Crash Bandicoot™ N. Sane Trilogy

Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy is a 2017 platform game compilation developed by Vicarious Visions and published by Activision for the PlayStation 4. It includes remasters of the first three video games in the Crash Bandicoot series: Crash Bandicoot (1996), Cortex Strikes Back (1997), and Warped (1998); which were originally developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. It was later ported to Nintendo Switch, Windows, and Xbox One in 2018. Prior to the compilation's announcement, the Crash Bandicoot series had been dormant since 2010. Vicarious Visions, lacking the original source code, rebuilt the games using polygon meshes provided by Sony and Naughty Dog, decoding outdated formats. Missing animations, textures, and music were recreated by cross-referencing video footage, concept art, and fan feedback from online communities. Modern enhancements included high-resolution textures, dynamic lighting, an updated soundtrack with live instruments, and the addition of Crash's sister Coco as a playable character across all games, while preserving core gameplay and speedrunning exploits. The N. Sane Trilogy received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise for its faithful yet visually improved recreation of the original games, cohesive presentation, and nostalgic appeal, though the dated controls, inconsistent difficulty, some unpolished vehicle sections and altered jumping physics received criticism. The game was a commercial success, selling 20 million units worldwide by June 2024.