Creating Newstalgia for 'Crash Bandicoot 4': Modernizing a Classic IP
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 5 фев 2025
- In this 2021 GDC talk, Toys for Bob co-studio head Paul Yan chats about breathing new life into a series fans know and love, and what it takes to extend Crash lore in surprising ways.
Join the GDC mailing list: www.gdconf.com/...
Follow GDC on Twitter: / official_gdc
GDC talks cover a range of developmental topics including game design, programming, audio, visual arts, business management, production, online games, and much more. We post a fresh GDC video every day. Subscribe to the channel to stay on top of regular updates, and check out GDC Vault for thousands of more in-depth talks from our archives.
14:57 confirms that Most Crash Bandicoot games aren't retconned, but instead, they took place after Crash 4.
"Hard but fair."
Crash 4: Hides boxes offscreen and in places you'd never know to look without a guide.
Box placement isn't difficulty, it's muscle memory that you eventually learn when you revisit the levels, like any other game with secrets. Not to mention that save for the swamp level every other level has boxes that can either be seen as you get closer or have wumpa trails below them
The rules are consistent though and once you recognise the game's tricks, you get rewarded for making the assumptions of where those 'hidden' crates are. eg. If you think the game would do something a certain way, then you're either going to be right, or the game is part way through subverting you into something else you have to consider before you think you know what you're doing.
To me the most unfair parts were those sections riding the bear... Gameplay is not so accurate on these parts and it's way too easy to miss one crate due to these approximations.
As for the hidden crates, I personally gave each level only a few shots to find them. That's not the challenge I was looking for, but I can imagine some people like it, so the guides were good enough to me, I focused on execution.
@@a.baciste1733 The box collision on bear levels is something that (surprisingly?) got patched.. I admit in the no death runs that one was pushing the line but I suspect a lot of the initial launch players aren't yet aware of this change.
@@RodniDemental oh really? I indeed didn't know. Well, too late for me, I already got the perfect relics eventually (sweating all the way I am no pro) but that's good to know, nice from toys for bob!
been wanting a talk that discusses this stuff for a long time, appreciate it!!
This was a great GDC I really enjoyed the insight into the development of Crash Bandicoot 4: it’s About Time, this was great!
As a huge crash fan and someone trying to learn how to program on my own right now this talk was really insightful. I can see why Crash 4 (for whatever criticisms 106% garners) felt like such a genuine attempt at recapturing old magic There was a real effort to execute on what made the old formula so successful, and this wasn't just a lucky break in a franchise that failed to perform 6 or 7 times in a row. Thanks for making something new and awesome for fans of a franchise who I think most fans thought was long dead. I hope you or an equally self-reflecting team gets a stab at another entry.
Great talk. Insightful, informative and well paced
Avoid microtransactions in Crash games, prefer to pay full price game rather than free to play with MTX.
You and me both….
Great talk Paul. Love Crash 4, it came together really well and was a blast to play through. As a huge fan of the original Naughty Dog games I was so pleased to finally get a sequel that lived up to the originals. Here's hoping the Toys For Bob team have a chance to visit Crash for another outing.
Crash 4 is one of the hardest platformers out there. I dunno how people nail all the boxes in the bonus levels.
8:48 still teasing us wumpa league, huh? Can't wait to see what it is
I know, right?
I hope it will be revealed on the Playstation event which casually it will be on September 9th
OMG, this is more than proof now :0
It'd be nice if we could get some confirmed sales numbers for Crash 4.
What this game isn’t:
“Plumber Boy”
lol
It’s at 7:22
you did a masterful job toys for bob, with crash 4 and the spyro trilogy!
i hope nasty things will be solved in activision/blizzard and whoever deserve to be fired will be, i want crash bandicoot to be in a company without abuse and molesters ruling the place;
still, i will buy crash bandicoot until the end of my life if there're people like you working on it, thank you!
Crash bandicoot 4 is amazing and it's very fun to play, I really hope that toys for bob continue making crash games
One thing to note is that, sure, the game is self-aware, but the writing about it is quite bad, the game writing overall is mediocre too and it gives the same vibes of those awful child cartoons we are getting nowadays.
But it's ok, it fits with the game anyway and the gameplay is where this game's at
I didn't mind the game, but the Tawna redesign was pretty bad.
Seeing how radically they altered Tawna turned myself and many others away from this game. Funny thing about nostalgia... People who are nostalgic don't typically appreciate when the source material gets bastardized...
Finally, it's about time! 😏👌
what about a Spyro Sequel ? :D
Masterpiece of a game. Art direction best in the series. Only issue was the difficulty. It was REALLY hard lol.
Bring on Crash 5! Day 1 buy 🔥🔥🔥
(DmC Devil May Cry was not a sequerl nor a prequel. It's a full reboot.)
Still waiting for Crash 4 and Nitro Kart on steam :(
It was a phantastic game and couldn't belive it was that good, yet I feel that it's still a step behind the original series, a dream of mine whould be a reboot of twinsanity wich I belive was way inferior to the original series but managed to be only one that even beaten the original series in capturing the magic of the frachise.
By the way the n'sane trilogy was trash for the weight the game had, please avoid make the same mistake they did
So Disney copied Crash for the romance in the Loki series hahahaha
25:22
My only problem with the game is that the Inverted levels are unnecessary. By the way the "developer times Relics" were great, I hope it becomes a stable for the series.
Those were first introduced in the original Crash Bandicoot 3 in 1998. But Crash 4 is the first time they have a visual representation in the game.
As long as they aren't required for completion. Not everyone likes doing the time trials and it's hard enough getting Platinum without having to compete with the game's QA times.
I love time trials and I love n verted levels!
I really liked those n-verted levels! But indeed, the way I see it:
- Either they had to change the crate location
OR
- There shouldn't be any Cristal to get from those levels (except one to complete the level)
With same crates locations it ended feeling like doing the same twice in many of those levels, which ruined a bit the pleasure to get a "side" experience out of those.
14:52 Paul Yan stating that makes more sense for Wrath of Cortex and Twinsanity to still be canon and saves hassle of reintroducing Crunch, Nina and Elementals all they have to do now is a make a sequel to Twinsanity or a sequel to GBA game N-Tranced 2 I consider these games canon in timeline like this spin offs not being mentioned and Titans and Mind Over Mutant are crap.
Crash 1, 2 and 3
It’s About Time
Wrath of Cortex
Twinsanity
XS
N-Tranced 2
Fusion
Titans & MOM are very much 100% canon you can't change that because it's a fact according to Crash on the run (the latest Crash game in the main timeline)
Him: "We're ignoring those sequels that would've taken place after this one and having fun about it"
You: "OMG TWINSANITY STIL KANON!"
I will never understand why they redesigned the look of Crash to not look like the games they're supposed to be a direct sequel to, especially with the inclusion of the N.Sane Trilogy cutscene. Nothing here captures the 90's Crash.
90s Crash was heavily based on Looney Tunes and cartoons in general. This game was literally made with that mind. The entire style of the game gives off that vibe.
@@AbdulTheArabicGuy @AbdulTheArabicGuy I don't see it. It's basically the same style they used with the Spyro trilogy just with a different roster of characters. Doesn't change the fact that this was not the time to change up the designs. Do it for a spin-off not a sequel.
@@ToomStoneMedia Spyro is cartoony. Crash is cartoony. Their style is meant to be entirely cartoony and vibrant :) It may not necessarily have been the time to change anything, but if the change is warranted and tries to modernize the series and move it forward away from just being a nostalgia door, that is better in the long run as long as that is consistent and not rebooted once again in some years. This was a warranted change. They directly described it as wanting to venture away from just being plain old nostalgia in the artbook, and those similar words were echoed here too. They are pushing the series forward outside of just being around for the sake of nostalgia.
@@AbdulTheArabicGuy All of the platformer mascots are cartoony, but their individual styles makes them stand out from each other. Spyro and Crash were visually distinct from each other, and for them to share the same look removes some of that series identity. The current style works for the upcoming Rumble game since it's a whole new thing, if they wanted to stray away from Crash nostalgia then I'd argue they went the wrong way about it by calling it the long awaited sequel to the original games. Maybe you'll disagree but I don’t feel like everything has to be modernized to stick around, you can do a lot without everything becoming too uniform.
Way too hard and frustrating to fully complete it and the nverted levels just annoying padding. I want to play crash not dark souls. For me its too big turn away factor and i only play it casually
fwiw, I would have complained waay more than you if the game was too easy :P
Wasn't Crash already hard as hell?
As long as its not as hard as the Sonic Heroes Emerald challenges I'm happy.
+Darken The emerald challenges are not hard as long as you use the power types.
@@moesabally1502
In what way does that help? I would assume speed types would be better since it is essentially a race.
@@darken2417 You won't slip and get stuck nearly as much as the speed characters. And the power types are still fast enough unlike the flight ones.
Plus I remember playing those stages on pc, and it felt more polished than on console.
I was a teenager when the original trilogy and CTR came out and I finished them all except for Crash 1, which was too difficult. I loved Crash 2, 3 and CTR though. Crash 1 was also a great game but too difficult like I said. Similarly, I was thrilled with Crash 4, which was brilliant and I loved it except for two major issues; it was too damn difficult, and honestly I would NEVER buy a crash game this hard EVER. It makes me hate playing games. Second, it has become too messy and complicated very quickly (says a 40 something phd). They try to innovate TOO MUCH. What I want is a relaxed and somewhat challenging but never intimidating Crash game, which innovates only mildly not wildly. Unfortunately because of this game, I am done with the Crash series. Nintendo does it a thousand times better now!.
So bye.
You REAAALY didnt understood what was the appeal of the old games. I praise the lord (I'm a atheist) 1000000 times for this well craft and balanced piece of art.
Just to add, my sister who have only played one game in her life which was crash 2, have finished this game and loved it.
Grade art design
Long story short: You did it by not adding in woke politics, not that difficult. Anyone making reboots need to take note.
By not adding in woke politics? Have you seen Tawna's redesign? She's a poster child of woke appearance. A complete redesign with "the haircut" because it wouldn't be woke to keep Tawna as she canonically was.
@@Tamarocker88 And her over-the-top level of confidence, which is very irritating in some dialogue lines.
@@gabaguiarp Coco's personality in the game reminds me of modern Lisa Simpson. I like her design, but it seems she's always annoyed at every stupid shit Crash does. I wished they had a genuine sibling relationship. They cranked up the knob for female empowerment way too much here..
@@ChadsterFlower I actually love Coco, she's very relatable and I don't see where she gets annoyed at Crash as you said.
Nonetheless, getting annoyed at every shit your sibling does is pretty much the common genuine sibling relationship, haha.
@@gabaguiarp I guess it happens in some parts of the game when N.Brio scared Lani-Loni causing Crash to jump into Coco's arms, but yeah, you're right, it's all in good nature. Alt Tawna is definitely the biggest offender. When the next crash game comes out, (Wumpa league I presume) I hope TFB makes the two Tawnas co-exist with each other so people that like OG Tawna better can use her, sorta like the situation with Rilla Roo in Nitro-Fueled.