Crash Bandicoot is a killer trip down memory lane

Crash Bandicoot returns more than 20 years after his debut in Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy.

It was just three levels into the remastered version of Crash Bandicoot, during a level called The Great Gate, that I had a revelation.

It was something important, something I and many other Crash fans seem to have forgotten since the platforming great's 1996 debut on the original PlayStation.

It was this: Crash Bandicoot is freakishly, overwhelmingly, insanely hard. Death comes so quickly, and so often, you'll soon get sick of seeing the "replay level" option popping up on your TV screen.

Was it always this way? As Crash, a mutant bandicoot running amok in Australia, all you're asked to do is bash boxes, spin through foes, jump around a few levels, eat Wumpa Fruit, and, ultimately, take down your nemesis, Doctor Neo Cortex.

But Crash Bandicoot is all about tripping you up on the little things. The rolling monkeys you forget to jump over. The turtle you mis-time a spin with. The penguin who spins right back at you. The spiked poles that impale you to the floor. Or a pit that you just can't quite seem to navigate your way past.

It's like that throughout all three games that are included on the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, which restores Naughty Dog's 1996 original, 1997's sequel Cortex Strikes Back, and 1998's Warped - the one that I really fell for - with love and care.

That includes all-new music, refreshed cut scenes, updated graphics and more bonus levels. Endearingly, Crash still jumps around as if he's being electrocuted in the armpits. Thankfully, they didn't tinker with that.

Yes, you will kill Crash often. But here's the thing: no matter how hard the game gets, no matter how many times you die, mis-time a jump, stuff up a spin, blow up a nitro box, fall off Coco's pet tiger, miss a checkpoint, screw up a boss battle or fall down a cliff for the fourth time in a row, you'll always want to come back for more.

It's a game that provides pure arcade-candy brain-fuzz joy - and it's why the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy succeeds. It's why it's topping bestseller lists, why shops are reportedly selling out, and why you're suddenly swapping Crash strategy tips with your mates again, 20-odd years after the fact.

It's also why we're going to see many more throwback gaming titles coming our way. Sonic the Hedgehog remastered? Prince of Persia rebooted? Lemmings reimagined? Nostalgia just hit the gaming scene, and if it's anything like Crash, I'm all for it.

Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy
Platform: PlayStation 4
Rating: PG
Stars: Four
Verdict: Your childhood remains intact