Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time

This section of the guide covers the basic controls and gameplay mechanics for Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time, including how to start a new game, navigate menus, and understand the different types of boxes you'll encounter.

Controls

Here are the default controls for the game:

• Up: Move forward (Away from screen)
• Down: Move back (Towards screen)
• Left: Move left
• Right: Move right
• X: Jump
• O: Crouch (While standing) / Slide (While running)
• Triangle: Inventory
• Square: Spin
• R1: Same function as O
• Start: Pause
• O/R1 + Directional Buttons: Slide and then jump (When running) / Crouch and jump (When standing)

Getting Started

On the title screen, you can choose to start a new game or load a previously saved game. Loading a game will display four save slots, showing the player's name, completion percentage, lives, crystals, and gems. You can also choose to cancel and create a new save file.

Starting a new game will show the intro sequence (which can be skipped) followed by an introductory level. Your goal is to reach the Warp Room.

In the Warp Room, you can access five levels. Collecting a crystal from each level allows you to face the boss via the central platform, progressing to the next Warp Room. To save your game, approach the 'Load/Save' wall. The first save will prompt you to enter a name.

Pressing Start pauses the game, offering options to view your status, quit, or change settings. The crystal count shows your progress towards the total of 25, while gem counts track the 42 available gems. Your overall completion percentage is also displayed.

The pause menu allows you to Resume the game, adjust Options, or Quit. If in a level, the Quit option will take you back to the Warp Room; if in the Warp Room, it returns you to the title screen.

Playing the Game

Introduction to Gameplay

Gameplay involves progressing through levels, defeating enemies, and collecting items. The primary collectibles are Wumpa Fruit (which grant an extra life for every 100 collected) and various types of boxes.

Box Types

• Normal Box: Contains a Wumpa Fruit.
• ? Box: Can contain extra lives or Wumpa Fruit.
• Bounce Box: Bounces Crash higher when jumped on. Each bounce yields a Wumpa Fruit. They break after multiple bounces. Jumping as you land on one increases bounce height.
• Aku Aku Box: Contains an Aku Aku mask, which acts as health. Collecting a second mask grants two hits of protection, and a third provides temporary invincibility. Masks do not protect against instant-kill hazards.
• C Box: Creates a checkpoint when broken, allowing you to restart from that point upon death.
• Crash Box: Contains an extra life.
• Arrow Box: Bounces Crash upwards. Jumping as you land increases height. Can be broken by spinning.
• Reinforced Box: Requires a body slam to break.
• TNT Box: Explodes after a 3-second timer starts when jumped on. Spinning into it also causes an explosion.
• Nitro Box: Explodes on contact, causing damage. Cannot be broken by Crash directly.
• Green ! Box: When activated (by breaking), destroys all Nitro Boxes in the level.
• ! Box: When activated, reveals hidden platforms and boxes that were previously outlined in white.
• Metal Box: Cannot be broken and can crush Crash.

Hey there! So, you're diving into Crash Bandicoot 4 and wondering about these 'Warp Rooms'? Think of them as your central hubs, the way you jump between all the awesome levels the game throws at you. It's pretty straightforward once you get the hang of it, so let's break it down.

Basically, there are five main Warp Rooms you'll unlock as you progress, plus a secret one that's a bit of a hidden gem itself. Each of these main Warp Rooms acts as a gateway to five different levels. The cool thing is, you can tackle these levels in any order you want, whenever you feel ready. Just look above the entrance to a level; you'll see if you've snagged the Crystal for it and what Gems you've managed to collect.

Now, here's a key thing: once you've collected the Crystal for every single level within a Warp Room, a boss will appear! To challenge them, just head to the platform smack-dab in the middle of the Warp Room and press 'Up' on your controller. Easy peasy. And if you're feeling particularly brave (or want to replay a tough fight), you can actually fight the bosses again. Just hold down all the shoulder buttons (L1, R1, L2, R2) while you're heading up to the boss platform.

Moving between the Warp Rooms you've unlocked is also super simple. Just stand on that central platform and press 'Up' or 'Down' to zip between them. It makes backtracking or jumping to a specific area a breeze.

You might also notice that sometimes a hologram pops up in the middle of a Warp Room. These characters usually pop in to give you a bit of story context or some extra info. They're not super critical to gameplay, so if you're eager to jump straight into the action, feel free to skip them!