History YMMV / CrashBandicootNSaneTrilogy

** The UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch version of the game isn't the only portable version of the original trilogy...nor is it even the first. The UsefulNotes/PlayStationNetwork has the original [=PS1=] versions of the games on an emulator, and they could run on both the UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable and the UsefulNotes/PlayStationVita, both handheld devices by Sony.

** The UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch version did need some downgrades to run on less powerful hardware, but aside from some loss of graphical detail, it's pretty much the same game as the other versions, runs at a fairly stable 30FPS like the [=PS4=] and Xbox One versions, and the load times are even shorter than the initial [=PS4=] release. It's also been noted to run well in handheld mode, making it a good way to play the games on the go. Bonus points for it having the DLC right on the cartridge editions, though the Xbox One, PC, and even later print-run [=PS4=] editions have that.

*** An aversion: due to brightness settings, it is possible to go through parts of Totally Fly without the fireflies, due to the moonlight shining down on the path and making pits and boxes visible.

*** An aversion: due to brightness settings, it is possible to go through parts of Night Fight and Totally Fly without the fireflies, due to the moonlight shining down on the path and making pits and boxes visible.

* NightmareFuel:
** When Crash is being experimented on in the original game's opening cutscene, Crash vocalizes in possible pain as he's shocked by Cortex's machines; the scene is still comical as in the original, but this addition makes it somewhat uncomfortable to watch.
** The GameOver screen, as per usual, though it's compounded in the first two games as they're the only times that [[GreaterScopeVillain Uka-Uka]] ever appears in those games.

* {{Moe}}: Many have noted how adorable Coco is in this game. The fact she goes through [[SlapstickKnowsNoGender almost as much slapstick abuse and buffoonery]] as Crash this time [[{{Adorkable}} punctuates it]].

* AuthorsSavingThrow: The remakes do their best to rectify some of the worst {{Scrappy Mechanic}}s of the original games:
** The save system of the first is now less conditional, available through the map screen, and auto-saves by default.
** Coco was often reviled by critics for her playable appearances, especially in ''Warped'' and ''The Wrath of Cortex'', due to essentially acting as a [[JokeCharacter more limited]] and less fun version of Crash. Here, not only is Coco fully playable in all three games' on-foot levels and able to unlock the same special abilities as Crash in ''Warped'', but developers went out of their way to make her much more cartoony and expressive.[[note]]Her AmusingInjuries are still dialed down, but only relatively compared to [[IronButtMonkey Crash]], [[SlapstickKnowsNoGender she can and will get hurt in all the same ways he does]].[[/note]]
** Bounce Crates in crate bridges were particularly annoying to deal with in the first two games as they took ten bounces each to break,[[note]]Or seven if you're holding the jump button.[[/note]] making it difficult to know when they will break unless you're keeping track, which is itself a chore. Here, that is reduced to five bounces, just like in ''Warped'', making it far easier to keep track of when they are about to break.
** While it was mostly to keep things consistent for ''2'' and ''Warped'', ''Crash 1'' has its controls updated to a standard more akin to its sequels.[[note]]The original version of the first game had horribly stiff handling compared to what came after.[[/note]] The control scheme as a whole is now most in line with ''2'', with the controls loosened for ''1'' while reigned in slightly for ''Warped''.
** A common annoyance in the original games was that crates that were within the blast radius of the Nitro boxes didn't break when the Nitro switches got hit (only ''VideoGame/CrashBandicootTheWrathOfCortex'' rectified this). Thankfully, that's not the case with this game. Similarly in ''1'', if you set a TNT off and move away from it the explosion will break all the boxes in the vicinity.
** Cold Hard Crash was infamous for many reasons, one of which being a box in the bonus room that was off-screen and easy to miss due to its position above a bounce crate above another bounce crate. In the remaster, the same box above the bounce crate is now visible on-camera, making it easier to notice. The same goes for other previously off-screen crates as well, such as those in Un-Bearable's hidden path.
** Invisible bridges were completely GuideDangIt in the original game. Here, on the loading screen for the first level they appear, Aku Aku's hint points you in the right direction.
** In the original versions of ''2'' and ''Warped'', dying once anywhere in a level with a death route (excepting before activating any checkpoints or in the bonus level) would make the death route inaccessible. Here, the death route platform will remain once you've reached it and activated it, meaning you don't have to restart the whole level to access the death route if you die inside it, and also allowing you to simply access the death route then immediately hopping back onto the platform to return to the normal portion of the level if you needed to do something else there before attempting the death route. This also makes three of [[ThatOneLevel the most notorious levels]] from ''2''--Diggin' It, Cold Hard Crash, and Piston It Away, all of which had death routes and required backtracking through dangerous/tricky areas if you wanted to obtain the box gem--a good deal less frustrating.
** While some were uspet that the ''N. Sane Trilogy'' was no longer a [=PS4=] exclusive, those who wanted the game, but had one of the other platforms instead of a [=PS4=] were glad that they wouldn't have to buy a [=PS4=] just to play it.
** The multi-platform release (along with the accompanying 1.06 patch for the [=PS4=] version) introduced a bevy of welcome updates, such as drastically reduced loading times, the ability to return to the game select menu from the Pause menu,[[note]]In the original release, the only way to switch games was to reset[[/note]] a toggle for Crash's fur (for those who prefer Crash without it), and HDR support (launching the already-gorgeous visuals up to eleven). It also brings back some details from the original games that mysteriously vanished in the ''N. Sane Trilogy'', most notably Dingodile's post-fight line.
** A criticism of the original version of ''Warped'' was that one of its new gimmicks, the Slot Crates (the ones that change between various versions, and eventually turn iron if you don't break them fast enough), was underused. Future Tense happily exploits the gimmick for all its worth, ''especially'' in its bonus stage.

* EightPointEight:
** [=GameReactor=]'s 6/10 review got a lot of flak for complaining that the collection didn't have enough content despite the fact that it's three full games in one package.
** [=GameSpot=]'s 6/10 review got a lot of flak for complaining about how the "gameplay feels dated compared to modern games" even though the game was designed from the beginning to be a faithful recreation of the original. Also, the guy doing the review ''never finished any of the games''.
** [=GamesRadar=]'s 3.5/5 has gained infamy for comparing the collection's difficulty to ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'', of all things, despite the original ''Crash'' trilogy [[CowboyBebopAtHisComputer coming out over a decade]] before any of the ''Souls'' games and because of the reviewers' quite faulty memory. [[DiscreditedMeme Also]], because comparing every hard game to ''Dark Souls'' is extremely lazy.
** ''PC Gamer''[='=]s 6/10 review by Andy Kelly consists of complaints of how "dated" the gameplay is, barely mentions the second and third games in the collection, doesn't mention how well the game runs on PC, and makes no attempt to hide the fact that he hates the game's guts.

** The multi-platform release (along with the accompanying 1.06 patch for the [=PS4=] version) introduced a bevy of welcome updates, such as drastically reduced loading times, the ability to return to the game select menu from the Pause menu,[[note]]In the original release, the only way to switch games was to reset[[/note]] a toggle for Crash's fur (for those who prefer Crash without it), and HDR support (launching the already-gorgeous visuals UpToEleven). It also brings back some details from the original games that mysteriously vanished in the ''N. Sane Trilogy'', most notably Dingodile's post-fight line.

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2F9ATNVjzDU Cortex's boss theme]] from ''2''. Matter of fact, same with the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDJKhTKTZAE boss theme from the first game.]] And [[RuleOfThree also]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xHoGnYyS3U the third.]] And [[UpToEleven even]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSXEgpA6bGw the hologram music]] from ''2''.

*** Road to Nowhere in the ''Crash 1'' remake is a fitting name, seeing how it will likely be your first time getting a Game Over (or several in a row) due to the sheer amount of PlatformHell. And just ''where'' do we begin? From the small hitboxes on the bridges' single boards, the invulnerable boars, to the turtles that you need to bounce on to advance, that you can accidentally kill if you have an Aku Aku mask, making it nearly impossible to pass. Worse yet, you'll die so much it becomes pretty much guaranteed you'll GET Aku Aku masks several times over. Not only that, but due to the remake's revamped jump physics, you need to make the turtle stop at the very end of his walk cycle, run back, and then jump on it at a momentum to just barely make it across large gaps, which will not always work, since the turtle's hitbox will ensure that [[EpicFail you will either jump over it entirely into a pit]] [[SequelDifficultySpike which is not present in the original game]]). The High Road, which is a similar bridge level, [[UpToEleven is made far worse]]. It's considered by many to be the most difficult level in the trilogy, because of the aforementioned turtle jumps, which are used a lot. [[note]]On the other hand, it's possible to cheese a good portion of both levels by [[TightropeWalking walking on the rope railings of the bridge]], although even it can be difficult.[[/note]]

*** The new level designed specifically for the game: "Future Tense", accessed through ''Warped''. Taking place in one of the future levels, it makes you take full use of every ability the game gives you to get through its convoluted and seriously packed layout. Everything in the level requires quick reflexes, good timing, and serious luck, ''including the bonus round''. It's based off the original "Waterfall"-style test level from the original game and takes every one of those tricks UpToEleven. It may also be a case of LastLousyPoint since the 145 boxes are hidden ''everywhere'' and require some serious searching ([[NoDeathRun and surviving long enough to find the Death Route]]) to find them all.

* UncannyValley: Despite the cartoony animation, a lot of the characters' designs have a slightly grotesque amount of detail and autonomy added to them compared to before. N. Tropy and N. Gin qualify in particular.

* BestLevelEver: Most fans tend to be in agreement that the new ''Warped'' level, "Future Tense", is one of the most well-designed levels ever seen in the ''Crash'' series, with multiple branching paths, well-hidden secrets, and clever integration of boss powers into the level design. For many, it's quashed any doubts that Vicarious Visions is capable of making a classic-style Crash game from the ground up [[note]] However Toys For Bob ended up being the ones to make [[VideoGame/CrashBandicoot4ItsAboutTime the sequel]] and ultimate inherit the ''Crash'' series as Vicarious Visions were busy remaking the first 2 ''VideoGame/TonyHawksProSkater'' games at the time and later moved over to Creator/BlizzardEntertainment's development teams[[/note]], and finally broken the long-held notion that [[OnlyTheCreatorDoesItRight only Naughty Dog knows how to make Crash work]]. Even with it being a BrutalBonusLevel and difficult as hell, it pushes your abilities and skills to the limit without ever being frustrating or as ridiculously precise as "Stormy Ascent".

** Vicarious Visions was frequently accused of trying too hard to be like Naughty Dog with their past ''Crash'' games rather than trying their own thing, which ignited ItsTheSameNowItSucks complaints. When the ''N. Sanity Trilogy'' was released, they received acclaim from critics and fans.

* WinBackTheCrowd: Considering how [[Creator/RadicalEntertainment Radical]], with Creator/{{Activision}}'s help, derailed Crash to the point that, by ''[[VideoGame/CrashMindOverMutant Mind Over Mutant]]'', [[FranchiseKiller even its most die-hard fans had abandoned the franchise]], many fans are seeing the deliberate return to Crash's roots and the handover to a developer with a track record of doing ''Crash'' games right as Activision's attempt at this. It's been noted the development team actually {{invoked|Trope}} [[WeDontSuckAnymore this]].

* HilariousInHindsight:
** Ripper Roo was [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oi2X6HH3Lb8 nearly voiced]] by someone other than Jess Harnell.
** Vicarious Visions was frequently accused of trying too hard to be like Naughty Dog with their past ''Crash'' games rather than trying their own thing, which ignited ItsTheSameNowItSucks complaints. The fact that they have received praise for this game is ironic.
** This fan made April Fools' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqQxMKogv3Y commerical]] was made in 2017, saying that the ''N. Sane Trilogy'' was going to be released for the Nintendo Switch. Fast forward a year later and the ''N. Sane Trilogy'' ''was'' actually announced to be released for the Switch.
** Back when the original ''Crash'' came out, the publishers made a commercial where Crash stood outside Nintendo's headquarters while yelling disses into a megaphone. Now, the Switch port of the ''N. Sane Trilogy'' is bringing that game to a Nintendo system for the first time. For added irony, the first announcement that the trilogy was going MultiPlatform occurred during a ''WebVideo/NintendoDirect''.
** When the first Crash Bandicoot game was being conceived, it was jokingly nicknamed "Sonic's Ass Game" during production. More than 2 decades later, the Nintendo Switch version of the ''N. Sane Trilogy'' would be published by Sega in Japan, finally making the joke come full circle.
** When the original ''Crash 2'' was released, Cortex's remark that there are 13 planets was clearly intended as a joke. By the time the remaster came out, Pluto had lost its planet status...and it along with four other bodies were designated "dwarf planets," so with eight major planets and five dwarf planets, Cortex's count could be considered accurate.

* BestLevelEver: Most fans tend to be in agreement that the new ''Warped'' level, "Future Tense", is one of the most well-designed levels ever seen in the ''Crash'' series, with multiple branching paths, well-hidden secrets, and clever integration of boss powers into the level design. For many, it's quashed any doubts that Vicarious Visions is capable of making a classic-style Crash game from the ground up [[note]] However Toys For Bob ended up being the ones who made [[VideoGame/CrashBandicoot4ItsAboutTime the sequel]] as Vicarious Visions were busy remaking the first 2 Tony Hawk games at the time [[/note]], and finally broken the long-held notion that [[OnlyTheCreatorDoesItRight only Naughty Dog knows how to make Crash work]]. Even with it being a BrutalBonusLevel and difficult as hell, it pushes your abilities and skills to the limit without ever being frustrating or as ridiculously precise as "Stormy Ascent".

* BestLevelEver: Most fans tend to be in agreement that the new ''Warped'' level, "Future Tense", is one of the most well-designed levels ever seen in the ''Crash'' series, with multiple branching paths, well-hidden secrets, and clever integration of boss powers into the level design. For many, it's quashed any doubts that Vicarious Visions is capable of making a classic-style Crash game from the ground up, and finally broken the long-held notion that [[OnlyTheCreatorDoesItRight only Naughty Dog knows how to make Crash work]]. Even with it being a BrutalBonusLevel and difficult as hell, it pushes your abilities and skills to the limit without ever being frustrating or as ridiculously precise as "Stormy Ascent".

** The time trials in Orient Express and Midnight Run are far easier than in the originals, due to Pura's dash speed being much quicker than it used to be.
** Some levels had their relic times altered, due to the new physics. Area 51? and Tell No Tales, among the hardest time trials in the original game, are made much easier because of a much more lenient Platinum requirement.

* SpecialEffectsFailure: While playing as Coco in levels where she wasn't playable in the original, footprints in sand or mud aren't altered when playing as her. This is especially noticeable when jumping, as Coco's standing pose is different from Crash's, resulting in the footprints appearing where her shoes clearly didn't land.
* ThatOneBoss:
** N. Brio's first phase is much tougher thanks to the more crowded room and better tracking on Brio's potions, while the blobs that damage him have a narrower hitbox. His second phase is fairly easy in comparison, but it can still possibly result in a death, which is bad news for the longest boss in the first game.
** Dingodile's boss fight in ''Warped'' is tougher than the originals for three reasons: 1) Dingodile's tracking when shooting bursts is much better, 2) Dingodile will occasionally cut off shooting his ring shots and start the bursts early, catching the player off-guard before they can react, and 3) you need to be at the very edge of the arena when his pack explodes to not get hit instead of anywhere outside the crystal rings.
* ThatOneLevel:

*** Native Fortress, the last level on the first island, as evidenced by being the first major stumbling block for many [=YouTube=] Let's Players. It's considered by many to be the toughest level until Road to Nowhere due to the precise jumps and necessary timing and patience. The time trial is also considered one of the toughest in the game due to how easy it is to fall while rushing through the level.
*** The Lost City is just pure hell. It's one of the longest levels in the entire game, as well as the first level to contain a colored gem, meaning you have to get through this hellish level [[NoDamageRun without dying even once]]. The margin for error in this level is very high, and it goes beyond just simply dying. Some boxes require a GoombaSpringboard from an enemy to even reach them, and if you mess up the bounce, you just killed the enemy and effectively rendered the box unreachable for the rest of the run. Meaning, you'll have to quit the level and restart it again.
*** Road to Nowhere in the ''Crash 1'' remake is a fitting name, seeing how it will likely be your first time getting a Game Over (or several in a row) due to the sheer amount of PlatformHell. And just ''where'' do we begin? From the small hitboxes on the bridges' single boards, the invulnerable boars, to the turtles that you need to bounce on to advance, that you can accidentally kill if you have an Aku Aku mask, making it nearly impossible to pass. Worse yet, you'll die so much it becomes pretty much guaranteed you'll GET Aku Aku masks several times over. Not only that, but due to the remake's revamped jump physics, you need to make the turtle stop at the very end of his walk cycle, run back, and then jump on it at a momentum to just barely make it across large gaps, which will not always work, since the turtle's hitbox will ensure that [[EpicFail you will either jump over it entirely into a pit]] [[SequelDifficultySpike which is not present in the original game]]). The High Road, which is a similar bridge level, [[UpToEleven is made far worse]]. It's considered by many to be the most difficult level in the trilogy, because of the aforementioned turtle jumps, which are used a lot. [[note]]On the other hand, it's possible to cheese a good portion of both levels by [[TightropeWalking walking on the rope railings of the bridge]], although even it can be difficult.[[/note]]
*** You thought [[NoDamageRun getting the box gem]] in [[MarathonLevel Sunset Vista]] was hard in ''Crash 1''? Think again! Just try doing it under pressure in the Time Trial, with the longest Sapphire Relic time among all three games: ''5 minutes 30 seconds''. And [[PlatformHell some of those jumps are even more finicky than the original]]. Thankfully, since the level doesn't have a color gem, you no longer have to get through the whole level without dying just to get the gem.
*** Slippery Climb is just as difficult and {{Platform Hell}}ish as it was in the [=PS1=] version, and since it has a color gem, it means to get the gem, [[NoDeathRun you have to get through the entire level without dying even once]].
*** Fumbling in the Dark retains its fiendish difficulty from the originals. Think Road to Nowhere/The High Road in terms of precision jumping but you're dependent on Aku Aku as a light source, which means you have to go as fast as possible to make it before the light runs out. Its predecessor Lights Out is easier, but the DifficultySpike in the second half of the level after the split for the Yellow Gem is a good taste of what's to come.
*** Stormy Ascent has been added into the game in its complete form. For an idea of difficulty, Stormy Ascent is to Slippery Climb as Fumbling in the Dark is to Lights Out, with some of the trickiest timing and speed in a game that otherwise almost requires patience. It also has one of the trickiest bonus areas in the game (something the original version lacked, due to not being finished), requiring some ''very'' well-timed jumps to get through with all of the boxes. Its Time Trial also dethrones Sunset Vista for the longest Sapphire Relic time: 7 minutes.

*** From ''2'', the snow levels take a [[DifficultySpike jump in difficulty]] due to the way ice mechanics work: Crash or Coco will immediately slow to a halt if going at normal speed and have to pick up pace again, or sliding will send you flying along. This makes the Red Gem path in Snow Biz and the death route in Cold Hard Crash even worse than the originals.
*** The enemies in the levels Diggin' It and Bee-Having are ''much'' more aggressive than before. The lumberjacks move quicker, the bees move quicker and require much faster reflexes and slide jumps -- if not forcing you to outright spin -- just to get away from them, the statues predict which direction you're going to go, the spitting plant's seed grenades will damage you if you touch them, and the mines (here and in the boulder levels) have a much longer cooldown time if you hit them leaving you that much more vulnerable.
*** Cold Hard Crash and Piston It Away are still aggravating to many fans for a multitude of reasons. For more details, visit [[YMMV/CrashBandicoot2CortexStrikesBack that game's YMMV page]], but both are infamous for their Death Routes and their egregious uses of {{Backtracking}}.
*** An aversion: due to brightness settings, it is possible to go through parts of Night Fight and Totally Fly without the fireflies, due to the moonlight shining down on the path and making pits and boxes visible.

** Time Trial Relics being added to the first and second games are a classic example of good on paper, bad in practice. The stages of ''1'' and ''2'' were not designed with speedrunning in mind, and the remaster '''did not''' rectify this, so it's entirely possible (and in some cases quite likely) to fail a Gold or Platinum run just because your only path forward was momentarily blocked for one or two seconds. While this is mitigated in ''2'' due to unlocking ''3's'' Speed Shoes after beating the game, ''1'' does not have this lifeline.

* GameBreaker:
** Not a huge example, but the speed shoes in ''Crash 2'' make some levels significantly easier; The timed gems in the river levels are easier to get to and the enemy bees in some levels simply cannot keep up with Crash when running.
** Don't like the lack of a checkpoint trying to get the box gem for Cold Hard Crash in ''2''? Save either the bonus round or the checkpoint crate for after the hard path; bonus rounds function as checkpoints, so if you die in the hard path, you'll have a checkpoint that drops you off right before the hard path, and you can use the other to save your progress once you're done.

* ToughActToFollow: Generally the remakes are considered well made standalone, though since they represent three titles that have aged ''incredibly'' well and are iconic for intricate detail to every polygon, there is dispute over certain changes or lacking details.

* MarathonLevel: Typically with both long length and high box counts.
** Native Fortress, Sunset Vista, and Jaws of Darkness from the original, plus Stormy Ascent from the DLC.
** Snow Biz, Hangin' Out, Diggin' It, Cold Hard Crash (notable for the highest box count in the original trilogy -- 155 -- and notorious for the necessity of the hard path to complete said box gem), and Bee-Having from 2.
** Future Frenzy, Gone Tomorrow, and Bug Lite from ''Warped''; now joined by the "Future Tense" DLC.