Crash Bandicoot: Wrath Of Cortex Is A Hidden Gem You ALL Missed

An Underrated, If Imperfect Game

Overall, there's a whole lot to enjoy in Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex, certainly more than enough to warrant at least a replaying for those gamers out there that have dismissed it from their memories. The music is great, the visuals are a step up and there are a handful of levels and boss battles that honestly deserve to be stacked up alongside any of the best moments from the acclaimed three games that came before it.

The formula is rehashed from the games previous, but Wrath of Cortex rarely ever feels like a blatant rip off when it's played through. At worst, it's a rushed out game with a safe formula the developers knew they could actually push out, and at best it's... another Crash Bandicoot game. Some levels are easy, some are ridiculously difficult, some are original and memorable and some are a torrid time throughout, however, they all manage to fit under the 'infuriating but still fun' that the Crash Bandicoot franchise has built its legacy on.

What will always hang over Wrath of Cortex however is that sense of what could have been. If the original plans are to be believed, there was so much potential on the cards with the vibrant colours and puzzling elements standing out as the game's best parts and reminding players that they should have been at the very centre of the release had Mark Cerny had his way.

Nevertheless, this is the game that introduced a lot of players to the Crash Bandicoot series and deserves far more respect than it's given. Its flaws might be present for all to see, but that is all part of the charm of the game and what gives it it's own sense of identity.

Flawed and imperfect doesn't mean unenjoyable after all.