Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex is a 2001 platform game created by Traveller's Tales and released by Universal Interactive. It first came out for the PlayStation 2 and was later released on the Xbox and GameCube, with Eurocom making the GameCube version. This game is the fourth main entry and sixth overall in the Crash Bandicoot series, and it is the first game in the series not to be released only on a PlayStation console.
The story follows the appearance of Crunch Bandicoot, a genetically advanced bandicoot made by the main villain, Doctor Neo Cortex. Cortex has gained power from a group of harmful mask spirits called the Elementals. Crash Bandicoot and his sister, Coco, must travel around the world to collect special Crystals that will put the Elementals into a sleeping state and stop Cortex from using Crunch as a weapon to take over the world.
Reviewers had mixed opinions about the game, noting that it reused ideas from earlier PlayStation games with little new content. The PlayStation 2 version sold 1.56 million copies in North America. It was listed as a top-selling game in several categories, including the Platinum range for PlayStation 2, Xbox Classics, and Player's Choice on GameCube. The game was also released as a launch title for the Xbox Originals line of downloadable games on the Xbox 360's Live Marketplace service in December 2007.
Gameplay
The Wrath of Cortex is a platform game where the player controls Crash and Coco Bandicoot. Their goal is to collect 25 Crystals and defeat the main villains: Doctor Neo Cortex, his superweapon Crunch Bandicoot, and Crunch’s power sources, the renegade Elementals. Much of the game takes place in a "Virtual Reality (VR) Hub System" created by Coco to help Crash gather Crystals. The VR Hub System is divided into five "VR Hubs." At the start, only the first VR Hub is accessible. Each VR Hub contains five teleportation portals that lead to different levels. In each level, the player must find and collect the Crystal hidden in the area. Some Crystals are at the end of a level, while others must be earned by completing specific challenges. Most levels include a "Bonus Platform" that leads to a special bonus area. In these areas, players must navigate a maze and collect all visible items. Once a bonus area is completed, it cannot be played again unless the level is replayed. After completing all five levels in a VR Hub, a sixth teleportation portal appears, leading to a boss fight with Crunch. Defeating the boss unlocks the next VR Hub. When all 25 Crystals are collected and Doctor Cortex and Crunch are defeated, the game is won.
In addition to Crystals, players can collect Gems and Coloured Gems for extra achievements. Gems are earned by breaking all crates in a level or completing secret areas. Coloured Gems are found in special levels and lead to hidden areas. "Relics" can be obtained by replaying a level after the Crystal has already been collected. To earn a Relic, the player must start the "Time Trial" mode and complete a level within a set time limit. To begin a Time Trial, the player enters a level and activates a floating stopwatch near the start. If the stopwatch is not touched, the level can be played normally. During the Time Trial, players race through the level as quickly as possible. Yellow crates marked with numbers 1, 2, or 3 are scattered throughout the level. Breaking these crates freezes the timer for the number of seconds shown on the crate. Since no lives are lost in Time Trial mode, players can replay the level as often as they want. Relics are awarded based on the player’s final time: Sapphire, Gold, or Platinum Relics. The first five Relics earned unlock access to a secret level. Every five additional Relics open another level in the Secret Warp Room. Players must complete all levels in the Secret Warp Room to fully finish the game.
Crash and Coco Bandicoot begin the game with five lives. They lose a life if they are hit by an enemy attack or take other types of damage. Extra lives can be earned by collecting 100 "Wumpa Fruits" or breaking a special crate. Crash and Coco can avoid enemy attacks by collecting an Aku Aku mask. Collecting three masks provides temporary protection from minor dangers. If Crash or Coco run out of lives, the game ends. However, players can continue by selecting "Continue" on the "Game over" screen.
Plot
Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex features ten characters who previously appeared in earlier Crash games, along with five new characters. Crash Bandicoot, the main character of the series, is a genetically enhanced eastern barred bandicoot who must stop Doctor Neo Cortex, the main villain, and his new superweapon. Coco Bandicoot, Crash’s younger sister, is a skilled computer expert who practices martial arts inspired by Hong Kong films. Aku Aku is a powerful witch doctor mask who helps Crash and Coco stop Doctor Neo Cortex’s plans. Pura, Coco’s pet tiger cub, has a small role and appears only at the beginning of the game.
Doctor Neo Cortex is a mad scientist who created Crash and other characters. He now wants to destroy Crash and take over the world. Uka Uka, the twin brother of Aku Aku, is the main force behind Cortex’s plans. Four recurring villains also appear in the game: Dr. N. Gin, Cortex’s assistant; Dr. Nefarious Tropy, a scientist who studies time travel; Tiny Tiger, a large and strong thylacine; and Dingodile, a dingo-crocodile hybrid who uses a flamethrower.
Five new characters appear in the game, including Crunch Bandicoot, a genetically enhanced superweapon created by Doctor Neo Cortex to destroy Crash. Crunch is powered by the Elementals, a group of evil masks that control the elements of Earth, Water, Fire, and Air. The Elementals include Rok-Ko, a rock-headed mask who controls earthquakes and landslides; Wa-Wa, a mask who controls thunderstorms and floods; Py-Ro, a mask who controls volcano eruptions; and Lo-Lo, a mask who controls tornadoes.
Frustrated by past failures, Uka Uka orders Cortex, Tiny Tiger, Dingodile, Dr. Nefarious Tropy, and Dr. N. Gin to create a plan to eliminate Crash. Cortex reveals a secret genetically enhanced superweapon but admits it needs a power source. Uka Uka suggests using the Elementals, who were once powerful masks that caused natural disasters like earthquakes, floods, and an Ice Age centuries ago. The Elementals were imprisoned by ancient people using special Crystals that placed them in a sleeping state. Cortex believes awakening the Elementals and using their power could activate his superweapon and destroy Crash forever.
On Earth, people face sudden natural disasters, which leads Aku Aku to realize the Elementals have been released. Aku Aku warns Crash and Coco that the only way to stop the Elementals is to use the Crystals, which are scattered around the world. Using Coco’s new Virtual Reality Hub System, Crash and Coco travel globally to collect the Crystals while fighting attacks from Crunch Bandicoot and the Elementals. Once the Crystals are gathered and the Elementals are put back into their sleeping state, Crunch reaches full power, forcing Crash to battle him in Cortex’s space station. Crash defeats Crunch, freeing him from Cortex’s control. Enraged, Uka Uka attacks Cortex with a fireball, accidentally destroying the space station. Crash, Aku Aku, and Crunch escape in Coco’s space fighter ship, while Cortex and Uka Uka escape in an escape pod and land in Antarctica. There, Uka Uka chases Cortex across a small ice floe.
Development
The game The Wrath of Cortex was originally planned by Mark Cerny, who had previously designed all games in the Crash Bandicoot series. Sony Computer Entertainment was to publish the game. Under Cerny’s leadership, the game was meant to be an open-world title with puzzle elements, allowing Crash to travel between different planets. In early 2000, Universal approached Traveller’s Tales to develop the game. They created a 3-D demo showing Crash running through a volcanic level. Development of the game’s engine began in mid-2000. The game was first called Crash Bandicoot Worlds.
On September 21, 2000, Universal Interactive Studios and Konami announced a partnership that allowed Konami to publish a Crash Bandicoot game for next-generation systems. Universal Interactive would handle the game’s production. This agreement ended the Crash Bandicoot franchise’s exclusivity to Sony consoles and made Crash a symbol for Universal instead of Sony. After Universal had a disagreement with Cerny and Sony, Traveller’s Tales had to change the game from an open-world title to a standard Crash Bandicoot style. They started development from the beginning and had only twelve months to finish the game.
The character Crunch Bandicoot was designed by Craig Whittle of Traveller’s Tales and Sean Krankel of Universal. The idea of battling mini-bosses in levels was removed to keep the game’s fast-paced style. Multiplayer features were also considered but later removed. An earlier version of the story included a scene where Crash fights Crunch in a mechanical robot suit. After the fight, Crunch would destroy Crash’s suit with electricity. The resulting debris would knock out Cortex, destroy the remote control for Crunch, and cause an electrical fire on a space station. As the Bandicoots escape, the space station crashes onto Cortex’s home island, allowing Cortex and Uka Uka to continue their plans for world domination.
Most characters and vehicles in the game were created and textured by Nicola Daly and animated by Jeremy Pardon. The game’s systems and code were developed by John Hodskinson. The music was composed by Andy Blythe and Marten Joustra of Swallow Studios. A version of the original Crash Bandicoot theme by Josh Mancell of Mutato Muzika also appears in the game. Sound effects were created by Ron Horwitz, Tom Jaeger, John Robinson, and Harry Woolway of Universal Sound Studios. Voice actors were directed by Margaret Tang, with dialog editing by Rik Schaffer. Clancy Brown voices both Doctor Neo Cortex and Uka Uka. Mel Winkler voices Aku Aku, and Debi Derryberry voices Coco Bandicoot. Corey Burton voices returning villains Doctor N. Gin and Doctor Nefarious Tropy. Kevin Michael Richardson voices Crunch Bandicoot. The Elementals—Rok-Ko, Wa-Wa, Py-Ro, and Lo-Lo—are voiced by Thomas F. Wilson, R. Lee Ermey, Mark Hamill, and Jess Harnell, respectively.
Release
The game The Wrath of Cortex was shown by Universal at E3 2001 and released for the PlayStation 2 on October 30, 2001. The Xbox version was announced by Universal Interactive on January 31, 2002. This version has shorter loading times and better graphics. It was released in North America on April 16, 2002. On May 7, 2002, the company announced a GameCube version of the game. This version can connect with the Game Boy Advance. The GameCube version was released in North America on September 17, 2002.
The PlayStation 2 version sold over 1.56 million copies in North America and about 170,000 copies in Japan in 2001. It received a "Double Platinum" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA), which means it sold at least 600,000 copies in the United Kingdom. Because of this, the game was re-released as part of the Platinum Range on October 11, 2002, the Sony Greatest Hits line-up on October 15, 2002, and the Best line-up on October 17, 2002. The "Greatest Hits" version loads faster than the original version. The Xbox version was re-released as part of the Xbox Classics line-up on April 11, 2003. The GameCube version was re-released as part of the Player's Choice line-up in Europe on October 22, 2004.
Reception
The game The Wrath of Cortex received "mixed or average" reviews on all platforms, according to Metacritic. Some reviewers said the game was not very challenging and repeated the same ideas as previous games in the series. Ben Kosmina of Nintendo World Report said the game's structure was "very similar to Crash 3." However, Louis Bedigian of GameZone thought Wrath of Cortex was better than earlier games and called it the hardest in the series. He also praised the new levels, abilities, and vehicles. The Atlasphere levels were well-received and often compared to the game Marble Madness. Bedigian said, "Traveller's Tales could make an entire game just using the sphere levels." Some reviewers criticized the game's fixed camera angles and limited views, which made the gameplay frustrating. Bedigian and Mike Sabine of PlanetXbox said the controls felt slow. Sabine and Kosmina said Coco Bandicoot, a new character, was unnecessary and harder to control than Crash. Hilary Goldstein of IGN said Coco was "less powerful and less enjoyable" than Crash and questioned why players had to use her. She said, "Crash is fun to look at, but Coco is not." Goldstein also said the game's underwater levels were poorly designed and suggested they should be used as an example of bad game design. Kosmina liked the GameCube version's support for linking with the Game Boy Advance through a minigame. The long loading times in the PS2 version were criticized, but they were improved in the Xbox and GameCube versions.
Reviewers generally praised the game's graphics for their bright colors, clearer details, and better special effects compared to earlier games. However, they said the visuals were not as impressive as those in other games on the same systems. The Xbox version had better fur, lighting, and particle effects than the PS2 version. Star Dingo of GamePro said the Xbox version's visuals were improved but found the fur effects "creepy." Bedigian said the graphics were good but the style was traditional. Lafferty said the environments were less detailed than other GameCube games. Casamassina said the visuals felt "sterile" and that the environments looked empty. Goldstein said the Xbox version had fewer slowdowns and better use of color but found the enemy designs plain. Shane Satterfield of GameSpot praised the underwater scenes. Matthew Gallant and Andrei Alupului of GameSpot and PlanetPS2 said the graphics were average. Gallant was disappointed with the opening scene, which he said looked "flat." Randy Nelson of PlayStation: The Official Magazine said the game looked great on PS2 but said the levels felt empty because they were too wide. The GameCube version had problems with the game's speed.
Sabine said the music was "quirky and playful" and "fresh and lively." Bedigian disliked Crash's voice and said only part of the soundtrack was worth listening to. Kosmina said the audio was well done and praised the voice acting for Cortex but criticized the music's poor looping. Perry said the music was familiar and the sound effects were "cartoony." Lafferty said the audio was "fun" with a good soundtrack and overacted voices. McElfish said the music was "fresh and memorable" but the sound effects were plain. Casamassina said the music was "well composed" but criticized the voice acting as too exaggerated and said the GameCube version lacked Dolby Pro Logic support. Goldstein said the audio was good but criticized the Xbox version's surround sound mixing. Gallant also criticized the sound mixing and said there was a "loud, unidentifiable noise" in the GameCube version's first vehicle level. Alupului said the music sounded like "primitive MIDI" and said the voice acting was poor. Star Dingo said the music was "cool" and the villain voices were "droll" but said the sound effects were uninspired. Kilo Watt of GamePro said the soundtrack was "pleasant" but not new for the series. Mark Hamill's voice acting was noted, and Alupului said it was a shame Hamill had to do voice work for a game he called "mediocre."