlayStation Portable |
| Crash of the Titans | 2007 | PlayStation 2/Xbox 360/Wii/PlayStation Portable | |
| Crash: Mind Over Mutant | 2008 | PlayStation 2/Xbox 360/Wii/PlayStation Portable | |
| Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy | Vicarious Visions | 2017 | PlayStation 4/Xbox One/Switch/PC |
| Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled | Beenox | 2019 | PlayStation 4/Xbox One/Switch |
| Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time | Toys for Bob | 2020 | PlayStation 4/Xbox One/Switch/PlayStation 5/Xbox Series X/S/PC |
| Crash Team Rumble | 2023 | PlayStation 4/Xbox One/PlayStation 5/Xbox Series X/S |
Handhelds
| Game | Developer | Release date | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crash Bandicoot | Tiger Electronics | 1998 | Tiger 99X |
| Crash Anywhere | TBA | 1999 | PocketStation |
| Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure | Vicarious Visions | 2002 | Game Boy Advance |
| Crash Bandicoot Blast! | |||
| Crash Bandicoot 2: N-Tranced | 2003 | ||
| Crash Nitro Kart | Game Boy Advance/N-Gage | ||
| Crash Party USA | Game Boy Advance | ||
| Crash Bandicoot Purple: Ripto's Rampage | 2004 | ||
| Crash Boom Bang! | Dimps | 2006 | Nintendo DS |
| Crash of the Titans | Amaze Entertainment | 2007 | Game Boy Advance |
| Crash of the Titans | Nintendo DS | ||
| Crash: Mind Over Mutant | Tose | 2008 |
Mobiles
| Game | Release year |
|---|---|
| Crash Bandicoot | 2003 |
| Crash Twinsanity 3D | 2004 |
| Crash Nitro Kart | |
| Crash Twinsanity | |
| Crash Racing | 2005 |
| Crash Bandicoot Party Games | 2006 |
| Crash of the Titans | 2007 |
| Chokkan♪ Crash Bandicoot | |
| Crash Nitro Kart 2 | 2008 |
| Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D | |
| Crash Bandicoot: Mutant Island | 2009 |
| Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 2 | 2010 |
| Crash Bandicoot: On the Run! | 2021 |
Arcades
| Game | Release year |
|---|---|
| Interactive Pachislot Crash Bandicoot | 2005 |
| CR Crash Bandicoot | 2006[2] |
Compilations
Other media
Manga and Comics
| Manga/Comic | Release year/publication date |
|---|---|
| Crash Bandicoot | 1996 - 1997 |
| Crash Bandicoot: Dance! Then Jump! Na Daibōken | 1997 - 1999 |
| Crash Bandicoot: Kattobi! Spin World | 1999 - 2004 |
| Crash Team Racing: Turbo Time! | 2000 |
| Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled Digital Comic | 2019 |
| Crash Team Rumble promotional comics | 2023 |
Artbooks and Sourcebooks
| Book | Release year |
|---|---|
| The Crash Bandicoot Files: How Willy the Wombat Sparked Marsupial Mania | 2018 |
| The Art of Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time | 2020 |