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Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time

Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time

Toys for Bob · released Oct 2, 2020

3D PlatformerPCPlayStation 4, PlayStation 5Xbox One, Xbox Series XNintendo Switch

The devious villains Neo Cortex and Dr. N. Tropy have finally escaped their interdimensional prison, leaving an evil scientist sized hole in the universe. Now they’ve got their eyes set on not only simply conquering this dimension, but ALL dimensions, and it’s up to Crash and Coco to save the day. N. Sanity Beach is where Crash’s adventure first started, and where it begins in Crash 4. But there have definitely been changes since players first saw N. Sanity Beach all those years ago, and throughout Crash 4 you’ll notice changes to gameplay and even the art style.

76
VGC Score
·No trend datamedium confidence
85%
Press
76%
Player sentiment
69%
PS store
31,393
Ratings

Screenshots & trailers

How this score was computed

The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.

ComponentPositiveQuality (0-100)Weight (pseudo-reviews)
Press reviews (Metacritic)8520
Creator reviews (2 tracked)852
All-time Steam reviews0
Metacritic user ratings83687
PlayStation store ratings70750
Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted)0
Calibration prior (typical game)7250

Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 0 reviews sampled · 0 total reviews in window · weighted 0 up / 0 down · computed 1h ago · full methodology →

Press & Creators reviews (94)

Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.

  • 90
    trust 78Oct 1, 2020

    Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time is one of the best platformer games we've played in recent years. Toys for Bob managed to perfectly encapsulate the soul of original trilogy, and then create more with it, by not only repeating old gameplay tricks with new and shiny graphics, but also by offering something completely new, which would definitely make all the fans bursting with joy.

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  • 80
    trust 75Nov 4, 2020

    The developer has managed to successfully make an old school platformer that is continuously challenging and giving respect to the previous games. If you played the previous games in the series you need to experience this one as well.

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  • 80
    trust 75Oct 2, 2020

    The new Crash Bandicoot did not take the easy route and even managed to push the boundaries in a few respects. It's living proof that some genres don't need a forced revolution. Why reinvent something when the old ways work perfectly? It's great there's a platformer out there such as It's About Time.

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  • 80
    trust 69Oct 6, 2020

    There's almost too much to talk about with Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time, but rest assured that this is a return to form for the series. It might be tough, even a little mean at times, but this is the proper sequel fans have been asking for. With so much to see and do, this is a stylish, confident 3D platformer that brings Crash back at his best.

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  • 88
    trust 69Oct 2, 2020

    Toys For Bob did a great job of taking the essence of Crash and adapting it to modern times. The result is a platformer who proudly carries the legacy of a legendary trilogy, but does enough to feel new and not be a simple homage to the past.

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  • 70
    trust 67Oct 15, 2020

    With amazing visuals, a fun story, and short bite-sized stages, this is a game you can easily pick up and put down.

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  • 90
    trust 66Oct 5, 2020

    Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time is the perfect distillation of classic gameplay, and modern gaming demands. It is full to bursting with content, things to earn and masses of replayability. Though its difficulty may be too high for some, it’s definitely the best Crash Bandicoot has ever been and deserves its place alongside the original trilogy. A classic modernised and a modern classic.

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  • 90
    trust 66Oct 1, 2020

    Quotation forthcoming.

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  • 80
    trust 66Oct 1, 2020

    Even more so than playing the N.Sane Trilogy, which literally remade the original Crash games from my youth, playing Crash 4 felt like getting back in touch with the series. It's an injection of new ideas into now-classic gameplay that surprises and delights, even as it feels like a homecoming. Truly, games like this are why we come running back to long-dormant franchises with open arms.

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  • 85
    trust 65CreatorOct 5, 2020

    Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time lives up to its namesake. It’s been a long wait, but Crash returns to form in this sequel with wonderful new additions. It doesn’t redefine the genre or really strive for innovation, but rather embraces some brilliant ideas first seen in its contemporaries while remaining meticulously true to the classic style of the series. The difficulty can be frustrating, but even if you don’t see and do everything, this is still a highly enjoyable platformer that marks a new high point for the series.

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  • 70
    trust 65Oct 2, 2020

    Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time really is the definitive Crash game. Toys For Bob have taken all the series’ trademarks, refined them into a challenging and polished experience and given us tons of levels to play and secrets to hunt for. There’s new characters to play as and masks that shake up the gameplay when they appear, but Crash 4 is the same old Bandicoot who's learnt a few new tricks.

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  • 80
    trust 65Oct 6, 2020

    The Crash series has seen its fair share of mediocre (or even bad) entries, but Crash 4 is a big step in the right direction, and the future of the series couldn't be more exciting.

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…and 82 more tracked reviews.