Today's State of Play event kicked off with a brand new look at Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time, which launches October 2 on PS4. The new trailer revealed plenty of new gameplay footage, a load of fresh character skins,
Developer Toys for Bob says their first goal was to bring the same "tense, precise, and perspective-shifting platforming" the series is known for to Crash Bandicoot 4, and you'll see plenty of that in the new gameplay footage. Of course, this isn't a reboot, it's a full-fledged sequel with plenty of new stuff to offer long-time fans and newcomers alike.
Today's trailer shows off the revamped Insanity Beach, which takes visual cues not only from the game series but the cartoons that inspired, with "wide-open new vistas, new characters models, and lots of expressive animations." Gameplay-wise, new abilities include wall-running, rope-swinging, rail-grinding, and ziplining.
Crash 4 is also the first in the series to add custom skins you can earn and swap out at your leisure. Toys for Bob clarifies that the skins are strictly cosmetic, and more importantly, won't be available as microtransactions. Instead, you'll earn skins by completing different challenges and earning gems in levels.
Another neat gameplay feature introduced in Crash 4 are Quantum Masks, which you'll need to use in order to complete levels. There's one that flips your center of gravity, one that slows down the world around you, and one that lets you shift elements in and out of existence.
Coco is taking center stage alongside Crash in the new sequel. Crash's younger sister is fully-playable through every level in Crash 4, and get this, so is former baddie Dingodile, who's retired from his life of villainy to open a diner.
Finally, "Inverted Mode" is Crash 4's take on a mirror mode, shifting the perspective and rendering levels in unique art styles, like one that's neon-soaked, and another that tasks players with spinning paint around to clear the path forward. There's even one that gives levels an old-timey movie aesthetic and adjusts the spead accordingly.
Don't miss our Crash Bandicoot 4 preview to see what we think so far (hint: we like it.)
