The Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy is a great remake of some all time classic platformers, as we said in our review. While tons of players have been loving the game, many delved far deeper into the physics and jumping mechanics and found some discrepancies when compared to the originals. This is to be expected, as the game was created almost completely from scratch. However, once the differences were spotted many thought that developer Vicarious Visions might put out a fix. According to a new post from the dev, that is not the case, instead opting to explain the changes in the larger context.
“Many fans have picked up on the fact that Crash’s jump isn’t quite the same as it was, particularly in the first game, Crash Bandicoot,” explains the article from Activision’s Kevin Kelly. “We carefully considered the choice to unify the design of these games, for example, how save and bonus rounds work, so that players could have a cohesive experience across all three games in the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy.”
“The reason for that is because we want the best experience for all players, and Crash’s handling falls into this category. We spent a lot of time studying the three titles and chose the handling from Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped as our Trilogy’s starting point; it represented the most improved and modern approach as it gives players the most control.”
“We went through rounds of internal testing, user testing, and iterations to get each game’s handling to just the right place. In the end, we ended up tuning jump differently for each game, so that the jump metrics are the same as the originals. However, there are a few subtle differences in Crash Bandicoot, chief among these being the fact that you fall more quickly upon release of the X button than you did in the original first game.”
This along with some physics changes, such as Crash’s feet being rounder, combine to make for a somewhat more challenging experience throughout Crash Bancioot N. Sane Trilogy.
“We’ve heard some questions about how Crash’s model interacts with platforms and enemies. Our game engine features a different collision system than the original game, and combined with the addition of physics, certain jumps require more precision than the originals. Much like the handling, we iterated on collision and physics throughout development to make it fair to all players and as faithful to the original games as possible.”
The article goes on to explain that, when taken as a whole, this more challenging platforming experience doesn’t impact the overall feel of the game. The Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy adds a lot of things that make the games easier, such as dynamic difficulty and a more robust checkpoint system, so having to nail a few jumps here and there doesn’t seem to be a major concern.
“An increased precision is now required in the first game, which makes the gameplay experience different,” continued Kelly. “Particularly if you are a new player, you may want to start with the second and third games first, and then come back to try Crash Bandicoot after you’ve had more practice. For those of you who played the originals and acquired a fair amount of muscle memory, re-learning the handling in our game may present an additional challenge you weren’t expecting. But we’re sure you up to the task.”
