Crash 4 bosses you'll face off against in It's About Time

Crash 4 bosses break up the platforming action by throwing you into battle against various enemies, and you need to be ready for the fight as they all provide you with tough opposition. You'll see a number of familiar names and faces as bosses return from past games for another rumble, though there's also a brand new foe to contend with who is tied into the latest story. There are certain tactics and tricks that can help you through each of these encounters, so follow our Crash 4 bosses guide to emerge victorious from each face off.

Warning: This guide will have spoilers! Do not scroll past the photo of Crash Bandicoot dancing in the street if you want to avoid spoilers.

Crash 4 bosses - Dr. N. Gin

Crash 4 bosses list: Dr. N. Gin — (Image credit: Activision)

When you get past the opening two levels on N. Sanity Island and make it to The Hazardous Wastes, Dr. N. Gin will be taunting you throughout. This half-man, half-cyborg has been a pain in Crash's backside since the very first game in the series and once again, you need to defeat him, but this time it's as part of a heavy metal gig N. Gin has devised with a huge drumming robot called Rawk-It Head.

The premise is fairly simple; spin the flaming minions N. Gin sends out and they'll start destroying his massive speakers. Dodge the electrical discs at the same time and whenever his speakers get destroyed, Crash or Coco can run toward N. Gin and spin him in his stupid robot face. Remember that the conveyor belt you're on is moving slowly, so you need to keep making your way forward. Also make sure you don't spin the minions too early; it's easy for your spin to end right as they're within touching distance, making you restart!

Crash 4 bosses - Louise

Crash 4 bosses list: Louise — (Image credit: Activision)

Louise is unfortunately the only new boss in the game, and she comes as a huge surprise. She's a three-tentacled sea monster that you stumble upon right at the end of the Jetboard Jetty level in Salty Wharf, preventing you from reaching the end.

While riding the jet ski into her tentacles – or her big face at the top – will cause your demise, there are also stacks of rats with swords riding barrels, aiming straight for you. In order to take down Louise, you need to guide the rats into the tentacles. As you take them down, her health bar will slowly chip away. You can also lure the tentacle slaps into each other, provided there is more than one trying to strike you down.

Crash 4 bosses - Dr. N. Brio

Crash 4 bosses list: Dr. N. Brio — (Image credit: Activision)

Next up is another classic Crash villain, Dr. Nitrous Brio. He's the evil force at play in the Tranquility Falls dimension, which comes right after you defeat Louise. In true N. Brio fashion, he's concocted some deadly potions that he's lobbing at you from a platform.

All you have to do to defeat him is simply dodge the cloud waves that emit every time he throws a potion, then spin the green goo creatures that come out at the end of his lobbing. They'll fly back and hit him in the face, before N. Brio enters his second phase.

Dodge the big, green, evil Hulk version of N. Brio that has leapt onto your platform and wait until he gets himself into a daze. The 'Akano mask will come and greet you, at which point you can do the dark matter spin and knock N. Brio off the platform. Do this a few more times and voila! N. Brio will be conquered, and you'll also unlock Crash 4 N. Verted mode for a fresh take on each level.

Crash 4 bosses - Dr. Neo Cortex

Crash 4 bosses list: Dr. Neo Cortex — (Image credit: Activision)

Ah, Cortex. The whole reason for Crash's existence, and the enemy that motivates our favourite bandicoot to keep on spinning. After you catch him at the end of Bears Repeating in The 11th Dimension, the next level will be 4th Time's A Charm; the Dr. Neo Cortex boss fight.

Cortex kicks things off with a barrage of missiles. Evade them by just running away until Punchbot Mark 2 is deployed, then spin the robot when it becomes dazed. Next, dodge all the obstacles, similar to those N. Gin fired out from his drumming robot, until another Punchbot appears. Again, spin it when it gets confused. Now Cortex will combine the two; dodge the missile and the electric obstacles until the third Punchbot, then spin it once more.

For the final section, parts of the platform you're stood on will slowly be removed. Dodge the missiles until Cortex hits all the buttons at once, then be ready to hop off the tile you're on if it starts shaking. Now you've got a very limied platform to work with, but keep dodging all the incoming missiles and electric discs, and remember that you can use Kapuna-Wa to slow down time if you need it. Eventually, spin the final Punchbot, and Cortex will be yours.

Crash 4 bosses - Dr. N Tropy

Crash 4 bosses list: Dr. N. Tropy — (Image credit: Activision)

After Cortex failed both versions of N. Tropy, and after a wild grind through loads of dimensions, Crash and Coco face off against both N. Tropy versions simultaneously. And it takes place in space, because of course it does.

Kapuna-Wa is absolutely crucial here. Jump forward through the platforms, using the slow-mo ability as often as you need to. The only obstacle is the slow-firing laser but thankfully, it's pretty inaccurate and seems to target random platforms rather than the one you're on.

When you reach the N. Tropies at the end, the pair will start chasing you around the rim of their ship. Use Ika Ika to frequently change gravity, spinning the yellow power sources as you go, all while dodging the blue energy balls. When you reach the end, the male N. Tropy will start chasing you, and you've got to do the same again but with increased difficulty. Then you've got to go back again as the female N. Tropy is on your tail. Spin the final power source and bish bash bosh, the N. Tropies have been sloshed.

Crash 4 bosses - Dr. Neo Cortex (again)

Did you really think Cortex had changed into a good guy? Shame on you. After he goes back in time to stop past Cortex from creating Crash Bandicoot in the first place, it's up to you to progress through Cortex Castle and stop him.

This boss fight is somewhat similar to the first in that Cortex loves a falling platform, but this time it's somewhat trickier. Cortex takes all four masks away from you then uses them himself. In the first section, all you need to do is bounce on each of the Shoot-O-Matics three times to destroy them, while dodging their big yellow ring attacks and the falling platforms. When Cortex's assistant appears, spin him to take off the first health bar.

Now Cortex is using Lani-Loli; jump over the phasing platforms, destroy the Shoot-O-Matics, then spin the assistant again. Cortex will start using his AnnihiLaser, so just jump or duck over all of those beams to stay alive. He use Ika-Ika after this, so dodge the lasers while upside-down, bounce on the Shoot-O-Matics again, then spin the assistant.

In the next section, loads of platforms disappear again, and Kapuna-Wa comes into play. Start sprinting to the right and make sure you stay on the surviving platforms. Cortex will intermittently slow down time, but it's not too much of a nuisance if you pay attention. Bounce on the left-most Shoot-O-Matic when it appears, then jump into the bottom-left corner. Wait here until the cycle comes around then run to the top-right turret and jump on that one. Jump over to the assistant and spin him to end his time-trickery.

Now for 'Akano, the final mask. Start by avoiding the lasers and quickly jumping on all four Shoot-O-Matics; the less turrets there are, the less ground-based waves of energy you have to dodge. When you destroy the final one, you've got four assistants to beat. Keep dodging the lasers and after you get rid of the final assistant, congratulations! You've beaten Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time.