N. Sanity Beach

Are you ready to start the adventure to save Tawna? - Level description.

N. Sanity Beach (めざめの ビーチ lit. Awakening Beach in Japanese) is the first level in the original Crash Bandicoot and it's remaster in Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy. It is located on the first island and is the only level with a beach-type area in the game.

N. Sanity Beach was one of the two playable levels in the PlayStation Experience 2016 demo of the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy along with Heavy Machinery.

Level design
Crash washes up on the shores of N. Sanity Beach after plunging from the window of Doctor Neo Cortex's laboratory. He then shows a mischievous grin, followed by a single spin, informing the player of Crash's basic attack, and the level begins. The sandy path is relatively simple and introduces the player to wumpa fruit, crabs, turtles, bottomless pits, lives (but, strangely not inside a Crash crate), basic crates, ? crates, bounce crates, arrow crates and Aku Aku crates (Crash starts with an Aku Aku mask in the NTSC-J version of the game informing him of his hints, thus the first Aku Aku crate is not present). At the end of the path, there will be a stone wall that the player must scale which contains crates and many wumpa fruit. There is also a single iron crate who's only apparent purpose serves to introduce you to the iron crate.

At the top, the player will see their first checkpoint crate, and will come to another short sandy path that eventually forks in two. The left path contains two crates, but the right path contains a long crate bridge, the main challenge of the level. The bridge is made up of outline crates, the first in the series, and are "filled" using a nearby ! crate, also the first seen in the series, turning each crate into a basic one, except the penultimate crate turns to a Crash crate. This introduces the player to the concept of backtracking, as the player is required to head down one path then head back for the other if they seek the gem. This concept is revised in a more extreme, difficult fashion later on in Cortex Power. After the paths join back up, the player will see the exit.

Gem
There are 49 crates in this level. No colored gem is required to get the gem, so this will likely be the first (or one of the first) gems the player will find. Like all levels on the first island, a regular clear gem is the player's reward for breaking every box without dying in the original version of game.

The gem is a fairly easy task, as the path is very simple. A fork in the road is present, but both paths are short so this doesn't create many problems. However, on the right path, there is a crate bridge that complicates matters. Breaking each box on the bridge, one by one, is not an easy task. However, running straight across the bridge with Aku Aku invincibility (conveniently there are three Aku Aku crates in this level, all before the bridge) will break each box as Crash runs, making this hard task easy.

Types of crates

 * Aku Aku Crate - 3
 * Arrow Crate - wooden - 1
 * Basic Crate
 * Bounce Crate - 3
 * Checkpoint Crate - 1
 * Crash Crate
 * ! Crate
 * Iron Crate - 1
 * Outline Crate
 * ? Crate
 * Time Crate (1/2/3 seconds)

Hazard Count

 * Crabs: 3
 * Turtles: 5

Stage parameters

 * Aku Aku Crates: 3 (2 in NTSC-J).
 * Checkpoint Crates: 1
 * TNT Crates: None.
 * Other Crates: 45 (69 in Beta).
 * Tawna Bonus Round Crates: None.
 * Brio Bonus Round Crates: None.
 * Cortex Bonus Round Crates: None.

Tips and strategies

 * There are three Aku Aku crates in this level. With the three Aku Aku power ups, it is possible to run straight to the crate bridge and cross it before the power up wears off. The power up will cause all of the crates to break as Crash runs across them, avoiding the difficult task of breaking them one by one. If Crash stops running on the bridge with the power up active, he will fall as the crates beneath him break.
 * This is also a great strategy for completing the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy Time Trial in the level because the right path is much shorter than the left one, and since players do not have to worry about collecting all the boxes they can do it with out the triple Aku Aku. However if players do not have the triple Aku Aku power up it will be much more difficult to get the crucial time crates needed to get an even better time. But triple Aku Aku or not players will still get a much better time by going on the right path then they would on the left.
 * Crash should move a little bit up each time he breaks a box on the bridge.

Password
This corresponds to the save file with only the gem on N. Sanity Beach and no other progress in the game (1%).

Appearances in other games

 * The beach itself is also featured in Crash Team Racing as the very first hub world visited in the game's Adventure Mode, where the player is immediately dropped after selecting their character. It houses the tracks Crash Cove, Roo's Tubes, Mystery Caves and Sewer Speedway. The champion racer of them is none other than Ripper Roo. The entrance to Ripper Roo's challenge is on the other side of where the racing podium is. The beach also has the crystal challenge, Skull Rock.


 * It appears in the "non-100% ending" of Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, as Crash and Coco lie on the shore (along with a crab) and wonder whatever became of Cortex, with the Cortex Vortex coming into view as the end credits appear.


 * In Crash Twinsanity, the beach is where the game starts at on N. Sanity Island.


 * In Crash Nitro Kart 2, the first race track is on N. Sanity Beach.

Translation of Aku Aku Hints in the Japanese Version

 * I am Aku Aku, the magician who protects this island. Awful things are happening in this island, due to Cortex's schemes. Tawna is also captured. Hurry to rescue her.
 * If I'm attached to your body, I can defend you once from enemies. If you collect two of me, I become shiningly bright and look cool. If you collect three of me, mysterious power will burst out!
 * Do you know that you can jump on wooden boxes and enemies to destroy them? You can get good things if you try to jump. If you only spin, you eyes will become dizzy.
 * Note that players don't get the hint if Crash gains invincibility from the mask, like every other hint in the game.

Hazards

 * Pit - whistle
 * Crab - spin & fall
 * Turtle - Spin and fall

Trivia

 * In the prototype version of the game, crates are more abundant (72 total) and are less intrusive in the path (meaning most will be hiding in the sides).
 * In the same prototype, it is impossible to run across the box bridge while invincible. Crash is unable to run fast enough in this version and as a result, he will fall into the pit.
 * In the E3 version, there was blue wood.
 * The level's name is a pun on the word "insanity".
 * The similar pun "N. Sane" is used in the remake's title.
 * In the original game, the top of Cortex's Castle can be seen at the very start of the level to the right, just above the wrecked ship.
 * The Japanese version begins the level with an Aku Aku mask already in the player's posession. As a result, the level's first Aku Aku crate was removed, making this version contain one crate fewer than others.

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