Crash and Coco[edit]
In this game, the player controls Crash Bandicoot in his mission to get revenge against Doctor Neo Cortex and to rescue his girlfriend Tawna. In the N. Sane Trilogy remake of the game, the player character can be swapped for Coco Bandicoot, Crash's sister, with the use of Coco's Time Machine. This can be found on the map after defeating Papu Papu.
Crash and Coco can jump and spin to defeat enemies or break boxes. Be careful when spinning recklessly, as they can also spin away collectable items. Their jumps can be adjusted based on the way the jump button is held; tap the button for a hop, and hold it for a big jump. Big jumps are particularly useful when crossing long gaps or bouncing upward/forward, while small hops are useful when moving quickly (such as when attempting N. Sane Trilogy's time trials).
While Crash and Coco ordinarily lose a life when colliding with an enemy/obstacle or falling through a gap, the former can be avoided by collecting Aku Aku masks. When one is collected, the mask will float alongside the player and take a hit for them if necessary. When a second is collected, the mask will glow, and Crash and Coco are protected from two hits. When three are collected, Crash and Coco will obtain invincibility for a limited time, allowing them to run through all enemies and obstacles in their path without taking damage.
There is a slight difference in Crash's physics in N. Sane Trilogy, in the form of collision detection. In the original game, Crash interacts with the world around him in the form of a flat box, so if he lands on an edge, he will likely stay put despite his potentially awkward position. In N. Sane Trilogy, Crash is instead represented by an oval shape, so if he lands on an edge, he will likely slip off. Make sure to be as precise as possible with Crash's and Coco's jumps when playing the remake.
Structure[edit]
The adventure is divided into three islands: N Sanity Island, Wumpa Island and Cortex Island. Each island has a certain number of levels, which you will have to play in a predetermined order. Once you have completed a level you can access the next one. You can go back to previous levels anytime you want. Every 4 or 5 levels you will also have to face a boss, the last of which is obviously Doctor Neo Cortex.
The levels all have a three-dimensional setting. There are front scrolling, side scrolling and mixed levels. In each level you will have to proceed by defeating the enemies you encounter, avoiding obstacles and jumping over the gaps. You will also have to destroy boxes to find items to help you progress (detailed in the items page). The goal of each level is simply to get to the end of it and to exit through a special portal. In fact, this guide contains only a brief description of each level. There are no puzzles to solve, choices to make or particularly difficult points, so you can always proceed without problems. An experienced player can get to the end of the game in a relatively short time.
However, completing the game 100% is much more challenging and can take a long time. To do this, in addition to passing each level, you will also need to get the relative gem. There are a total of 20 clear and 6 colored gems to obtain, and collecting them requires patience. You will have to overcome each level by breaking all the boxes present to get the gem, and do the same without losing any lives for a colored gem. In some levels, you won't be able to destroy all the boxes without first getting a colored gem from another level. There are also levels that have boxes hidden in secret areas, which you will have to discover with intuition and cunning. Only when you have obtained all the gems, including those of the two secret levels, will you have truly completed the game. If you succeed, you will have the opportunity to see an alternate ending, in which the fate of the various characters will be revealed. The N. Sane Trilogy also adds the free DLC level Stormy Ascent, which was cut from the original game due to its difficulty. While collecting the gem for this level is not necessary for 100% completion, it can replace the gem of a level in the main game.
On some levels, getting to the end without losing a single life can be frustrating. The problem in the original is that the game system, when you die and restart the level from the last C box reached, does not "remember" the boxes you broke earlier, therefore, to get the gem, you must not lose lives. This problem was then solved in the N. Sane Trilogy remake and subsequent games of the series: starting from the second chapter, in fact, to get a gem it is enough to break all the boxes of a certain level, no matter if you lose lives or not.
Bonus rounds[edit]
In many levels, there are bonus rounds that can be reached by collecting the three corresponding pieces (Tawna, Nitrus Brio or Neo Cortex), at the end of which you can save the game or get a password in the original game. In the remake, crates broken in the bonus rounds count toward the level's total, making them necessary in order to obtain the level's gem. They can be retried as many times as it takes to break all the crates in the remake by using the warp pad, and the warp pad also acts as a checkpoint. While lives, Wumpa fruits, and a greater crate total can be obtained in Tawna and Nitrus Brio bonus rounds, destroying all crates and getting to the end of the Neo Cortex bonus rounds will reward the player with a key upon clearing the level. These keys unlock the game's two secret levels on the map (Whole Hog for Sunset Vista and Fumbling in the Dark for Jaws of Darkness).
Bonus rounds vary in complexity, with some acting as puzzles and others simply requiring precision in order to obtain all items. For bonus round guides, see the pages of their respective levels.