Gameplay
The main gameplay feature is still the crates. There are more than a dozen of them, and almost all of us are already familiar with them. There are ordinary boxes, which can store the fruit of a vampire, as well as slightly hardened, from which you can extract a dozen fruits, if Kresh will jump on them from above. The crates are covered with an elastic material that acts like a trampoline, and if desired, they can be used as springs.
Other boxes should be avoided because they can kill you. The TNT box starts counting down three seconds before it explodes (or explodes instantly if you're hovering around it) after you jump on it, and Nitro boxes are contraindicated. It is noteworthy that in order to collect the gray stone, you need to destroy these boxes as well. How? Everything is very simple - usually at the end of these levels you will find special iron boxes with an exclamation point. By breaking them, you destroy all the explosive boxes at the level. Sometimes, however, you have to be more cunning and, for example, destroy the box by throwing your enemy away. Kresh's attack is still the same - he can either jump on his opponents from above, or spin, as the Tasmanian devil. At the same time, each level has different enemies and everyone needs its own approach - some, for example, wear thorns on their backs, and so jumping on them, you will make it worse only for yourself, while others, on the contrary, are well protected on the sides, but absolutely unprotected from above.
Cresh will have a few tricks in the course of the game, which you will open only after the victory over the next boss. The set is quite typical - fruit bazooka, double jump, advanced whirlwind, abdominal blow and accelerating boots. All this was already in Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped and it's a shame to see the same ideas exploited.
Now to the innovations. In Crash Bandicoot: the Wrath of Cortex, several new mechanics were added to take a break from endless jogging. For example, there are several levels where Kresh fits into a big ball and rides like the main character of the Super Monkey Ball. Such levels could bring a lot of pleasant emotions if it wasn't for the local physics. The ball is fucking hard to control, so it's easy to roll into a hole and lose a precious life. If after the first such level you will praise the developers for their bold ideas, after the third one you will curse them and their families. Besides the ball, Kresh will wear a paraglider and even sit in the robot! All this is commendable, but with all the efforts of Traveller's Tales, they can't make a sustained and balanced game.
Another significant innovation is the full participation of Kresh's sister Koko Bandicut in the game. If before we could only play for her in water surfing levels, or when flying an airplane, here we are given the opportunity to control the heroine in the usual platformer levels. Of course, they are quite few, but it is clear - you can not overshadow the main character. The control for Coco is not very different from what we are used to, which makes the heroine less unique. A couple of their special tricks could offer.
Design levels do not cause special criticism. We are fed levels in the sea depths, in the sky above the volcano, in medieval castles with dragons, in tropical jungles, in the icy Arctic, in cowboy saloons and a list of curious locations. It should be noted that the guys worked on the levels of the guys for fame. Gameplay in this game has many advantages and disadvantages, but the children's sense of excitement, as in the case of the third part, for some reason, he can not awaken. It is difficult to explain it in human language, but the game for unknown reasons looks secondary. Either the dirty business played a weak graphics, or just conservatism - it is not clear. One thing is clear - Traveller's Tales is far from Naughty Dog.
Music and sound
Sad to say, but the fact is that in the new game, the developers have changed the composers. Of course, such changes haven't passed without a trace - the music in Crash Bandicoot: the Wrath of Cortex is written in a techno way. Apparently, trying to modernize the soundtrack, the composers abandoned the usual African motifs and added more electronic instruments. This can be seen on the main menu, where the famous introductory composition was mutilated by the incomprehensible electronic waving. Yes, perhaps, in isolation from the classics, this music sounds quite pleasant to the ear, but if you go in comparison, it loses by all parameters. In some places, however, there are not bad tracks that can potentially be well listened to and out of the game, but such godlessly few. Why the Australian marsupial behind the scenes club music remains a mystery.
Now let's talk about sound. Background noises of crate breaking, sobbing of enemies and muttering of bandicoota sound convincing. But there was an unpleasant story with the actors. The fact is that most of those who worked on the first parts of the series were busy in this one. Only Dr. Neo Cortex's voice remained unchanged. There are, however, and the pleasant sides - one of the heroes here sounds legendary Mark Hamill, known primarily for his Star Wars saga. We can't help but rejoice!
Afterword
Crash Bandicoot: the Wrath of Cortex is a good game, which is overshadowed by the greatness of the past parts. It is quite curious in itself and offers bold ideas, but if you compare them all, they all fade against the magnificent Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped. There's a reasonable explanation for this - Traveller's Tales took over the series, which had belonged to other people for a long time and simply did not understand what to do with it. Afraid of the burden of responsibility, they just went over the rolled-up and repeated the third part with a little innovation. It's hard to call it plagiarism, but the guys have every right to do whatever they want, because Cresh belongs to them. But on the other hand, such bathing in the rays of other people's glory makes the game secondary. It is worth praising the developers for the scenario, which introduces a new and very charismatic bandit named Crunch. It should also be noted that the introduction of Coco as a game character pleasantly surprised fans. Rejoiced and the diversity of locations. At the same time, the plastic graphics and boring music make the final mark slightly lower. Crash Bandicoot: the Wrath of Cortex is recommended only for fans.
TOTAL:
Plot: 9/10
Gameplay: 8/10
Music: 6/10
Sound: 7/10