Death Route

Death Routes, sometimes called Skull Routes are a special path that appears in certain levels in Cortex Strikes Back, Warped and The Wrath of Cortex. The death routes are alternate routes in certain levels that can only be accessed by a special lift that has the colored gem required or a crossbones symbol on it. Crash will only be able to access the lift with the crossbones by making it through a certain portion of the level without losing a life. If he dies along the way before reaching the lift, then only an outline will appear in its place. (Should Crash die whilst actually traversing a death route, the outline rule does not apply.)

Once Crash gains access to the lift, he will take an alternate route that is usually more difficult than the regular route. The death routes always contain a gem, and sometimes also crates that must be broken to receive the level's box gem. Some death routes contain iron checkpoint crates as the death route is not required for box completion. Death routes usually feature more dangers than found in a normal level. They often have more nitro crates and/or TNT crates, than normal routes. Gem paths are similar to Death Routes, except they require colored gems to enter, however they would use the same music as a Death Route.

In Cortex Strikes Back and Warped, there is a difference regarding death routes between the PAL and NTSC versions of the game. In the NTSC versions of these games, once Crash takes the death route platform, it remains there until Crash leaves the level, no matter how many times Crash dies after that. However, in the PAL versions, the death route platform only remains there if Crash dies inside the death route. This difference means there are certain strategies that help in the NTSC version but not the PAL version. For example, in Piston It Away, in the NTSC version, when going for the box gem, the player can choose to take the death route and intentionally die. This makes it so that the player no longer has to worry about dying when completing the main part of the level and backtracking to the death route, as it will still be there. This strategy is useless in the PAL version as any deaths in the main part of the level will cause the death route to go back to outline form even if it's already been taken.

Trivia

 * In the prototype version of Cortex Strikes Back, Death Route platforms moved much faster and the player would occasionally fall through them and lose a life, if it's not on the ground.