Boulders

Boulders (おおいわ ゴロゴロ lit. Big Rock Rattle-rattle in Japanese) is the fourth level (eight in Beta) of the first island in Crash Bandicoot. It is notable as the first chase style level in the Crash series, in which Crash must outrun a boulder that is chasing him. The Tawna bonus round in the previous level, The Great Gate, saves at this level.

Level design
Throughout the course of the level, Crash must run away from several large spherical boulders. If he is too slow, he will be crushed. Each boulder starts rolling from the top of a bridge-like tunnel. It is stopped either by smashing into the wall of the next tunnel along the way or by plunging down a hole. There are no enemies in this level apart from the boulder. However, there are several wooden obstacles along the way which will slow Crash down if he runs into them.

The level is extremely linear; the camera, however, is pointing towards Crash's front-side throughout. Players must run toward the screen, an unusual departure from the first three levels. This seems to be acknowledged by Naughty Dog, as players are pointed in this new direction at the start of the level by an arrow made of wumpa fruit. The camera angle means that players can not see what obstacles lay ahead of them until the last second, giving them little time to react. Following wumpa fruit will make sure Crash avoids the wooden obstacles however.

Gem
If all 16 crates are broken and the level is completed without dying, the player will be awarded a clear gem. Crates cannot be smashed by the boulder, as it bounces over them.

Types of crates

 * Basic Crate
 * Bounce Crate
 * Checkpoint Crate
 * Crash Crate
 * ? Crate
 * TNT Crate (Beta only)

Stage parameters

 * Aku Aku Crates: None
 * TNT Crates: None. (1 in Beta)
 * Other Crates: 16 (15 in Beta)
 * Tawna Bonus Round Crates: None.
 * Brio Bonus Round Crates: None.
 * Cortex Bonus Round Crates: None.

Password
This corresponds to a save file at this level (9%, 0 keys, 2 gems).

Trivia

 * The premise of this level mirrors an iconic scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark, in which Indiana Jones runs from a pursuing boulder.
 * The level description refers to this by mentioning Indiana Jones.
 * This is the first level in the series where the players must escape from a dangerous hazard that is chasing them. The format has been used several times in later games:
 * In Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back with giant snowballs and giant polar bears.
 * A triceratops in Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped.
 * Avalanches, tsunamis, and dragons in stages in Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex.
 * A giant yeti and Mega-Mix in Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure.
 * A shark in Crash Bandicoot 2: N-Tranced.
 * Rusty Walrus, natives, ant drills, rising toxic waste, and a school bus tied to Cortex's airship in Crash Twinsanity.
 * A giant fruit in Crash Tag Team Racing, at Happy Ever Faster.
 * A large spiked pillar in Crash: Mind Over Mutant.
 * This is one of the levels with the least changes over from the prototype to the retail version.
 * This level was completely remade for Uncharted 4: A Thief's End. Nathan Drake ends up telling his wife he could beat her high score in her “TV Game Thing,” which is immediately revealed to be a classic white PlayStation One with Crash Bandicoot loaded.
 * It is impossible to beat Elena in the version where she tutors you on how to play.
 * You can, however, beat her high score in the epilogue extras of the game.