Right, this is a slightly different post for a change as its another top 10 list and this time the list of choice is my pick of the hardest Crash Bandicoot levels and these levels will be taken from the N-Sane trilogy, which features the first three Crash games.
So without much further ado, let's grab that controller and get to ready throw it at the wall!
10. Orient express/Midnight run (from Crash Bandicoot: Warped)
OK, so at No.10 are these two levels from the 3rd game in the series, Warped, and the reason I have put them together is because they are essentially the same level as they both take place on the Great wall of China. And it involves Crash's sister, Coco do a race, riding on her pet tiger, Pura, across the great wall of China during its final years of construction in order to obtain the crystals needed to complete the level.
These levels aren't so hard to get through purely to get the crystals but where they are hard is in trying to break all the boxes and in that respect they are bloody difficult and remain a stern challenge. And quite often its all too easy for you to miss out the boxes when you speed through the level, plus the obstacles that are in your path such as the flying dragons and the Chinese workers can be tricky to avoid at times. Its also often the case when you see Coco and Pura have to make some awkward jumps due to the frantic pace of the levels themselves and this can lead to them falling off the wall.
So, these two levels are deceptively hard and may not be on many players lists but they are here on mine and that's it sits here at No.10.
9. Native Fortress (from Crash Bandicoot)
At No.9 is this level from the first game "Native Fortress" and this is the first level in the game where the difficulty level suddenly shoots up as the honeymoon period of the games is well and truly over as Crash is given a number of tough obstacles to overcome.
For starters, Crash has to make a series of difficult climbs that involve spinning rotating wooden platforms that only stay still for so long and he has to spin several of them to jump up to reach some bouncy boxes, which will take him up to a top platform. Mastering these platforms and the jumps can be very tricky at first and may take some time to get used to in itself.
However, that's not at all, next Crash also has to watch out for some pesky natives who keep pushing you back with big boards and if you get it wrong they could push Crash off the edge or into one of the flaming platforms. And this brings me onto the platforms that ignite on fire and temporarily go out, as they are also pretty tricky to get past especially when later on you need to jump three of them in a row without frying yourself! There are also man-eating plants that can get a taste for Crash if you get too close to them but they are not so bothersome here though.
So, "Native Fortress" is definitely where the first game starts to get tougher for sure and it is a sign of the hellish levels that lay ahead, so its more than worthy of a place on this list.
8. Snow Go (from Crash 2)
This may only be the second level from Crash 2 and to play through the initial level itself isn't so difficult but what IS difficult about this level is when you access the secret area to get the red gem, THEN this level's difficulty shoots up several notches! And the process to get the red gem itself here is a bloody nightmare!
However the level itself isn't too tricky overall as Crash to avoid some pretty basic obstacles such as spinning penguins, diving seals, rock crushers and log crushers although you still need to take caution at this stage.
But its when Crash get's access to that secret area of "Snow Go" is when you will throw the controller out the window as Crash has to repeatedly try and slide his way through the first few stages of the level as he has to jump from one icy platform to another without falling to his death, which isn't easy! Not only that but he has to jump on a series of bouncy boxes in order to reach higher platforms that are again icy and filled with Nitro explosive boxes, so at this stage its imperative that Crash has picked up three Aku Aku masks as he needs to be invincible to get through this part to finally land the red gem.
Without the red gem, this level would be pretty easy and straightforward however because of it, this elevates the level into this list and that's why it takes the 8th place.
7. Un-bearable (from Crash 2)
This level at No.7 is another stern challenge from Crash 2: The Wrath of Cortex that sees Crash having to flee from a giant angry polar bear as he races through the level to collect a crystal and also along the way he has to avoid a number of other obstacles also.
This is definitely the toughest of the dash levels where Crash usually has to avoid large boulders ala Indiana Jones style but here the giant bear makes things that bit worse. And similar to the other levels, Crash here needs to dodge a number of dangers such as land mines that slow him down or electric gates that will simply electrocute Crash if he comes into contact with them, so he needs to slide underneath them to pass. Not only this, Crash also has to avoid animals such as salamanders and armadillos and in the secret area of the level, hunter lab assistants, who will fire shots at Crash from their rifles.
The key to this level is all about the timing and fast reflexes to avoid all the dangers not only to try and break all the boxes to obtain the clear gem, which is where the secret area also remains one of the toughest in the game itself. And all too often its too easy to mistime your jumps and you end up seeing Crash either get fried, killed by the bear or in other cases simply fall down a chasm!
So, Un-bearable does indeed became somewhat unbearable after a while as it really is a trying level to get through and as such definitely deserves it place here on the list.
6. The Lost City (from Crash Bandicoot)
And to finish off the first part of this list is this bugger of a level from the original Crash game, "The Lost City" which is a pretty punshing experience overall, which is again compounded by the fact that you need to do the level WITHOUT dying once in order to get the green gem in it.
But as for the level itself, yep its a tough one for sure as there are a number of dangers for Crash to avoid such as moving walls, which could push Crash into the water or off into a hole or leaping lizards, which Crash must avoid and swarms of bats that pass Crash at regular intervals. Crash also must navigate as series of revolving platforms that will take him higher up but he must also jump on a series of retractable platforms also, which requires careful timing if Crash is to advance. Crash also has to take care on a series of revolving platforms as he needs to time his jumps carefully once more as he could end up falling into the water again.
Another thing that makes this level quite unforgiving is as I already mentioned, to do with trying to get the first coloured gem (the green one) which requires breaking all the boxes without losing a single life. This is a real bastard(!).....and its not helped either by the fact that the first two boxes in the level are behind a wall of iron crates, which Crash has to jump around to get but its all to easy for Crash to mistime the jump and fall in the water and drown!
Then there is of course the Bonus rounds for the level which are pretty tough also in which Crash has to gain access to two bonus areas, one for his girlfriend Tawna and the other is for the villainous Nitrous Brio (Dr Cortex's assistant). And its safe to say that Brio's bonus round here is one of the WORST to try and get through as you have to make a series of careful jumps to activate TNT boxes without blowing Crash up (thankfully though if you die in the Bonus rounds, you don't lose an actual life).
And the worst thing about this level is that its not even the easiest one to do in order to obtain the green gem, so this makes it all the more frustrating to get through. So for this reason and the others, "The Lost City" definitely deserves its place here on the list at No.6.
Right, so that's it for now and I will be back again soon with Part 2 of the list.
See you soon!
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