Crash Bandicoot: Warped

Crash Bandicoot: Warped
Developer(s)	Naughty Dog
Publisher	Sony Computer Entertainment
Release date(s)	PlayStation: October 31, 1998 December 13, 1998 December 17, 1998 August 22, 1999 (Greatest Hits) October 14, 1999 (Best for Family) PlayStation Network: September 27, 2007 February 7, 2008 October 23, 2008
Genre(s)	Platformer
Rating(s)	Original release: ESRB: - Everyone ACB: - General PlayStation Network: PEGI: - Three years and older CERO: - All ages
Console(s)	PlayStation, PlayStation Network
Mode(s)	Single player
Media	CD-ROM (PlayStation) Digital download (PSN)
Input	PlayStation Controller

This article uses content from Wikipedia (view authors), and falls under the compatible Creative Commons license.

“Oh yeah.... he's back.... AND he's ready!”
— Tagline

Crash Bandicoot: Warped is the third game of the Crash Bandicoot series. The title is a direct sequel to Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back. It was developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation in 1998. The story centers on Crash and Coco Bandicoot and their mission to gather Crystals scattered across time before Dr. Neo Cortex can obtain them. It is the last Crash Bandicoot platformer that was developed by Naughty Dog, thus concluding the original Crash Bandicoot trilogy.

A direct sequel, Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex, was released in 2001 for the PlayStation 2 and in 2002 for the Xbox and Nintendo GameCube. In 2008, Crash Bandicoot: Warped was re-released for the PlayStation Network. In 2017, a remake of the game, along with its two predecessors, was included on Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy. A retcon that initially followed Warped, Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time, was released in 2020 for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One and in 2021 for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

Plot

Aku Aku alerts Crash and Coco that Uka Uka has been freed

The game takes place immediately after Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, in which Dr. N. Brio uses the gems Crash had collected to power his giant laser weapon to destroy Dr. Neo Cortex's space station. As a result, large chunks of the space station's debris plummet down to Earth and crash into an ancient monument. When the smoke clears, an evil entity flies off into the night.

Back on N. Sanity Island, the home of Crash and his friends, an evil laughter rings through the air. Aku Aku appears shaken and urges everyone to come inside, as a great evil has come.

In an as-of-now unknown area, Cortex is seen cowering before Uka Uka, who appears to have saved Cortex from the depths of space and is now upset that Cortex has failed him twice. Cortex insists that it is all Crash Bandicoot's fault but Uka Uka's patience is spent, as there is now no other power source on the planet; however, since Cortex has indirectly set him free, Uka Uka spares Cortex's life and introduces Dr. N. Tropy, master of time and the creator of the Time Twister that the trio is currently standing on. With N. Tropy's Time Twister, the villains plan on gathering the Power Crystals in their original places in time.

Inside Crash's home, Aku Aku tells the Bandicoots a story of how many eons ago, Uka Uka, Aku Aku's evil twin brother, was locked in an underground prison by Aku Aku to protect the world from his malice, and now that he is free, he must be stopped at all cost. With that, Crash and his friends travel to the Time Twister Machine, where their adventure begins.

After Crash and Coco have defeated N. Tropy (along with Cortex's minions, Tiny Tiger, Dingodile and Dr. N. Gin) and collected all of the Crystals and all of the Gems, Crash battles Cortex in the core of the Time Twister Machine. Upon Cortex's defeat, the Time Twister implodes (due to N. Tropy's defeat), taking Cortex, Tropy, and Uka Uka with it. Crash and the others escape just in time for the snow season. As the ending credits roll, it is seen that the three villains are trapped in a time prison, with Cortex and Tropy transformed into infants and fighting over Uka Uka's possession.

Gameplay

Crash in the first level, Toad Village

Crash Bandicoot: Warped takes place in a hub area titled the Time Twister, which every level is accessed from. There are five Time Warp chambers, each containing five levels and a boss fight, which can be accessed once Crash completes the five levels and obtains the crystal in each one. After completing the boss fight, Crash can access the next Time Warp chamber. The game supports the DualShock controller, which gives off a vibration in certain parts, such as while Crash or Coco are riding a vehicle. Whenever Crash starts one of two certain levels of a Time Warp chamber or its boss battle, a cutscene is shown in which that chamber's boss talks to Crash.

The gameplay is largely similar to the first two games, because in most levels, Crash or Coco must follow a path to the end. Crash Bandicoot: Warped emphasizes the use of vehicles, such as a plane or a jetski. There are a few prehistoric-themed levels in which Crash can ride a small T-Rex named Baby T and a few China-themed levels where Coco can ride a small tiger named Pura. Super Powers are introduced in the game, and are obtained for defeating a boss. Super Powers permanently give Crash an extra ability, such as a longer spinning attack or a double jump.

In every level, Crash can obtain a Clear Gem if he has destroyed every box. Some levels allow Crash to obtain another gem if he has completed a certain task, such as winning a race. By doing so, the Clear Gem appears at the end, in front of the exit portal. Some levels have a Colored Gem, which Crash can obtain by completing a level's secret area.

Crash Bandicoot: Warped introduces a Time Trial mode in each level, where the goal is for Crash to race through a level as quickly as possible. Time Boxes are laid throughout, and can freeze time for either one, two, or three seconds. If Crash is quick enough at completing a level in Time Trail, he is rewarded a Relic, which is either sapphire, gold, or platinum, depending on the completion time.

If Crash collects all five Relics of a Time Warp chamber, a platform appears in the middle, and it takes him to a hidden sixth Time Warp chamber. Each of its five levels are unlocked individually, by collecting every Relic from a certain Time Warp chamber, including the ones before it. Two of the levels in the hidden Time Warp chamber are a secret entrance to an earlier level. In total, there are 32 regular levels (30 if the two "secret entrance" levels are excluded) and five boss fights.

To complete the game, Crash must have collected all 25 Crystals, 45 Gems, and 30 Relics. If Crash has earned a 100% completion score, a second and final battle against Cortex is unlocked, and completing it unlocks an alternate ending.

Listings

Characters

Playable

• Crash Bandicoot
• Coco Bandicoot

Bosses

• Tiny Tiger
• Dingodile
• Dr. N. Tropy
• Dr. N. Gin
• Dr. Neo Cortex

Supporting Cast

• Aku Aku
• Uka Uka
• Pura
• Baby T

Cameos

• Fake Crash
• Polar
• Tawna Bandicoot

Levels

The game has a time travel theme, so each level and, by extension, the Time Travel Areas, are themed after a certain time period or setting, including medieval kingdoms, underwater areas, areas within the Great Wall of China, the dinosaur era, pirate oceans, a Roman colosseum, Arabian bazaars, desert interstates, Egyptian ruins, the ice ages, a futuristic dungeon, sky areas, a futuristic city, the moon, and laboratories. The following charts show the international Relic times, with the European times in italics.

Levels
Medieval Location
#	Icons		Level	Boxes	Relic times			Developer time	Theme	Collectible items	Unlock criterion
	Time Portal	Load/Save			Sapphire	Gold	Platinum
1			Toad Village	42	1:03:00 1:02:00	0:57:50 0:56:52	0:44:03 0:43:00	0:39:93 (Andrew Woodworth)	Grassy	1 Crystal 1 Clear Gem 1 Relic	Available from the start
2			Under Pressure	92	1:46:00	1:17:90 1:17:92	1:10:50 1:10:48	0:57:83 (Shawn Dobbins)	Underwater	1 Crystal 1 Clear Gem 1 Relic	Available from the start
3			Orient Express	51	0:41:00	0:27:80	0:18:10 0:18:08	0:16:96 (Justin Monast)	East Asian	1 Crystal 1 Clear Gem 1 Relic	Available from the start
4			Bone Yard	66	1:45:00 1:43:00	1:40:20 1:38:20	1:21:00 1:19:00	1:15:36 (Donovan Soto)	Forest Fire	1 Crystal 2 Clear Gems 1 Relic	Available from the start
5			Makin' Waves	37	1:08:00	0:58:23 0:58:20	0:53:23 0:53:24	0:50:66 (Andrew Woodworth)	N. Sanity Beach	1 Crystal 1 Clear Gem 1 Relic	Available from the start
			Tiny Tiger	-	-			-	Ancient ruins	Super Charged Body Slam	Collect 5 Crystals
Arabic Location
#	Icons		Level	Boxes	Relic times			Developer time	Theme	Collectible items	Unlock criterion
	Time Portal	Load/Save			Sapphire	Gold	Platinum
6			Gee Wiz	100	1:35:00 1:34:00	1:22:73 1:21:72	1:05:90 1:04:00	0:58:66 (Andrew Woodworth)	Grassy	1 Crystal 1 Clear Gem 1 Relic	Complete Tiny Tiger
7			Hang'em High	96	1:24:00 1:23:00	0:52:63 0:51:64	0:43:80 0:42:80	0:34:36 (Donovan Soto)	Urban Desert	1 Crystal 1 Clear Gem 1 Yellow Gem 1 Relic	Complete Tiny Tiger
8			Hog Ride	13	0:45:00	0:41:43 0:41:44	0:35:06 0:35:04	0:33:96 (Evan Wells)	Desert Urban	1 Crystal 1 Clear Gem 1 Relic	Complete Tiny Tiger
9			Tomb Time	95	1:42:00 1:41:00	1:10:00 1:09:00	0:53:90 0:52:92	0:50:63 (Corey Strock)	Desert Ancient ruins	1 Crystal 2 Clear Gems 1 Relic	Complete Tiny Tiger
10			Midnight Run	35	0:51:00 0:53:00	0:38:23 0:38:20	0:18:20	0:13:20 (Evan Wells)	East Asian	1 Crystal 1 Clear Gem 1 Relic	Complete Tiny Tiger
			Dingodile	-	-			-	Winter	Double Jump	Collect 10 Crystals
Oriental Location
#	Icons		Level	Boxes	Relic times			Developer time	Theme	Collectible items	Unlock criterion
	Time Portal	Load/Save			Sapphire	Gold	Platinum
11			Dino Might!	112	1:34:00 1:33:00	1:25:76 1:24:76	1:03:00 1:02:00	0:55:00 (Donovan Soto)	Forest Fire	1 Crystal 2 Clear Gems 1 Relic	Complete Dingodile
12			Deep Trouble	83	1:47:00	1:25:13 1:25:16	1:18:33 1:18:36	1:00:46 (Shawn Dobbins)	Underwater	1 Crystal 1 Clear Gem 1 Red Gems 1 Relic	Complete Dingodile
13			High Time	85	2:12:00	1:04:10 1:04:12	0:56:93 0:56:96	0:45:10 (Corey Strock)	Urban Desert	1 Crystal 1 Clear Gem 1 Purple Gem 1 Relic	Complete Dingodile
14			Road Crash	25	1:25:00	1:20:70 1:20:72	1:17:10 1:17:08	1:15:53 (Shawn Dobbins)	Desert Urban	1 Crystal 1 Clear Gem 1 Relic	Complete Dingodile
15			Double Header	91	1:27:00	1:21:13 1:21:16	0:59:40	0:56:00 (Andrew Woodworth)	Grassy	1 Crystal 1 Clear Gem 1 Relic	Complete Dingodile
			N. Tropy	-	-			-	Industrial	Death Tornado Spin	Collect 15 Crystals
Egyptian Location
#	Icons		Level	Boxes	Relic times			Developer time	Theme	Collectible items	Unlock criterion
	Time Portal	Load/Save			Sapphire	Gold	Platinum
16			Sphynxinator	105	1:42:00	1:22:63 1:22:64	0:56:70 0:56:68	0:50:63 (Evan Wells)	Ancient ruins	1 Crystal 2 Clear Gems 1 Relic	Complete N. Tropy
17			Bye Bye Blimps	11	1:09:00	0:58:40	0:51:50 0:51:48	0:38:63 (Jason Rubin)	Sky theme Grassy	1 Crystal 1 Clear Gem 1 Relic	Complete N. Tropy
18			Tell No Tales	61	1:42:00	1:25:63 1:25:64	1:05:23 1:05:24	1:01:70 (Shawn Dobbins)	N. Sanity Beach	1 Crystal 1 Clear Gem 1 Relic	Complete N. Tropy
19			Future Frenzy	133	2:01:00	1:34:00	1:19:63 1:19:64	1:07:47 (Shawn Dobbins)	Industrial Urban	1 Crystal 2 Clear Gems 1 Relic	Complete N. Tropy
20			Tomb Wader	88	2:44:00	1:45:03 1:45:04	1:24:00	1:11:16 (Corey Strock)	Ancient ruins	1 Crystal 1 Clear Gem 1 Blue Gem 1 Relic	Complete N. Tropy
			N. Gin	-	-			-	Space	Fruit Bazooka	Collect 20 Crystals
Future Location
#	Icons		Level	Boxes	Relic times			Developer time	Theme	Collectible items	Unlock criterion
	Time Portal	Load/Save			Sapphire	Gold	Platinum
21			Gone Tomorrow	87	2:05:00	1:25:60	1:02:10	0:55:46 (Andrew Woodworth)	Industrial Urban	1 Crystal 2 Clear Gems 1 Relic	Complete N. Gin
22			Orange Asphalt	20	1:36:00	1:33:30 1:31:28	1:21:80	1:16:70 (Shawn Dobbins)	Desert Urban	1 Crystal 1 Clear Gem 1 Relic	Complete N. Gin
23			Flaming Passion	75	1:43:00 1:42:00	1:13:10 1:12:08	0:59:40 0:58:40	0:51:10 (Andrew Woodworth)	Urban Desert	1 Crystal 1 Clear Gem 1 Green Gem 1 Relic	Complete N. Gin
24			Mad Bombers	11	2:08:00	1:55:23 1:55:20	1:38:13 1:38:16	1:24:10 (Sam Thompson)	Sky Winter	1 Crystal 1 Clear Gem 1 Relic	Complete N. Gin
25			Bug Lite	120	1:49:00 1:47:00	1:34:86 1:32:84	1:14:90 1:12:92	1:08:00 (Evan Wells)	Desert Ancient ruins	1 Crystal 2 Clear Gems 1 Relic	Complete N. Gin
			N. Cortex	-	-			-	Ancient ruins Industrial	Speed Shoes	Collect 25 Crystals
Neo-Cor Systems
#	Icons		Level	Boxes	Relic times			Developer time	Theme	Collectible items	Unlock criterion
	Time Portal	Load/Save			Sapphire	Gold	Platinum
26			Ski Crazed	100	1:16:00	0:50:50 0:50:48	0:33:30 0:33:32	0:28:63 (Dan Arey)	N. Sanity Beach	1 Clear Gem 1 Relic	Collect 5 Relics
27			Hang'em High (alternate entrance)	96	1:24:00 1:23:00	0:52:63 0:51:64	0:43:80 0:42:80	0:34:36 (Donovan Soto)	Urban Desert	1 Crystal 1 Clear Gem 1 Yellow Gem 1 Relic	Collect 10 Relics
28			Area 51?	24	1:53:00	1:49:80	1:44:50 1:44:48	1:38:96 (Shawn Dobbins)	Desert Urban	2 Clear Gems 1 Relic	Collect 15 Relics
29			Future Frenzy (alternate entrance)	133	2:01:00	1:34:00	1:19:63 1:19:64	1:07:47 (Shawn Dobbins)	Industrial Urban	1 Crystal 1 Clear Gem 1 Relic	Collect 20 Relics
30			Rings of Power	33	1:20:00 1:22:00	1:01:43 1:03:44	0:51:73 0:53:76	0:47:93 (Evan Wells)	Sky Desert	2 Clear Gems 1 Relic	Collect 25 Relics
Other secret levels
#	Load/Save icon		Level	Boxes	Relic times			Developer time	Theme	Collectible items	Access method
					Sapphire	Gold	Platinum
31			Hot Coco	70	1:00:00 1:00:00	0:30:10 0:30:08	0:19:93 0:19:96	0:14:60 (Andrew Woodworth)	N. Sanity Beach	1 Clear Gem 1 Relic	Run over a street sign with an alien on it in Road Crash
32			Eggipus Rex	-	0:55:00	0:50:03 0:50:00	0:44:83 0:44:80	0:41:10 (Andrew Woodworth)	Forest Fire	1 Clear Gem 1 Relic	Take the Yellow Gem path and jump onto the second pterodactyl in Dino Might!

Items

Name	Description
Colored Gem	There are a total of five Colored Gems, and collecting one unlocks a path in a certain level. Each gem is a different color and is found in a certain level: red (Deep Trouble), blue (Tomb Wader), green (Flaming Passion), yellow (Hang'em High), and purple (High Time).
Crystal	The main collectibles of the game. All five must be collected in each Time Warp chamber to unlock its boss stage.
Relic	A Relic is rewarded to Crash if he completes a level in Time Trial mode within a certain time. Relics come in three colors — sapphire, gold, and platinum — and the one rewarded depends on the completion time.
Stopwatch	Starts the Time Trial mode in a level. Only appears once Crash has completed the level at least once.

Vehicles

Vehicle	Description	Levels
Bi-plane	Piloted by either Crash or Coco in levels where they must shoot down blimps and fighter planes. A directional arrow points out where they must go.	Bye Bye Blimps, Mad Bombers, Rings of Power
Jet Ski	A vehicle that can travel on water surface. It is used by Coco in four levels, one of which is a hidden level. Like the Bi-plane, a directional arrow points out the correct way, except in the hidden level.	Makin' Waves, Tell No Tales, Ski Crazed, Hot Coco
Jet Sub	An underwater vehicle that Crash can use to fire missiles and travel underwater faster.	Under Pressure, Deep Trouble
Motorcycle	In four levels, Crash must ride a motorcycle to race against the hot rods.	Hog Ride, Road Crash, Orange Asphalt, Area 51?

Spyro the Dragon demo

Crash Bandicoot: Warped has a playable demo of Spyro the Dragon, making it the first Crash Bandicoot game to have a playable demo of a Spyro game. The demo can be accessed from the title screen by inputting Up Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, and lastly the Square button. The code is similar to the Konami Code but with a Square button at the end rather than a "B" button and then an "A" button.

Reception

• GameSpot: 8.9 out of 10
• IGN: 9.1 out of 10
• GamePro: 5 out of 5
• The Electric Playground: 8 out of 10
• All Game Guide: 4.5 out of 5
• Electronic Gaming Monthly: 9.1 out of 10
• PSM: 4.5 out of 5
• Official PlayStation Magazine: 5 out of 5
• Play UK: 90 out of 100

Gallery

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Crash Bandicoot: Warped.

• 

  European box art

• 

  Group artwork of the characters inside the Bandicoot home

Trivia

• The Japanese version exclusively featured compatibility with the PocketStation, allowing the player to play exclusive minigames.

External links

• North American website