Andy Gavin, co-creator of the Crash Bandicoot series, has shared a candid assessment of the 2017 remake collection, Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy. While acknowledging its visual achievements, Gavin believes that the remaster fell short in an area he considers crucial to the gameplay experience.
In a detailed reflection, Gavin commended Vicarious Visions, the developers of the N. Sane Trilogy, for successfully capturing the visual spirit of the original PlayStation titles. However, he was less forgiving about how the remake handled Crash’s jumping mechanics, which he argues missed a vital gameplay nuance that defined the original experience.
“In my opinion (key word, opinion!), the Crash Bandicoot remake got almost everything right. Except the most important 30 milliseconds,” Gavin wrote.
Gavin explained that on the original PlayStation, developers worked with digital inputs only — a simple pressed or not pressed button system. To achieve varied jump heights, Naughty Dog devised an innovative method that adjusted Crash’s jump based on how long players held the jump button. This subtle manipulation of gravity, jump duration, and force allowed for more precise control, despite the binary input system of the hardware.
“I interpreted your intent across those 30-60 milliseconds and translated it into analog control using digital inputs,” he recalled, underscoring the level of fine-tuning involved.
According to Gavin, the remake developers either overlooked or dismissed this mechanic. Instead, they opted for a simpler system where all jumps were executed at maximum height, leading to what he described as floaty and awkward platforming. Gavin argued that this alteration made the N. Sane Trilogy’s jumping feel less precise and ultimately inferior to the original 1996 game, even though it was running on far more advanced hardware.
Beyond gameplay mechanics, Gavin also reflected on Crash Bandicoot’s original launch in Japan. At the time, Western-developed games, often referred to as “youge” in Japan, were generally marginalized in the market. Sony Japan, however, believed in Crash’s potential to succeed locally, provided the game was re-tuned for the audience.
While the core gameplay remained largely intact, adjustments included easing the difficulty and overhauling the audio to suit Japanese tastes. Gavin shared how the character’s voice was localized using a well-known comedian famous for portraying grumpy old men — a choice that initially baffled the developers but ultimately resonated with Japanese players. Crash Bandicoot’s success in Japan marked a rare instance of a Western game breaking through into the mainstream Japanese market, appearing alongside native titles rather than in the foreign games section.
The Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, developed by Vicarious Visions and published by Activision, was released in 2017 for the PlayStation 4 and later ported to other platforms in 2018. This compilation remastered the first three games in the franchise: Crash Bandicoot, Cortex Strikes Back, and Warped, which were originally created by Naughty Dog.
The N. Sane Trilogy achieved significant commercial success, selling over 20 million units by June 2024.
