Naughty Dog Co-Founder Reveals Why Crash Bandicoot Remakes Fell Short
▼ Summary
– The gaming industry sees many remakes and remasters, with varying degrees of faithfulness to the original source material.
– Crash Bandicoot co-creator Andrew Gavin praised the N. Sane Trilogy’s visuals but criticized its altered jumping mechanics.
– The original game used a variable jump system based on button press duration, which was replaced with fixed maximum-height jumps in the remake.
– Gavin argued the change made jumps feel “huge and floaty,” negatively impacting gameplay precision compared to the 1996 original.
– The N. Sane Trilogy is available on multiple modern platforms, allowing players to experience the altered mechanics firsthand.
The gaming world has seen countless remakes and remasters, but few spark discussions as nuanced as those surrounding Crash Bandicoot’s modern revival. While many praised the N. Sane Trilogy for its visual overhaul, one key figure from the franchise’s past recently shed light on why the experience didn’t quite hit the mark for longtime fans.
Andrew Gavin, co-founder of Naughty Dog, took to LinkedIn to share his candid thoughts on the 2017 remaster. He acknowledged that the team behind the remake excelled in recreating the game’s iconic art style, calling the visuals “great and faithful to the original.” However, he pinpointed a critical flaw, the way jumping was handled, as the element that undermined the remake’s authenticity.
In the original Crash Bandicoot, the height of each jump depended on how long players held the button. This subtle mechanic allowed for precise platforming, a hallmark of the series. According to Gavin, the remake abandoned this system, defaulting every jump to maximum height. The developers allegedly overlooked the original’s nuanced controls, only realizing later that Crash couldn’t clear certain gaps without adjustments. Their solution? Making every leap floaty and exaggerated.
Gavin argued that this change disrupted the game’s core feel. “Now every jump feels huge and awkward,” he wrote. “Those tight platforming moments from 1996 lost their precision, even though the remake runs on hardware a thousand times more powerful.” For purists, this seemingly minor tweak altered the entire rhythm of gameplay.
For those curious to compare, the N. Sane Trilogy remains available across Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC. Whether the floaty jumps bother players or go unnoticed, Gavin’s insights offer a fascinating glimpse into how even the smallest design choices can reshape a classic experience.
(Source: GAMESPOT)
