Line #57 Videogame/CrashBandicoot1996


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/2561_front_1_3.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:300:[[WhereItAllBegan It all has to start somewhere...]]]]
3	->''Dr. Cortex is a genius, a mental aberration!\
4	He's totally fixated on world domination!\
5	The local island creatures are dull and obtuse,\
6	Until the evil doctor turns on the juice!\
7	He wants them for his troops!\
8	They come out nincompoops!\
9	Most especially...\
10	'''CRASH!''' Crash Bandicoot!\
11	Should've been a genius, but he doesn't quite compute!\
12	'''CRASH!''' Crash Bandicoot!\
13	Anything can happen now that Crash is in pursuit!''
14	-->-- [[https://youtu.be/1t_4YclrGqM?si=4rYlknrwCE-Ph7sQ Unused intro]]
15
16	In an effort to create a bunch of anthropomorphic, hyper-intelligent animals to serve as an army to lead them to world domination, Dr. Neo Cortex and Dr. Nitrus Brio create the Evolv-O-Ray, a device that can mutate any animal into a super-strong, hyper-intelligent warrior, and the Cortex Vortex, a brain manipulation device that can make anyone and anything a blind follower of Cortex's orders. One of their first experiments with the Evolv-O-Ray is Crash, a bandicoot snatched from the local island wilderness and chosen to serve as the leader of Cortex's army. However, the Cortex Vortex fails on Crash, and he escapes through a window while Cortex and Brio prepare to experiment on Crash's love interest, Tawna. The next day, Crash washes up on the shores of N. Sanity Beach and vows to defeat Cortex and rescue Tawna from his fortress, with the help of a native mask spirit named Aku Aku who wants Crash to take down Cortex, so he'll stop polluting the islands.
17
18	So, begins ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot'' for the [[Platform/PlayStation Sony PlayStation]], which is the very first game in the series. The goal is simple: Destroy crates and defeat enemies as you reach your goal. If you break enough crates, you'll earn a Gem in each level. Getting a certain amount of clear gems will earn you the HundredPercentCompletion ending. This game also has some EarlyInstallmentWeirdness as there's no sliding, belly-flopping or [[TeenGenius Coco]]. Just traditional [[SpinAttack spinning]], {{Goomba Stomp}}ing and Crash's girlfriend, [[DamselInDistress Tawna.]] Aside from the main levels, there are also {{Bonus Stage}}s and boss fights, some of which can be real challenging unless you got pure gamer skills.
19
20	This game, along with ''[[VideoGame/CrashBandicoot2CortexStrikesBack Cortex Strikes Back]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/CrashBandicoot3Warped Warped]]'', were [[VideoGameRemake remade]] on the Platform/PlayStation4, UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, UsefulNotes/XBoxOne and PC with updated graphics and new features, as part of the ''VideoGame/CrashBandicootNSaneTrilogy''.
21
22	----
23	!!This game contains examples of:
24
25	* OneUp: VideoGameLives are provided by icons of Crash's mug, each accompanied by a cha-ching sound.
26	* HundredPercentCompletion: You're considered to have completed the game after you get all the gems. The percentage instantly goes 100% if you get the last available gem even when you're previously at around 32% or so. You don't even have to beat Cortex. This unlocks the alternate path in The Great Hall which leads to the second ending.
27	* AbandonedLaboratory: The end levels of the game are mostly set in Cortex's labs, as you progress through them towards [[TheDragon Dr. N. Brio]]. Even the level ''after'' Brio is part of the lab, and features metal boxes that, instead of making wooden crates appear, open doors.
28	* AbsurdlyShortLevel: The penultimate level, The Great Hall, only consists of a short hall with a {{Bottomless Pit\|s}} gems in the other levels, which leads to [[MultipleEndings a different ending]] with a WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue, but even that path only extends the level by about 30 or so seconds.
29	* AdiposeRex: Papu Papu is the chieftain of the local native, and he's got the girth to prove it.
30	* AdvancingWallOfDoom: Advancing ''Ball'' of Doom, at any rate, but still, big, rolling-towards-the-screen stone balls pose potent threats in the levels Boulders and Boulder Dash.
31	* TheAhnold: According to WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue, Koala Kong became an Hollywood actor, and is currently having sessions about his accent.
32	* AnimationBump: Defied. Some hand drawn animated [=FMVs=] were made for the game, but never inserted, Sony wanting to push the 3D format.
33	* AntiFrustrationFeature: After a few deaths, you'll get a free Aku Aku mask to help you.
34	* AudibleSharpness: The guillotines in the BlackoutBasement levels let out a "shing" sound whenever they swing around.
35	* {{Backtracking}}: Some levels like "Cortex Power" require backtracking if the player wants to break all boxes and some levels can't be cleared of boxes at all without earning gems from later levels first.
36	* BattleThemeMusic: Though every boss in this and all subsequent ''Crash Bandicoot'' games has their own battle theme, there's an unusual trait both Nitrus Brio and Neo Cortex share in this regard: In this game, they have their own bonus stages accessible from certain levels; while Tawna's bonus stages have a relaxing rural music, those of the mad scientists use the same music heard in their respective battles. This means Cortex's music has a ''triple'' function: It's a {{Leitmotif}}, a battle theme ''and'' a bonus stage theme, and somehow it ''fits'' at all times. Same with Brio's music.
37	* BearHug: ''VideoGame/CrashBandicootNSaneTrilogy'' changes Tawna hugging Crash in the standard ending to this, being done in a tight and affectionate manner on Tawna's part.
38	* BioluminescenceIsCool: The purple gem path in Boulder Dash is placed in a pit filled with mushrooms that glow blue.
39	* BlackoutBasement: Levels "Lights Out" and "Fumbling in the Dark" barely have any light in them. For extra challenge, Aku Aku masks act as [[FantasticLightSource temporary lighting]] in them and if the player gets hit, they really are stuck fumbling in the dark.
40	* BleakLevel: The [[TempleOfDoom temple levels]] "Temple Ruins" and "Jaws Of Darkness" take place in abandoned, dark temples. The only sources of light are the lit fire torches in the background, filled with smashing traps, and accompanied with a foreboding, spooky soundtrack.
41	* BlobMonster: In The Lab, you'll encounter yellow slimes as enemies; they can't be found anywhere else. N. Brio also throws out green slimes to attack Crash.
42	* BonusStage: There are three kinds of bonus stages; The Tawna stages that are mostly easy and act as save points, Brio stages that are much harder but provide plenty of one-ups, and Cortex stages that are ''[[BrutalBonusLevel even harder]]'' but require to be completed for HundredPercentCompletion.
43	* BossArenaIdiocy: Sure thing Ripper, just jump in that exact same pattern so we can blow up the TNT right next to you.
44	* BottomlessPits: Even the ones with noticeable bottom act like one.[[note]]Adding further insult to injury, some of the gem paths are located at the ''bottom'' of some of these pits, but if you fall down that pit you'll still lose a life![[/note]]
45	* BraggingRightsReward: There's a secret path with a tons of extra lives. However said path is A) in Castle Machinery, which is rather late into the game, and B) needs to be unlocked by getting the Green Gem, which is obtained via breaking all the crates in The Lost City ''without dying''. If you got it, you probably don't need that many lives anyway, especially since gems require to complete the levels this way.
46	* BrutalBonusLevel: There are three kinds of bonus levels, reachable through collecting sets of tokens throughout a level. Tawna's bonus levels are breathers, where the player can collect extra lives, and save the game or get a password. Brio's bonus levels consist of much more challenging jumping puzzles, with bigger rewards to match. Cortex's bonus levels are the hardest, with absolutely devious platforming challenges. Sadly, only Cortex's levels are obligatory for HundredPercentCompletion, because beating them unlocks extra levels... but should you fail them, you'll have to restart the stage you came from for another chance, and one of the bonus levels happens to be located in the game's most difficult level, Sunset Vista.
47	* ButtonMashing: Pressing Square (the spin attack) too rapidly causes Crash to stall and make an odd noise. You have to wait a couple seconds before you're able to spin again. This was presumably put in so players couldn't just spin their way through everything. This feature was also present in the next two sequels.
48	* CatharticExhalation: If a level is finished after losing a life (to signify that you're completely denied of the level's Gem), Crash will let out a sigh when he steps on the level's "finish pad" before he's teleported out of it. It also happens at the end of Bonus Rounds.
49	* CheckPoint: The C-crates. Breaking one will allow you to restart from there if you lose a life. However, losing a life in the first place will prevent you from getting the level's gem even if you've tried to break all the crates.
50	* CheckpointStarvation: Getting a gem in a level requires destroying all the boxes and not dying once. And disregarding that, some levels do have this, such as Fumbling in the Dark and The Lab.
51	* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Tawna disappeared from the series after this game. It was due to issues between the game's developers and the distributors (Universal), so they explained Tawna's subsequent absence by her having dumped Crash for Pinstripe.
52	* CompetingProductPotshot: One ad had a guy dressed as Crash show up at Nintendo headquarters with a megaphone, to taunt "Plumber-Boy". [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTi5EaocGaY "You're hurting my elbow!"]] When Crash started appearing on Nintendo consoles, ''Magazine/NintendoPower'' had a faux-interview with Crash in which this trope was {{lampshade\|Hanging}}d with Crash saying something to the effect that his antics in the commercial were "Nothing personal, it was all business related."
53	* CompletionMeter: Unlike the sequels, the game only has "Great! But you missed X crates" when you don't manage to crash all crates in a level, which gives you a gem; you need all gems to reach the secret second ending.
54	* ContinuingIsPainful: There's an unintentionally unique example of this: the save system doesn't remember how many lives you have. While not a problem in the early portions of the game, every level after the second boss is difficult enough to make this a problem, because if you turn the console off, loading up the save later will give you the default amount of 5 lives. [[FromBadToWorse To make things worse]], you are taken back to the last level you saved the game in, which isn't always the last level you actually got up to. The end result, historically, is that many [=PS1=]s were left on overnight simply to preserve the collected lives.[[note]]There are only two saving graces for this. First, loading a save means all the 1up Crates in earlier levels are restored, so redoing the early levels will help. Second, once you get the Green Gem, you can use it in Castle Machinery to get 30 lives. Unfortunately, that's one of the last levels in the entire game.[[/note]]
55	* ConvenientCranny: The IndyEscape levels have you running away from a boulder until you find a small shelter that lets you in but will block the boulder.
56	* CorridorCubbyholeRun: Toxic Waste is one long level of this. You're in a narrow corridor with rolling barrels in intervals, and there are a number of cubbyholes for you to stand momentarily.
57	* CrateExpectations: How else are you going to store all of those wumpas? Or the Aku-Aku or the 1-up for that matter?
58	* CuttingTheKnot: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKfOU0AKXH4&t=10m4s One of the gem platforms]] allows you to skip an entire stage (and gives you '''''27''''' extra lives on top of that).
59	* CuttingOffTheBranches: There's the standard ending where Crash defeats Dr. Cortex, and the HundredPercentCompletion ending where Crash and Tawna escape the castle, but ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot2CortexStrikesBack'' makes it apparent that the former is canon by having the game start immediately after Crash caused Cortex's hoverboard to malfunction and send him plummeting to the island below.
60	* DamageSpongeBoss: Dr. Nitrus Brio is this as he possesses a whopping NINE hits! (10 in N.Sane Trilogy)
61	* DamselInDistress: Tawna is abducted by the scientists and about to be experimented upon. Crash has to rescue her.
62	* DifficultyByRegion:
63	** The first boss, Papu Papu, has five hit points in the Japanese version (instead of three) and after the third hit, he starts attacking faster. Also, the password system was removed, forcing you to rely on saves (which were limited to the Tawna Bonus Rounds and after getting gems).
64	** Part of the level "The High Road" was removed in the Japanese version, "Sunset Vista" was moved later in the game (switched with "Slippery Climb"), and Aku Aku sometimes gives you hints.
65	** In the European/Australian versions, Ripper Roo jumps more slowly, but "The Lab" has only one checkpoint instead of two.
66	* TheDon: Pinstripe Potoroo is the leader of the mafia group that guards Cortex Power and Toxic Waste. He's also apparently the CEO of Cortex Power.
67	* DoubleEntendre: "Up The Creek," named for a common {{bowdlerization}} of the expression "up Shit Creek without a paddle."
68	* DoubleUnlock: The purple gem (in Lights Out) is the only gem that needs another colored gem (the yellow one) to unlock, as the yellow gem will create an extra path that'll lead you to extra crates in said stage. And other clear gems that will usually require you to complete a much later level and breaking all of the crates there to get the colored gem, especially the purple one.
69	* DownloadableContent: The Stormy Ascent level in ''N-Sane Trilogy'', which was originally cut from the game's original version.
70	* TheDragon: Dr. Nitrus Brio is the assistant of Dr. Neo Cortex, and he serves as the penultimate boss of the game.
71	* DungeonBypass: Collecting every gem in the game unlocks a split path at the Great Hall that allows you to escape with Tawna and completely skip the FinalBoss fight.
72	* EarlyBirdCameo: At the end of the level Jaws of Darkness, you can see a carving on the wall that looks to be an ancient statue of Uka-Uka. After all, it is the same temple that gets destroyed at the beginning of ''[[VideoGame/CrashBandicoot3Warped Warped]]'', leading to his freedom.
73	* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: This game differs in many ways from the subsequent entries in the series:
74	** This is the first of only three ''Crash'' games with a world map; the second was ''[[VideoGame/CrashBandicoot2NTranced N-Tranced]]'' for the GBA 7 years later, and the idea of a world map wouldn't be touched upon again until ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot4ItsAboutTime'' 24 years later.
75	** The map system also makes the levels follow an untold but coherent story (Crash's journey from N. Sanity beach, where he confronts aborigenes on the first island, fights mutants who saccage the second island, and attacks the power plant to destroy Cortex Castle on the third island), while the two following games' levels are only excuses for various settings and wacky gameplay changes. The story-focused succession of levels will not come back before ''VideoGame/CrashTwinsanity'' 8 years later, and ''It's About Time'' 24 years later.
76	** Saving is rather non-standard, involving either earning gems or completing certain types of bonus rounds. Once completed, these cannot be repeated to save the game later.
77	** The game features passwords, largely overshadowing the save system.
78	** No crystals for beating a level; instead, progress is measured in plain old "levels", as in levels cleared. Conversely, there are hidden keys that unlock secret levels, whereas in later games you just find your way to secret levels or are based on the relic challenges.
79	** As for more minor differences, the following two games use a completely different character model for Crash.[[note]]except for certain death animations[[/note]] Crash also moves somewhat slower, and he doesn't have his slide and belly flop moves. His run cycle is also different from the more exaggerated one seen in ''2'' and ''3''.
80	** Cortex sounds completely different; in this game, he is voiced by Naughty Dog series mainstay Brendan O'Brien, whose take on him is completely different from what Creator/ClancyBrown in [[Videogame/CrashBandicoot2CortexStrikesBack the next game]] and later on Creator/LexLang would do with it.
81	** With the exception of boss themes, the soundtrack sounds more ambient and atmospheric compared to the following titles.
82	** Several character staples such as Coco, N. Gin, Tiny and Dingodile are completely absent. And the only female character this game ''does'' have is Tawna, who wouldn’t reappear until ''VideoGame/CrashTeamRacingNitroFueled'', ''23 years later''.
83	** Gem paths mostly consist of static platforms of gems that you have to jump your way into the side path of the level, although some are floating platforms that fly up towards the side path of the level like they exclusively do in the sequels. With one exception, gem paths also contain crates that are needed for breaking and thus getting the gem of the stage, while in later games they don't always contain crates and have a second gem.[[note]]In ''Crash 2'''s own version of this trope, it's one or the other.[[/note]] Additionally, this is the only game in the series to feature a clear gem path and for particular colored gems paths to appear in multiple levels.
84	** There are six colored gems instead of five. The extra colored gem (orange) is absent in all subsequent games.
85	** Crash, while still a HeroicMime, was a bit more vocal in this game. He lets out a shout in the main menu, he utters an "Uh-oh" in the opening cutscene, he sings "Da-da-daaah!" when he gets a gem, and shouts "Yee-haw" whenever he beats a boss. Most games since then limited his vocabulary to him saying "whoa" whenever he dies, with the Creator/RadicalEntertainment titles turning him into TheUnintelligible.
86	** This game lacks the "standard" death animation of Crash turning into an angel when there's no animation specific to whatever just killed him. Instead, the entire screen blacks out while he spins around and then comically falls to the ground.
87	** TNT crates (which have a countdown) are the only explosive crates, with Nitro (which explode on touch) only appearing from the second game onwards. They also flash randomly and also on each second they're counting down. A programming oddity about TNT crates here is that, once activated, they don't explode nearby different TNT crates as they normally do if the camera is too far away from them. [[HitboxDissonance This affects breaking all crates in levels where the camera is close to Crash's perspective, like Toxic Waste, or when a player is too far from activated TNT crates while they progress through a level.]]
88	** Levels in the series traditionally have punny, alliterative or otherwise humorous names; not so much this one, where they have more straightforward names like "The Great Gate", "The Lost City", "The High Road" or "The Lab".
89	** Until you collect a level's gem, a scene plays at the end either telling you how many crates you've missed or rewarding you a gem. Later games add a crate counter at the end of level that contains the gem for you to pick up.
90	** Because the game was released before analog sticks were common in gaming, this was the only home console Crash game not to make any use of the analog stick found on the later [=PlayStation=] controller models such as the Dual Analog Controller and the [=DualShock=].
91	* EasyLevelTrick: The otherwise hard bridge levels that are "Road to Nowhere" and "The High Road" can be cheesed if the player gets Crash to jump onto the bridge ropes and walk across them, bypassing all the invincible wild boars and the plethora of pitfalls.
92	* EpicFail: When you beat a stage, you're beat over the head with the crates you missed. In the ''[[VideoGame/CrashBandicootNSaneTrilogy N. Sane Trilogy]]'' UpdatedRerelease, Crash physically reacts to the crates, covering his head - after ten crates, he takes a knee; after twenty crates, he flops on the ground, covering his head. After 30 crates, he gives up and just lets them pummel him. The same happens to [[PromotedToPlayable his sister Coco.]]
93	* EternalEngine: The third quarter of the game consists mostly of this (levels such as Heavy Machinery, Cortex Power and Generator Room), with Crash roaming through Cortex's enormous power plant which, on the surface, doesn't seem to serve much of a purpose other than to dump tons and tons of radioactive sludge into the nearby oceans.
94	* EvilLaugh: The gangster enemies in "Cortex Power" and "Toxic Waste" let out one when they start shooting at you. And of course, their boss Pinstripe does it a lot of the time in his boss fight.
95	* ExcusePlot: Your girlfriend Tawna was kidnapped by Cortex and Brio's scientist {{Mooks}} and is about to be experimented on. Go rescue her.
96	* ExplodingBarrels: The TNT crates. The gangsters in Toxic Waste also throw actual inexplosive barrels at you.
97	* EyebrowWaggle: Crash does this before jumping on the warthog in "Hog Wild" and "Whole Hog".
98	* FakeDifficulty: Of the LeapOfFaith variety when dealing with Gems. "Road to Nowhere" and "The High Road" both involve making jumps onto invisible platforms that only appear when you touch them to get some out of the way boxes. Due to how Crash's shadow doesn't vanish when jumping over a bottomless pit (as you would expect), there's no way to tell where the platforms are. More invisible platforms appear elsewhere (of the iron box and falling varieties) that at least have the decency to be marked by some Wumpa Fruit, and there's at least one instance where a box is stashed away behind the background, where by all means it seems you should die by trying to go there.
99	* FatBastard: Papu Papu. Downplayed in that he's merely in Crash's way rather than an outright villain.
100	* FollowTheMoney: The suspicious Wumpas that seemingly lead into nowhere in "Jaws of Darkness" lead a way to extra crates.
101	* FreakyElectronicMusic: The levels Heavy and Castle Machinery, Toxic Waste, Cortex Power and especially Generator Room are all part of BigBad Dr. Neo Cortex's bases and they all have industrial music accompanying them. In particular, the minimalistic feel of the themes make all of those stages more ominous.
102	* FullBoarAction: Boars appears as [[InvincibleMinorMinion unkillable]] enemies in the bridge levels. You also get to ride one in "Hog Wild" and "Whole Hog".
103	* GiantEnemyCrab: The very first enemy that you come across in (and only in) "N. Sanity Beach".
104	* GiantSpider: These appear as enemies in the dark temple and castle levels.
105	* GoshDarnItToHeck: Cortex's angry threat to Crash during their last battle amusingly takes the form of this:
106	-->'''Cortex:''' ''DARN YOU'', CRASH BANDICOOT!
107	* GuideDangIt: You'll likely find most of these in a guide.
108	** In the "wooden fortress" levels, you can find a secret path once the background changes to a blue sky by finding a part of the fence that is flat, then jumping on them and walking towards the background. You'll now be "behind the fence" where you'll find lots of wumpas and no obstacles; the level in front of the fence have nothing but obstacles.
109	** As detailed in ViolationOfCommonSense, both Temple Ruins and Jaws of Darkness hide crates down bridges that are completely invisible until you step on them and have no suggestion that there's any reason to cross them in the first place (the crates are BehindTheBlack).
110	** Getting problems walking on the rope bridges in the bridge levels? Just walk on the rope "railings" on the sides.
111	** In Heavy Machinery, there's a certain bottomless pit that's actually nonlethal, instead jumping into it will lead you towards a secret path of the stage.
112	* TheGoomba: The crab just moves from side to side, and is very vulnerable.
113	* GoombaSpringboard: A few levels will require Crash to bounce from an enemy either to get up and reach high crates or to jump over a pit. Springboarding more than 1 enemy will make Crash get bonus wumpa fruits.
114	* GoombaStomp: Crash's secondary method of beating his foes.
115	* GreenHillZone: N. Sanity Beach, a simple first level. It does, however, introduce the concept of forking paths.
116	* GunsAkimbo: The gangster enemies in "Cortex Power" are armed with two machine guns.
117	* HalfTheManHeUsedToBe: Since the snakes in dark temple levels have no lower body, defeating them gives an impression that Crash is spin attacking them in half.
118	* HailfirePeaks: The N. Sanity Beach level is this, by virtue of starting in [[PalmtreePanic a beach]] before walking into [[JungleJapes a jungle]].
119	* HardLevelsEasyBosses: The levels get increasingly brutal and unforgiving as you progress, especially if you're trying to get the gems. The bosses, though? Most of them will hardly give you any trouble once you figure out their patterns.
120	* HoodOrnamentHottie: While Tawna has no cars to bend over, the way she presents the player's completion at the end of her Bonus Rounds heavily evoke a trophy girl presenting the winner of a race.
121	* IdleAnimation: Leave the controller alone and Crash starts throwing wumpa fruits in the air...which then land on his head.
122	* IndyEscape: The boulder chase levels. As the picture shows, the game's very ''cover'' points this out.
123	* InvincibleMinorMinion: The drones with the spinning sawblade on them are invulnerable; Crash has to avoid them.
124	* IShouldWriteABookAboutThis: According to WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue, Ripper Roo went into studying and wrote a book about his experiences as an Evolv-O-Ray subject.
125	* ItsAllUpstairsFromHere: The levels Slippery Climb and the unused Stormy Ascent has you climb up lots of stairs.
126	* JigglePhysics: The only reason Naughty Dog's character designers thought it was a good idea to include Papu Papu as a boss was because the animators loved to animate jiggling fat.
127	* JungleJapes: Many levels in the first island are set inside a tropical jungle, often combining the setting with RuinsForRuinsSake. In addition to dealing with tribal mooks, wild animal enemies and pitfalls, Crash also has to keep an eye on harmful gizmos like swinging donut rocks, sinking lily pads in the river, spiked trunks, flames that periodially ignite with greater force, and in one case (later again in a level from the second island) a large boulder that forces him to perform an IndyEscape.
128	* KungFuProofMook: In the Native village zones, there's a [[ShieldBearingMook Native holding a shield]] who will attempt to ShieldBash Crash off the platforms. Attempting to spin on them causes them to block it with their shield, and attempting to jump on them causes them to hoist their shield above for a short while to block the GoombaStomp. To kill them, Crash needs to jump on them to make them raise their shield above for a short period, ''then'' spin them when their shields are still above their heads.
129	* LastLousyPoint: You'll get to encounter some Last Lousy Crates in many of the levels. Even the game will tell you "Great! But you missed [X amount of] crates" if you happen to miss them.
130	* LaughingMad: Ripper Roo does this a lot in his boss fight. He laughs even madder if a TNT exploded close to him.
131	* LeapOfFaith:
132	** Both Temple Ruins and Jaws of Darkness feature areas where you have to walk across what appears to be a normal pit that in fact has either invisible boxes or [[TemporaryPlatform Temporary Platforms]] that appear only when Crash steps on them.
133	** Road to Nowhere has a section at the end accessed with the Red Gem where there are, you guessed it, pairs of gold planks that only appear when Crash steps on them, with big gaps in-between. The High Road does it even worse: you have to do it from the start of the level ''going backwards''.
134	** The Heavy Machinery level has a pit where the edges are flanked at the bottom by two enemies who kill Crash on contact. Jump down, and you'll find a few boxes as well as one of the N. Brio tokens.
135	* LevelInTheClouds:
136	** The secret path in Native Fortress (with the red gem) leads you to a section in the sky where you'll be running on clouds to break more crates.
137	** The levels Road to Nowhere and The High Road have Crash cross a prolonged, decayed bridge above the dense clouds in the sky. Crash has to watch for the fragile parts of the bridge to avoid falling, and use upside-down turtle shells to jump large gaps.
138	* LilyPadPlatform: The two river-based levels both contain lily pad platforms amongst the obstacles. They sink almost immediately, serving as temporary platforms.
139	* LoneWolfBoss: Papu Papu, the first boss in the game and the only one located in the first island. Every other boss in the game is either a scientist working with [[BigBad Neo Cortex]], or an animal Cortex mutated. Papu Papu, on the other hand, is just the leader of a WackyWaysideTribe that Crash stumbles through.
140	* LongSongShortScene: Papu Papu being an easy WarmUpBoss, his boss theme usually doesn't get to loop before players beat him, unless they deliberately stall the fight.
141	* MadeOfIndestructium: Iron Crates, which often serve as stepping stones or bridges, and cannot be destroyed by any means. Fortunately, they don't count towards the crate totals.
142	* MadScientist: Cortex and Brio. Their intention is to use their technology and intelligence to mutate animals and train them as their loyal minions. Crash manages to escape from their laboratory, but Tawna remains captive.
143	* MadScientistLaboratory:
144	** The intro cutscene shows the Evolvo-Ray room, the operating table below it, the [[MindControlDevice Cortex Vortex]], and countless cages where marsupials are fearfully waiting for their turn while Crash is put into the latter device.
145	** "The Lab", which is filled with electronic equipment and yellow slime enemies.
146	* ManEatingPlant: Encountered in the early jungle stages, river stages and in one secret underground path.
147	* ManiacMonkeys: Encountered in "The Great Gate" and "Native Fortress" levels.
148	* MarathonLevel:
149	** Sunset Vista. It is the longest level in the game, and is often claimed to be the longest in the original trilogy. The ''VideoGame/CrashBandicootNSaneTrilogy'', which added time trials to all the levels in the first game, has a ''five minute'' time for the Sapphire relic in a game where most Sapphire times average 1-2 minutes, sometimes 3 for other very long levels.
150	** Stormy Ascent, which was not made available in the initial release and is even more intimidating in this regard. The ''N. Sane Trilogy'' officially added the level as DownloadableContent and its Sapphire time is ''7 minutes''. The Gold relic time is the longest by a huge margin as well, at 4:30, and the Platinum is not much shorter.
151	* TheMaze: Cortex Power is shaped like this; the camera view is from above instead of behind Crash and there are a number of branches and dead ends of the level. It also has a secret route that required a blue gem.
152	* MeaninglessLives: Lives are not quite as meaningless in this game as they are in future installments. Loading the game or using a password resets your lives to 5, and you're going to need as many as you can get. However, collecting the green gem opens a shortcut in the level "Castle Machinery", which will take you to the exit in 10 seconds and give you '''25 extra lives'''.
153	* NiceJobFixingItVillain: When you deplete the last of Pinstripe's health, he'll spin around as he fires his weapon in a spaz, causing him to fire towards the reactor in the background. It's implied to eventually lead to the castle's destruction.
154	* NonLethalBottomlessPits: There are some seemingly bottomless pits that actually contain hidden crates, available after the proper colored gem is acquired. Frustratingly, you die if you fall into the pit without physically touching the gem platform, even after you have the gem.
155	* NoOSHACompliance: The factory/machinery levels look too dangerous to be manned. Even worse with Cortex Power and Toxic Waste, with crazy-shooting and toxic barrel-tossing gangsters guarding the places. At least Pinstripe gives a safety warning at the end of Generator Room.
156	* NoSidepathsNoExplorationNoFreedom: The series plays like a polygonal ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' game, and the linearity of the levels is the obvious result, regardless of the game having 3D graphics.
157	* OffscreenStartBonus:
158	** Going backwards instead of forwards in The High Road's start will lead you to an invisible path, that leads you towards some extra crates.
159	** Also going backwards when you first enter Fumbling in the Dark will lead you towards some extra crates, including 1-ups and Aku Aku ones.
160	* OhCrap: Happens during the intro: the ordinarily silent Crash lets out an "uh-oh" when he realizes he's run through one of the windows of Cortex's castle in an attempt to flee.
161	* OneWingedAngel: After taking enough damage, N. Brio will drink his own concoctions and turns into a giant green monstrosity.
162	* PasswordSave: Just beating the levels without collecting the gems earns you 8-character level passwords, but collecting a gem expands that to a 24-character ''Super'' password, which also keeps track of gems and keys, and which the game initially hides by only showing the first 8 character spaces before inputting a Super password. Unfortunately, these don't record lives, which can make later stages a pain.
163	* PlatformActivatedAbility: As Crash progresses in the levels, he may occasionally find small, immaterial icons shaped like gems that hover in the air or next to pits, and don't appear to serve any purpose. However, once he finds a gem whose color matches that of these icons, they'll materialize and turn into bigger, solid platforms. Thanks to this effect provided by the colored gem, Crash can access parts he couldn't before. Depending on the case, the platforms are either static and Crash simply uses them as support, or will move as soon as he stands onto them to transport him to a new area. The standard colorless gems lack this attribute, except for the platforms in the penultimate level that unlock the hidden ending (even then, each platform requires one colorless gem to materialize, due to the latter's weaker power).
164	* PowerupMount: The boar levels. Crash mounts a boar at the start and then rides it at a high speed while jumping across pits, dodging enemies and spiky hazards, and sometimes using upside-down turtles as springboards.
165	* PuzzleBoss:
166	** Ripper Roo, who hops around the arena as conveniently appearing TNT boxes float by, and he's invincible to your attacks. Defeating him involves timing the TNT's detonations against his predictable movement patterns in order to catch him in the explosions.
167	** Cortex is an example of a GuideDangIt puzzle boss. He spends the battle shooting three different-colored laser shots at you: pink, green, and blue. You have to work out that you have to spin the green shots back at him. Other than the different color, there's absolutely nothing to clue you in that you're supposed to do something with those shots, and even then, because the rule throughout the rest of the game has been that laser shots will kill you, most players would never think to [[ViolationOfCommonSense spin into them]]. Unless you've seen this boss beaten before, there's almost no way you'll ever figure out how to beat this boss aside from sheer luck or consulting a guide.
168	* RodentsOfUnusualSize: Encountered in the BlackoutBasement levels.
169	* RollingAttack: The monkeys in fortress and river levels do this, and player must wait them to stop it before spinning them away.
170	* RuinsForRuinsSake: "The Lost City" and "Sunset Vista" levels. It's unknown when those buildings were created, let alone by whom, but they pose a major challenge to Crash due to numerous threats like walls that push him into a deadly fall, lizard-like enemies that hop between platforms, bat swarms, and overall a devious level design.
171	* SaveGameLimits: The only way to save your game (or collect a password) is to go from the overworld map into a level, collect a series of hidden bonus tokens and beat the ensuing bonus level, or collecting a gem by beating a level without dying while breaking all the crates in the area. And when you restore the game, you snap back to just five lives.
172	* SavePoint: The game has two methods of saving, but both come with caveats:
173	** Tawna's {{Bonus Stage}}s act as save points, allowing you to save your progress and, depending on the case, either consider the current level complete (even if you don't reach the end) or at least allows you to resume from the start on your next session. However, in order to access those stages, you need to collect all Tawna-related collectibles (three in total) located in the level; also, if you fail to complete the bonus stage, you'll have to repeat the whole level (including getting Tawna's items again) to have another chance. Also, the Gems and Keys collected are ''not'' saved this way, and not all levels have this type of bonus stage.
174	** Collecting a Gem in a level by breaking all crates will allow you to save the collection, but ''not'' the level's completion (also, all crates must be destroyed without losing a life, or else the procedure won't work). The same applies to collecting a Key in Neo Cortex's bonus stage, which in turn is unlocked after you get all three items with Neo's face marked in them (and make sure not to fail the round, or else you'll have to repeat the entire level to restart the process).
175	* SecretLevel: Whole Hog and Fumbling in the Dark are only available by getting the keys from Neo Cortex's bonus rounds.
176	* SequenceBreaking: You can get to the secret path of The Great Gate without getting the yellow gem, by jumping close to the edge of the finish pad without activating it, and then jumping to the other edge, then jumping over a pit to a platform to the left.
177	* ShieldBearingMook: The "wooden fortress" levels and boar-riding levels have natives with shields as obstacles. In the former, they'll push Crash backwards; he has to jump over them to pass through.
178	* ShoutOut: Several.
179	** "Generator Room": Cortex's dead-eyed face is shown through a screen, to remind everyone that "BigBrotherIsWatching", referencing ''Literature/NineteenEightyFour''.
180	** Pinstripe Potoroo (boss stage): a boss battle in a wrecked office, with Pinstripe [[Film/{{Scarface 1983}} laughing like crazy while shooting everywhere with his machine gun.]]
181	** "Rolling Stones": ''[[Music/TheRollingStonesBand Duh.]]''
182	** "Boulders": while IndyEscape is used in later games too, this is the only time where the reference to ''Franchise/IndianaJones'' is this clear.
183	** "Boulder Dash": aside from the aforementioned Indy Escape thing, the level's name isn't just a pun on "balderdash" by itself; the fact you're running away from a boulder makes it a reference to the actual ''VideoGame/BoulderDash'' game, too.
184	** Nitrus Brio (boss stage): Brio isn't just a case of JekyllAndHyde; the "monster" persona is also [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk green, reckless and with his crotch being the only clothed body part.]]
185	* SingleUseShield: Aku Aku works as this, but collecting 2 of him will up his protection count by 2, and collecting a third makes you [[InvincibilityPowerUp temporarily invulnerable]].
186	* SkippableBoss: Collecting all gems prior to reaching The Great Hall unlocks a new path that allows Crash to escape with Tawna and completely skip the last fight with Cortex.
187	* SmashingHallwayTrapsOfDoom: The temple levels have a few of these.
188	* SoftWater: Crash survives the fall from Cortex's castle into the water in the opening cinematic.
189	* SortingAlgorithmOfThreateningGeography: You start off on a calm beach, before venturing into jungle levels and river levels, followed by ancient ruins. The final island involves industrial levels, and well as a few completely dark levels. The sequels do this as well, but not to the same degree as the original.
190	* SpinAttack: Crash's main attack.
191	* SteamVentObstacle: Hot steams are present as obstacles in the "machinery" levels.
192	* StockScream: The Lab assistant enemies let out a Howie Scream when they fall to their doom.
193	* SuperDrowningSkills: Crash vanishes as soon as he falls into water in "Upstream" and "Up the Creek".
194	* SurpriseSlideStaircase: One of the recurring obstacles of the "Slippery Climb" level are stairs that turn into slides that lead you to the nearest [[SpikesOfDoom spiked doom.]]
195	* SurveillanceDrone: They start appearing as enemies in the third island.
196	* TacticalSuicideBoss:
197	** Cortex. Why does he keep firing those green plasma blasts at Crash when he knows that he will just [[HoistByHisOwnPetard spin them back at him?]] Even worse, at his last health he's shown to be ''really'' getting tired of all this and shoots nothing but the green blasts at Crash.
198	** N. Brio can choose to keep throwing exploding beakers and yet he still throws his slime monsters that will somehow deplete his health if Crash beats them. Turning into a [[HulkOut Hulk-like monster]] makes him vulnerable as well.
199	* TakeItToTheBridge: "Road to Nowhere" and "The High Road". Watch out for the SpikesOfDoom below.
200	* TeamRocketWins: In the unused ending FMV, Cortex would have landed ([[AmusingInjuries mostly]]) unharmed on a ship and detonated his blimp with a remote as a last laugh on Crash.
201	* TempleOfDoom: "Temple Ruins" and "Jaws of Darkness". These levels are dark, spooky temples overrun by bats and filled with dangerous traps (such as spears, torches and falling columns).
202	* TemporaryPlatform: Platforms of both "crumbles if you stand on them" type and "goes on and off" type exist, and get more abundant in later levels.
203	* TennisBoss: The fights against Koala Kong (spin back certain boulders) and Dr. Cortex (spin back those conveniently slower green blasts).
204	* ThrowABarrelAtIt: Used against Crash by Pinstripe's Mafia goons in Toxic Waste. They're the primary cause of the CorridorCubbyholeRun of barrels, and the last two of them even throw ''bouncing'' barrels which are far trickier to avoid.
205	* TopHeavyGuy: The gangsters in "Cortex Power" and "Toxic Waste". In fact, they seemingly have no legs at all. Koala Kong as well, having really broad shoulders and big, long arms but short, thin legs.
206	* ToxicInc: Four of the later stages in the game take place within [[http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/crashban/images/0/0a/Cp2.PNG/revision/latest?cb=20130329042750 Cortex Power]], a nuclear power plant built by [[BigBad Neo Cortex]] and managed by Pinstripe Potoroo and his gang. The power plant in question is unsafe and dirty, and is responsible for polluting the nearby bay with radioactive waste. Cortex Power is shut down during the events of the game (Pinstripe Potoroo accidentally shoots out the main reactor when he is defeated), but this seems to cause a blackout in the later stages set inside Cortex's Castle.
207	* TriggerHappy: Pinstripe really loves to fire his Tommy gun around.
208	* UnfinishedUntestedUsedAnyway: When Dr. Neo Cortex and N. Brio are trying to brainwash the newly created titular hero.
209	-->'''Dr. Cortex:''' Quickly! Into the Vortex!\
210	'''N. Brio:''' But Doctor Cortex, the Vortex is not ready! We have no idea what it could do!
211	* UniqueEnemy: The gun-toting potoroo gangsters from Cortex Power. There are only 2 of them located in side paths that lead to dead ends, meaning you are not even required to beat them in order to proceed in the level, unless you want to get all the crates.
212	* ViolationOfCommonSense Oooooh boy is the first Crash game in love with this:
213	** Right at the end of the very first level, there's a large gap with a bridge of crates that provide the only means of crossing it. In order to get the Gem for breaking all a level's crates, most players assume you have to bounce on each individual crate, one-by-one, to get it. Turns out the more effective solution is to go back to the third Aku Aku crate to get invincibility and walk across it, as walking across a crate with invincibility will incur a 1 second delay on the crate breaking. Not that the game ever tells you this, and few players would try given that in all other situations, invincibility breaks crates instantly!
214	** Up the Creek has this on two levels. There's a ! Crate that doesn't appear to do anything at all after you hit it, as nothing changes later down the level. You're expected the backtrack through the level and find two crates on the banks on the river. What pushes it into this trope is that, unlike all ''other'' crates revealed by ! crates, there's no wireframe to let you know crates will appear there to begin with! On top of that, to get there you have to go over a line of lily-pads that sink when you step on them (which you had to do to get to the ! crate). The game never tells you that the lily-pads rise back up if you wait for a few seconds, so most players will assume they ''can't'' go back!
215	** Temple Ruins contains another good one. Mid-way through you'll see a Wumpa Fruit floating just over the edge of a platform. If you walk left to get it (rather than jumping and turning around in mid-air like a sane person), you'll reveal a line of crates that form a bridge to a large stack of crates. You're expected to make what appears to be a suicidal walk off the edge to reveal it!
216	** In both Road to Nowhere and The High Road, there are hidden Golden Planks of the bridge that, surprise surprise, are completely invisible until you step on them, with no suggestion that you should even go down that path until you make the leap of faith.
217	** In Heavy Machinery, there are a bunch of crates hidden down on a platform that you can only reach by jumping down what appears to be a pit that would kill you like every other pit in the game. Your only "tell" are a pair of drones hovering down in the pit (and these drones kill Crash on contact, so the player has ''no reason'' to go after them).
218	** Possibly the most infamous example in the franchise comes from Jaws of Darkness. Late in the level you'll cross a line of falling platforms. To get all the crates in the level, you must walk left off the first one, revealing a completely invisible falling platform. Keep going left to reveal a whole bridge of them, leading to a stack of crates you need to get for both the Gem and the Key for another level.
219	* WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue: Available after HundredPercentCompletion. They are as follows:
220	** Papu Papu sells Cortex's ruined castle to a real estate developer to raise money to support his tribe's welfare.
221	** Ripper Roo undergoes extensive therapy and higher education, getting a doctorate in psychology and writing a book about his experiences called ''Through the Eye of the Vortex: A Study of Rapid Evolution and its Consequences''.
222	** Koala Kong moves to Hollywood to become an actor, paying for counselling to improve his diction.
223	** Pinstripe moves to Chicago to work at a sanitation company before attempting to work his way up to becoming a state governor.
224	** N. Brio goes back to his old hobby of tending bar after Cortex's disappearance.
225	** As for Cortex, while he hasn't been heard from since after his defeat, the game notes that scientists like him "are harder to squash than cockroaches."
226	----
227	->''"The world has heard nothing more of Cortex since Crash foiled his plans... but evil geniuses are harder to squash than cockroaches."''

Context Videogame / CrashBandicoot1996