New gameplay from Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time kicked off Sony’s latest State of Play event. The lengthy trailer saw developer Toys for Bob reveal several new features for the highly anticipated sequel. For example, playable characters will have a variety of fun cosmetics in Crash Bandicoot 4, but no microtransactions. It’ll also have several new playable characters, including Dingodile, but perhaps the most exciting reveal was the confirmation of N. Verted Mode, an actual inverted mode, for Crash Bandicoot 4.
Inverted mode isn’t just Crash Bandicoot 4 with the content mirrored, however. It’s a substantial undertaking that alters Crash Bandicoot 4 through visual filters and game-altering mechanics that aren’t just great looking, but is also challenging in unexpected ways.
Inverted mode will require players to unlock it, since it’s a special way of playing the game that builds on the original level layout of Crash Bandicoot 4. Each of the game’s dimensions has been altered in large and small ways. Some of the examples given are an old-timey movie style that speeds up gameplay or a darkened style where breaking boxes creates an echo that gives players a brief glimpse of the level’s layout.
Beating Crash Bandicoot 4 once won’t be enough for completionists, they’ll have to go through the game in inverted mode to truly test their Crash Bandicoot 4 skill. It won’t be easy and only the best Crash Bandicoot players will make it through, but it’ll be worth it just for the gorgeous visual features alone.
One additional detail that Toys for Bob made clear is that while Crash Bandicoot 4’s inverted mode is an endgame feature, it’s not DLC or an expansion. It’ll be included in the base game just like all of the other Crash Bandicoot 4 content. The developers promised that Crash Bandicoot 4 would have no microtransactions, after all.
Crash Bandicoot 4’s inverted mode isn’t the only mode in the new game, of course. Toys for Bob and Activision have previously announced that Crash Bandicoot 4 features Modern and Retro modes. These are difficulty modes optimized for different audiences of players. For example, the modern version will be for those unaccustomed to the difficulty of retro PlayStation games. It features automatic checkpoints, whereas the retro mode will utilize the classic lives system.
Expect more information about Crash Bandicoot 4’s inverted mode as launch approaches.
Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time releases October 2 on PS4 and Xbox One.
