Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy: 5 things to know about the PS4 remaster

Everyone’s favourite marsupial is back. “Crash Bandicoot” is set to come crashing back to gamers’ lives everywhere in 2017. A remastered and enhanced Crash is bound to ramp up nostalgic video game fever with the unveiling of the “Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy,” a PlayStation 4 (PS4) compilation of the first three games in the series, which are “Crash Bandicoot,” “Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back” and “Crash Bandicoot: Warped.”

Here are things about “Crash Bandicoot” that new breeds and old-timers need to know.

The first “Crash Bandicoot” game was released 20 years ago

It has been that long. The first platform game of the series that was originally developed by Naughty Dog was launched on the Sony PlayStation on Sept. 9, 1996. It went on to sell close to 7 million units, making it one of the best-selling PlayStation video games of all time.

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The series has spanned multiple consoles and platforms over the years

Not only has the “Crash Bandicoot” series been launched on multiple platforms, it has also gone through numerous game developers and has extended over different genres. There are a total of 18 titles in the series, with more than 50 million units shipped globally.

Most of the games in the series are set in Australia

“Crash Bandicoot” games are typically set on the Wumpa Islands, a fictional island chain supposedly located in South Australia. The franchise’s main character, Crash, is a human-like bandicoot created by Doctor Neo Cortex, the chief antagonist. Cortex wants Crash eliminated and often disturbs the bandicoot’s serene life on the Wumpa Islands.

Watch: “Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy” Comeback Trailer

Is the latest PS4-bound “Crash Bandicoot” a remaster or a remake

According to the upcoming trilogy’s developer, Vicarious Visions, the answer is “not simple” and could actually be both.

“It’s practically impossible to make a traditional remaster of the original Naughty Dog games. They’re roughly 20 years old, and technology has advanced significantly in that time,” the developer wrote in a blog post. “But we don’t consider this a remake. We know how much you all love the original games, so we didn’t want to fully remake them. The ‘N. Sane Trilogy’ is a ‘remaster plus.’”

What fans should expect on “Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy”

Vicarious Visions disclosed some of the features of the upcoming “Crash Bandicoot” PS4 remaster, which include rebuilt levels, characters and cinematic based on the originals. A unified check-pointing and save game system is going to be introduced, which include manual and auto-saving options. A unified menu system that highlights game progress and items in possession is also expected. All three games will feature Time Trials as well.