Crash has had a full revamp in the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy and fans are loving it. Deep nostalgia for some and a new, refreshing experience for others albeit some finding the game extra challenging. Developers Vicarious Visions kept Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy and its games close to the originals including some of the fun Easter eggs, hidden levels, and characters such as Trash Bandicoot.
Uncharted 4 and Crash Bandicoot reference within a reference
In Uncharted 4 there’s a scene where Nate and Elena are sitting on the couch playing Crash Bandicoot. That scene is featured in Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy during the opening of Crash Bandicoot 2 when it cuts to Coco and Crash relaxing on the beach. Coco is on her pink laptop and if you look closely you’ll notice she’s actually watching the scene of Nate and Elena playing Crash Bandicoot. It’s very easy to miss and you need to look closely to recognize the scene but it’s a very cool nod to Naughty Dog from Vicarious Visions. Much in the same way Naughty Dog referred back to Crash Bandicoot in Uncharted 4.
Another Uncharted Reference and a nod to Crash’s Girlfriend Tawna
Another Uncharted and original Crash Bandicoot reference appears in Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped of the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy. You’ll notice it when Crash, Coco, and Aku-Aku are sitting around the fireplace and Aku-Aku is telling the story of Uka-Uka. There is a framed picture of Nathan Drake of Uncharted 4 to the left of the fireplace. In addition, above the framed picture of Nathan Drake is a framed picture featuring Crash’s girlfriend Tawna.
Racing levels Easter Egg and nod to the franchise’s original developers Naughty Dog
In the racing levels like Road Crash and Orange Asphalt, the vehicles you’re racing against have number plates that read 96-17. 1996 is the year the first Crash Bandicoot game released under developers Naughty Dog and 2017 is the year of the latest Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy release by developers Vicarious Visions. Another sweet reference to Crash Bandicoot’s original developers and a fun reminder for fans who’ve been playing since ’96.
Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy idle animation Reddit reference
The idle animations in Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy include some old but very cool animations like the yo-yo and wumpa fruit smash. Vicarious Visions have added another animation for Crash’s sister Coco, which references the Crash Reddit community. Switch Crash out for Coco and wait for her to begin idle animations. Then, when Coco starts searching on her pink laptop, look closely to see what looks like the Crash Bandicoot sub-Reddit. Check out the original picture below from this Reddit thread.
Tiny boss battle mechanic exploit in Crash Bandicoot referenced in Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy
During the Tiny boss battle where back in the original Crash Bandicoot players could stand against the wall and to the side to avoid running Lion damage. Now, instead of being able to cheese or exploit the fight and avoid the lions entirely, the audience will throw cheese at Crash damaging you and forcing you to move. This is a hilarious callback to an original game exploit enjoyed by many players and one small way to make the new version of the fight a little more challenging. For those not familiar with the term ‘cheese’, it’s a common term in MMORPG communities especially for skipping raid boss mechanics.
Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy features a possible hint of Spyro the Dragon remaster coming!
If a player hovers over the Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped menu and enters the same codeused to access the Spyro demo in the original game the cursor disappears. Now, using a D-pad entering the code ‘Up, Up, Down, Down with Left, Right, Left, Right’ also makes the cursor disappear.
Players also reported using ‘Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right’ worked. The idea is that there is coding in Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy for a Spyro demo but it’s not in place yet. There’s a chance that could mean Sony is testing the waters with this Crash remake and a Spyro the Dragon remaster is on the horizon. The video below courtesy of YouTuber ThornsOfSerenity shows the disappearance of the cursor in Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy.
Crash Bandicoot favorite Fake Crash aka Trash Bandicoot found throughout the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy
Trash Bandicoot is back! Fake crash first featured back in Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped. Fake Crash appears in the same 3 places he did in the original in addition to lots of new spots, check out our list below. You will have to progress through the game a bit for Fake Crash to show up but it’s awesome to see his ugly face again. Confirmed sightings of Fake Crash include the following areas:
- N. Sanity Beach
- Area 51
- Rock It
- Heavy Machinery
- Cortex Factory Sewer
- Ice/Snow levels
- Totally Fly (secret level)
- Ruination
- Rock It/Pack Attack
- Crash Crush
- Generator Room
Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy Coco’s exploding Samsung 7 phone Easter Egg
One of many fun idle animations in Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy is Coco’s phone idle animation. In the animation, there seems to be a reference to the ‘exploding’ Samsung Note 7 phones with similar batteries to the Nintendo Switch. Play as Coco and let her idle to see her pull out her phone for taking selfies. If you continue waiting, Coco will pull her phone out again and it will spark and explode triggering any nearby crates including TNT and Nitro. Check it out in the video below.
Another Naughty Dog reference in Crash Bandicoot 2 of the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy
In another awesome nod to developers Naughty Dog and their love of easter eggs and references, Crash Bandicoot 2 features the Naughty Dog logo. In the Crash Bandicoot N Sane Trilogy, while enjoying the intro cinematic of Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back you’ll notice an asteroid or meteor with the Naughty Dog logo carved into it. The asteroid flies in front of the space station in the opening cut scene so be ready to look for it!
Furthermore, the Naughty Dog paw logo shows up on the back of Coco’s laptop as well on her phone cover!
Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy Wumpa fruit trick
In Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped if you wait for Crash’s idle animation where he throws a Wumpa fruit in the air, the fruit will eventually land on you showering you in Wumpa fruit. However, if you start moving around while the fruit is still in the air, because you are moving Crash doesn’t spin and you keep the Wumpa fruit on you!
