And against those remarkably high standards, the game falls completely flat.Īny fair assessment also needs to take the troubled development cycle into account when judging this game. It’s only natural that The Wrath of Cortex would be compared to it, being the first main Crash game post-Naughty Dog. Why? Because of the comparisons with the original trilogy. It’s rightfully criticised for its shortcomings, but people are often too quick to dismiss the entire game outright. I get the sense that this is a game that is overly hated. The Wrath of Cortex is a game that I played the entire way through and probably would do again. Perhaps most importantly, I can’t say I didn’t have fun with it. Even before my recent runthrough, the theme to Wizards and Lizards was one I could still remember from my first playthrough of this game about fifteen years ago. Not only does each level have its own theme, the songs are catchy and upbeat too.
And the soundtrack is one of the best in the entire series. Similarly, the Atlasphere levels are some of the most fun I’ve had in a Crash game to date. The actual platforming sections are consistently solid, even if they often seem few and far between. For all its flaws, it manages to get a few things right. Saying that, The Wrath of Cortex isn’t a completely irredeemable game either. Even worse, The Wrath of Cortex has a horrible tendency to shoehorn a vehicle section mid-way through a level, which completely disrupts the flow of the game. Look at the vehicles – there are way too many of them, which means most appear only a handful of times. The Wrath of Cortex tries to cram too many concepts into a relatively short run-time, and most end up coming out half-baked as a result. The biggest mark against it though, is that it’s completely unfocused. But they’ll be followed by messes that shouldn’t have made it past quality assurance. You’ll have levels that are well-designed, with amazing environments and solid platforming, that are actually fun to play. Sane Trilogy guides if you plan on tackling the other games.There are also wild fluctuations in quality. Be sure to check out the rest of our Crash Bandicoot N. (For some tips, check out our Relics Guide) Once you have the 10 Relics you need, stand on the platform in the middle of the warp room to descend into a secret warp room below.Įnter Level 27 and complete the gauntlet to find the Yellow Gem at the end.Īnd now you're armed with the knowledge to find and collect every Colored Gem in the remastered version of Crash 3.
You earn Relics by beating a set time during Time Trial runs of previously completed levels. In order to even unlock Level 27, you first need to earn 10 Relics. Yellow Gem Location - Hang 'em High (Level 27)
Rather, you'll be taken back to a section of the level to finish before you're home free with the gem. Note that the level won't end at the end of the section, however. You'll find the Green Gem at the end of the section it takes you to. Much like the last two gems, simply reach the Skull Platform without losing a life. Green Gem Location - Flaming Passion (Level 23) Head to the end of the tricky section that the Skull Platform takes you to in order to find and collect the Blue Gem. Reach about the middle of the level without losing a life to find the Skull Platform. The Purple Gem will be at the end of the section that the Skull Platform takes you to.īlue Gem Location - Tomb Wader (Level 20) To get the Skull Platform to materialize, you must reach it without dying once during the level.Īfter you reach the Skull Platform, you're free to die while attempting it - just not before you activate it. The Purple Gem is hidden beyond the Skull Platform in High Time. Purple Gem Location - High Time (Level 13) Bump into it to set it off and complete the alternate route to get the Red Gem. If you continue to the end of the level normally and hit the exclamation box, you can backtrack to find that the transparent box is now a bit of TNT. Near the end of the level, you'll notice a steel barricade with a transparent box blocking the alternate route. The Red Gem is hidden in an interesting underwater level with two different ways to complete it. Red Gem Location - Deep Trouble (Level 12) The Colored Gems here are listed in chronological order - except for the Yellow Gem, as that one's just an oddball. (If you're still working through the previous game in the trilogy, though, check out our guide to colored gem locations in Crash 2.) Crash Bandicoot N. I found another 5 Colored Gems just ripe for the taking, however, they are not easy to get to, and many of them require an insane level of precision and expertise. This time I dove into Crash Bandicoot: Warped - otherwise known as Crash 3.