WMG / Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time

Pre-Release

The worlds of the post-Naughty Dog games will be visited.

According to Word of God, the post-Naughty Dog games still exist in their own alternate timeline. That said, the worlds of these games will likely be represented as levels in this game, complete with notable enemies from each entry in the series that the playable characters will have to fight while navigating the levels. Certain characters like Coco and Cortex will also have dialogue in which they react to these worlds, saying that they feel like they've been there before.

• Alternatively, the follow-ups will occur depending on whether the true Golden Ending of Warped was unlocked as an Old Save Bonus.
• Even before release, there's a clue to this being possible: the word 'quantum', thanks to the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics. This would also supply an in-universe explanation for the gag where Lani-Loli recalls Crash fighting Cortex more than three times; He has trouble keeping track of which timeline he's in.

Potentially playable characters and their abilities

In the Summer Game Fest stream reveal, it was stated there would be multiple newly playable characters, with Cortex being the first revealed. Future characters could potentially include:

• Tawna - A leaked redesign plus being shown in an accidentally released piece of art for the game alongside established main characters for the game implies she could have a major role, with her being absent from the first trailer to save a playable reveal for later. That said, this game will likely continue the trend of making her an Adaptational Badass that started with the N. Sane Trilogy, with her deciding to join Crash and Coco to help them in their battle with Dr. Cortex. As seen in the artwork, it's suggested that this version of Tawna is a pirate. That said, it's likely that she will make use of her pirate gear to traverse levels.
  • Confirmed! Tawna is playable
• Dingodile - Same reason as Tawna, as he was not shown in any material outside of the promotional picture. He could also serve as a secondary character for Cortex's side, or given his more reasonable personality compared to Cortex's other henchmen, alongside having worked on the side of good before, he could pull a Heel–Face Turn for the events of the game after a major plot point. The artwork suggests that he's armed with a water cannon instead of a flamethrower. Using this weapon, Dingodile would be able to not only blast away enemies, but also use the recoil to launch himself higher to reach new areas.
  • Dingodile has been confirmed! However, instead of a water cannon, he comes equipped with a vacuum gun, which he can use to suck up and launch objects. Also, he's retired from villainy before the plot started.
• Crunch - He’s an Ensemble Dark Horse, and it’s already been heavily implied that the plot is going to involve multiple versions of the Crash universe. If the game doesn’t end with a teaser for his creation, it’d be a no-brainer to just pluck him from the future or another dimension and make him playable. As the heavy-hitter of Crash's team, Crunch would likely make use of his strength to lift heavy objects and destroy some items that Crash or Coco would not be able to destroy. Also, if the Elementals return in this game, then Crunch could make use of their powers to overcome obstacles.
  • Jossed - although he does make a cameo in one of the Flashback levels.
• N. Tropy - He is also on the leaked image, or at least someone that looks heavily like him, He could have a lot more of a time based focus which would blend into the overall theme of Crash 4, not to mention if we assume Dingodile is playable and on the villains side, it would potentially balance the sides. As the self-proclaimed master of time, N. Tropy's abilities would involve the manipulation of time. In addition to being able to slow down time, N. Tropy will be able to rewind time in order to correct mistakes that the player may make in a level.
  • Jossed - The leaked image was of the other N. Trophy, who acts as one of the Big Bads partway through the game.
• N. Brio - Maybe as DLC to find out what he was up to during Warped.

Crash and Coco will meet alternate versions of themselves.

As the plot involves Crash and Coco traveling through the multiverse to stop Dr. Cortex, it seems inevitable that they'll run into their Alternate Selves. Versions encountered will include:

• Evil Crash and Evil Coco from Crash Twinsanity
• Crash and Coco from the Radical games.
• Jossed as to meeting their alternative selves, but Evil Coco and Evil Crash do appear in the multiplayer of the game.

The Japanese release will be called Shin Crash Bandicoot 4

Since Wrath of Cortex is already called Crash Bandicoot 4 in Japan.

• Jossed — the game will be called Crash Bandicoot 4: Unexpected Multiverse in Japan.

Halfway through the game, Crunch and the Elementals will be reintroduced

Seeing how far Crash is advancing with his new mask companions, Cortex will try to counter him with his own bandicoot and masks. In this case, however, Crunch will not be created and the Elementals will not be awakened within the prime universe. Instead, they will all be found in an alternate universe and recruited to Cortex's side with the promise of power.

• Jossed - The Elementals are not mentioned in the game, and Crunch only gets a small cameo.

A Spyro world will be added as DLC

Given this game's premise of dimension-jumping and the franchises' histories of crossing over with one another, having a Spyro world/levels being added should be a no-brainer. It also helps that Toys for Bob, the studio that made the Reignited Trilogy, is developing this game.

This world would not only serve as yet another crossover between the two franchises, but also a possible sneak peek for a new Spyro game with various hints of what's to be featured in said game sprinkled throughout the levels that characters will travel through.

• Jossed - although it could potentially appear as a DLC world. Only time will tell, though...

Cortex and N. Tropy are now in their late teens or early twenties physically after being de-aged at the end of Warped

In the Golden Ending of Warped, when Cortex, Tropy, and Uka Uka were banished to the distant past, the former two were turned into infants. Cortex mentions that being trapped back in time gave him more time to prepare, he likely wasn't kidding. He had enough time to age back into an adult normally. This would explain the changes in appearance they both seem to have. Cortex is a little taller and his hair seems fuller, and N-tropy seems much more youthful.

Crash 4 will feature a Sequel Hook at the end.

A post-credits scene will show either Crash, Cortex, and Coco getting ready to race, in turn setting up Crash Team Racing (either the original or Nitro-Fueled), Aku Aku and Uka Uka talking about having a contest, in turn setting the stage for Crash Bash, or Cortex working on the "super secret project", preparing for the events of Wrath of Cortex.

• With regards to the setting up the events of Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled, the multiverse will be used to explain how all these different characters who don't appear until later in the series are appearing far ahead of schedule: They're actually from the other worlds that Crash, Coco, and Cortex visit in this game, and have been invited to participate in the races.

• Jossed - N. Cortex gives up after being banished to the End of the Universe, partly as he doesn't have to worry about Crash anymore there.
  • At least until Uka Uka shows up in the 106% ending. Not to mention that the N. Tropys may still be able to come back as the 100% ending suggests.

There will be Multiple Endings.

Assuming from the leaked image that playable characters will include Crash, Coco, Tawna, Cortex, Dingodile, and N. Tropy, it is likely that the game's story will be split across multiple story episodes akin to Sonic Adventure 2. As a result, there will feature multiple endings — one where Crash and the other heroes win and another where the villains win, depending on how many crystals and gems are collected by each side across the multiverse. In addition, there will be a secret Golden Ending that will only be made available after the player collects all the crystals and gems.

• Slightly confirmed, as there are two bonus endings for achieving 100% and 106%, respectively. Although they consist of a Where Are They Now epilogue of the main cast (minus Cortex) with the 100% ending, and a stinger involving Uka Uka in the 106% ending which adds on to the original ending.

The purple mask from cover will have power over Mass

• Floating rocks around him/her suggest it. He/She will probably attract map elements or reduce their weight.
  • Moreover the blue mask will probably be the opposite. He looks cowardly so he'll probably push things away.
    • Jossed. The blue mask Lani-Loli can make objects intangible.
    • The original WMG is semi-comfirmed though, as they have control over Dark Matter, which allows the Bandicoots to endlessly spin.

This game's boss battles will make full use of the Quantum Masks.

In the original and N. Sane trilogies, the bosses, while not always challenging, are beaten in many creative ways. That said, given the game's new mechanics centering around the four Quantum Masks. In this game, the bosses will require Crash and Coco to use the powers of the Masks much like how Crunch used those of the Elementals in Wrath of Cortex.

• Confirmed.

Crash will fall in love with the alternate timeline Tawna.

If this game follows the same timeline as the games that came before it, we could see Crash be dumped by his timeline's Tawna for Pinstripe, leaving Crash to fall in love with the aforementioned Tawna from the alternate timeline.

• Jossed - for one, Crash and Tawna just drifted apart, and two, the alternative Tawna doesn't strike up any romantic relationship with Crash. They do become friends though, and she stays with them in their dimension at the end of the game.

The Trophy Girls/Nitro Squad will return.

In Nitro-Fueled, Tawna was made to be the leader of the Nitro Squad. That said, this connection will be carried over to this game, in turn making the Nitro Squad a part of Crash's mainstream games.

The leaked promotional artwork suggests that the alternate version of Tawna is a pirate, and so it's safe to assume that the Nitro Squad will serve as her crew, with Tawna herself being the Captain.

• Jossed, as the alternate Tawna explicitly does heroism entirely on her own.

Alternate skins will be made for all playable characters.

With the Totally Tubular skins for Crash and Coco being made available for the digital version of the game, it's inevitable that the game will feature many more for not just them, but also every other playable character in the game.

• Jossed. Only Crash and Coco have access to alternate skins.

The game will be dedicated to Mel Winkler.

He was the original voice of Aku-Aku, and he died recently.

• Very much confirmed.

The difference in art style between this game and the N. Sane Trilogy (and Nitro-Fueled) is a plot point, and some of the alternate universes visited will undergo an Art Shift.

While the events of the first three games may have occurred identically to how they did in their N. Sane Trilogy portrayal, the Crash 4 universe could technically count as a separate reality given its far more vibrant color palette, despite having the exact same history. On that note, traveling to certain alternate universes (possibly ones seen in post-Naughty Dog installments if developer teases are anything to go by) will cause the game to undergo a respective Art Shift a la Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. While the game's art style may remain consistent for the most part, potential changes in style as a result of traveling to special universes include:

• A Retraux/Meet Your Early-Installment Weirdness universe based off the visuals seen in the original Naughty Dog games, with everything made of 32-bit polygons.
• A universe with a more muted color palette a la that seen in the N. Sane Trilogy, as stated above.
• A universe with a look akin to the Japanese localizations of Crash (hence why the NSTC-J box art has unusually been left entirely unchanged).
• A universe with the art style of the Radical Entertainment duology.
• Entirely new universes that could utilize outright Medium Blending for their art styles, such as Silver Age comics (with cel-shading and half-point), classic black-and-white or sepia film, or even one parodying live-action with intentional Uncanny Valley. Predictably, Crash and Coco will be struck with horror should they come across the latter.
• The "real world", which will generously use the opportunity to poke fun at the series' producers, developers, and/or fans.
  • All Jossed in terms of the main game.

We'll see how the Cortex featured in this game escaped his time prison, but we'll also learn how other versions of him — assuming things went differently for them — escaped theirs, given the multiverse aspect.

Which could retroactively set up the plots of multiple games at once across several realities, all of which would continue on from Warped in different ways.

• Jossed - we only know how the It's About Time Cortex escaped. Although given that Uka Uka was exhausted and left for dead in the start of this game, yet in Wrath he was still around, suggests that Cortex left in a different way in the original timeline.

The game takes place one year after Warped.

While Cortex and his associates may have spent decades in their time prison, only a year would have passed for Crash, Coco, and Aku Aku.

N. Tropy will work with Cortex to overthrow Uka Uka, until he turns on Cortex later on and becomes the main villain.

In one frame of the State of Play trailer, we see Uka Uka lying on the ground while Cortex holds a stick that was presumably used to knock him out, so Cortex and N. Tropy may have decided to leave him trapped in the dimension they broke out of. Also, based on his bickering with Cortex and the sinister grin he expresses after they've set up their new base of operations, it's likely that N. Tropy could decide to dispose of Cortex and conquer the multiverse by himself.

• Sorta-confirmed. N. Tropy does betray Cortex, but after the former is defeated, the latter takes back his position as main villain. Plus, they both leave Uka Uka for dead where they once were.

The game will include some kind of reference to Dark Souls as a nod to the "it's just like Dark Souls" meme.

Either there will be a reference to one of the most recognizable elements of the series (like praising the sun or dodge rolling), or there will be an exceptionally difficult level whose name is a pun on the series' title. If the game includes any medieval-themed levels, that's most likely where the reference will show up.

Uka Uka will be the final boss.

Seeing as it is implied Cortex and Tropy ditched him in the past, it would not be out of the realms for him to show up later in the game, especially someone as powerful as him, and he would most likely be furious at Cortex and Tropy for abandoning him and will attempt to unleash an empowered wrath on the universe unless Crash stops him.

• Jossed. Cortex is the final boss, and Uka Uka doesn't appear at all after the intro.
  • Maybe he'll be the boss for the sequel/DLC.
    • L Given how he appears in the 106% ending? Most likely.

There are multiple Cortex's

Someone had to have created the Pirate verse Tawna, as well as an implied Crash and Coco of that universe, possibly he will appear and team up with the definitive Cortex if only briefly.

• He doesn't appear in the game, but he may indeed very well exist in that timeline. There are, however, multiple N.Tropies.

Ratchet & Clank will make a cameo

Since Crash isn't the only mascot platformer with an upcoming installment that involves inter-dimensional travel.

• Jossed

The final Crash/Coco level (or one of the last Crash/Coco Levels) will feature all four masks

• Confirmed (The level Castle Cortex)

Alternate Costumes

• Coco's biker outfit from Warped promotional material.
• Evil Crash and Coco
  • Both confirmed!
• Original Tawna
  • Jossed - Tawna doesn't get any skins, only Crash and Coco
• Commercial Costume Crash
  • Jossed

Post-Release

Alternate Tawna will travel between her universe and this one

Since she seemed to enjoy spending time with Crash and Coco, it will be reasonable that the masks could allow her to travel between her world (to stop evil doers) and the main universe.

We will get a spin off game detailing how Tawna became the hero in her world

Tell me that this would not be an interesting story. Learning how exactly she learned to be a hero.

The egg will hatch into N. Brio Jr in the next game.

Seeing how Nitrus Brio was killed by Ripper Roo and his egg was last seen collected by Crash Bandicoot, it's likely to become a new baby N Brio raised by Crash.

• He wasn't killed, but captured. But that could still happen though.
  • He could still be alive, but he's on display at a taxidermy exhibit, so it seems unlikely.
    • Crash states that N. Brio was caught and caged. He never states that he was dead or stuffed.

The next game or beyond will involve the mutated animals being un-mutated.

If there's the invention of the Evolvo-Ray, what's stopping the creation of a Devolvo-Ray?

Coco is guilty of Tawna's breakup with Crash

Just look at her reaction during first encounter with an alternate Tawna. She is more sad about Tawna's refusing to join forces than Crash. Why? Because Crash accepted the loss but Coco still has pangs of conscience.

In "Tawnaverse" Tawna was not Crash but Coco's girlfriend...

...and she even has no idea that it was otherwise in the "main" dimension.

• That explains why she's a little non-soft for Crash during their first meeting. For her Crash was not boyfriend but a bit annoying girlfriend's brother which she likes but whom she constantly teases.
• After defeating N. Trophy (x2), Tawna takes Coco's hand. Coco thinks Tawna wants to be nice like this after she stopped her and Crash earlier but for Tawna it's normal thing that she has done many times before.
• This may be related to the previous theory. Tawna reads Coco's greater involvement as a trace of their former intimacy.

Uka Uka didn't track down Cortex on his own.

As the epilogue mentions how the Doctors Tropy went MIA, it's likely they've already begun scheming for their next plan at multiversal domination. Whatever said plan is involves Uka Uka in some capacity, so they decided to recover him. Once Uka recovered from his coma, N. Tropy, hoping to avoid the mask's wrath, lied about what happened and pinned his abandonment as being Cortex's idea entirely. Just to make sure Cortex didn't try to stop them or warn Crash in advance (despite them not knowing about Cortex pulling a Redemption Rejection later on), the Tropys managed to pinpoint Cortex at the ends of the universe and sent Uka to dispose of him.

The events of this game resulted in the creation of the world featured in Crash of the Titans and Mind Over Mutant.

The main Dingodile views his alternate counterpart as a sell-out.

His distaste for the food served in the Sn@xx dimension combined with a commitment to not meeting health and safety requirements comes across as someone who cares first and foremost about sticking to his idea of an art.

The next game will involve Crunch's creation.

While the Crunch was not present in this game, it's more than likely that he may appear in a future installment, which provide more details for his origins, much like how this game did for Crash and Coco's origins.

If there's possible free DLC, it could involve other mutated animals (like Ripper Roo or Tiny Tiger) as playable characters

They'd most likely be separate from the main plot without meeting the group of Crash, Coco, Tawna, Dingodile or Cortex. Plus, the level Off Beat had an animated model for Ripper Roo, who could possibly be used to create a playable version of himself in a DLC.

In this timeline, Crunch will be created because of Alternate Tawna

Due to now having three bandicoots to deal with on a constant basis, Cortex decides to fight fire with fire. However, rather then making someone along the lines of Crash and Coco, he decides to make someone along the base of Tawna, who is strong and more driven, rather then the two goofy bandicoot siblings.

This game takes place after Warped's 100% Complete Ending, whereas the post-ND games take place after the regular ending.

This one's a bit obvious, but I thought I'd put it here.

The T-Rex that chases Crash in the Eggipus Dimension is an alternate universe, grown-up version of Baby T.

This might be a stretch to say, but the reason Baby T never shows up in this game is because he actually does appear, but in a totally different form: namely, the Tyrannosaurus Rex that tries to make a meal out of Crash later on.

• The biggest giveaway is that "Eggipus" is the name of its home dimension, and "Eggipus Rex" in Warped was a secret level that revolved around using Baby T in a 2D-environment.

• Another small detail is that some of the hatchlings in the background strongly resemble Crash's normally-cute theropod friend, and they may very well be Adult T's children.

• If you're wondering why Adult T wants to kill the Bandicoots, that's because Crash doesn't exist in the Eggipus Dimension; therefore, him not being there to take care of T as a hatchling led to him becoming a carnivorous killing machine by the time he grew up.

• If this theory is true, imagine what will Crash feel when he will learn that he indirectly led to death of the alternate counterpart of his dino-buddy. Also, it's probably a good thing that Crash, Coco and the Mask's left the Eggipus Dimension, otherwise they would had faced vengeance driven Adult T mate.

The events of Crash Team Racing still happened in the Crash 4 timeline.

Obviously, for this to work, it must also be assumed that the events of CTR were canon to the original post-ND games as well - this isn't implausible, as Nitros Oxide makes a cameo appearance at the beginning of Wrath of Cortex, presumably leaving Earth after his defeat, and later shows up with the other old bosses at Crash's 'birthday party' in Twinsanity. This probably makes the most sense if the above theory that the timeline splits with the ending of Warped is correct - in the regular non-100% ending, Cortex and Uka Uka are never trapped in another dimension, leaving them free to participate in Oxide's 'survival of the fastest' challenge. In the Crash 4 timeline, leading on from Warped's 100% ending, Oxide still shows up to challenge Earth, and is still defeated by Crash - as shown by the photo of Crash with an 'X' over it that Oxide has in his ship. The only real difference is that Cortex, Uka Uka and N. Tropy are absent, which doesn't change events much since they were in the same boat as all the other racers.

Alternate Tawna is from the world of "Crash of the Titans" and "Mind over Mutants".

Everyone has been redesigns in his games, why not Tawna and N.Trophy? Just like this timeline of those older games is "dead" to use, same way Crash of those games died.

Alternate Crash and Coco aren't dead.

Not literally. Rather, they were brainwashed by N. Trance, and the now-evil Alternate Crash and Coco brought about the doom of Tawna's universe. Tawna considers them dead because their original good personalities are gone.

• But didn't Female!N. Tropy explicitly state herself that she killed Alternate Crash and Coco in front of Tawna? Is she in denial too, or trying to hog the "fame" from N. Trance?

Nitros Oxide in this game is from the Bad Future.

He has Crash's cart, Crash's photo crossed out and a trophy on board his ship. Some players took it as a sign of him either preparing to face or having already lost to the bandicoot, but it's much more likely to mean that in the timeline he comes from, the Earth has become an interstellar parking lot...

Assuming Cortex cared enough to think of a "full name" for Coco, it's "Socorro Cortex".

Just because.

Sequel Theories

Mutants that could join Crash in Crash Bandicoot 5

Since Dingodiole has teamed up with Crash in the game, the other villains can team up with him in future games.

• Ripper Roo
• Koala Kong
• Pinstripe Potoroo
• Tiny Tiger
• The Komodo Brothers

Possible Titles on the future Crash Bandicoot games

Since a few SequelHooks have set up the future of Crash Bandicoot, it is likely there are possibilities for what the titles could be named on the future games.

• Crash Bandicoot: Into The Future
• Crash Bandicoot: The Mayhem of Mutants
• A Coco Bandicoot standalone game

Possible Future Villains

Since there were barely any future villains that appear, with the future of Crash Bandicoot, There are possibilities that there will be future villains appearing in the future.

• A "mask eating monster from beyond the stars".
• A tyrant who wants to conquer the multiverse.
• Evil Clones as well as Evil Counterparts of Crash and Coco.