Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time

Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time is a 3D platforming video game published by Activision, developed by Toys for Bob and is the eighth mainline title in the Crash Bandicoot series.

The game was first properly teased on the 18th of June 2020, where several video game news reporters were sent jigsaw puzzles that revealed a new, mysterious mask character.

The next day, the 19th of June, the Taiwan Digital Game Rating Committee filed a rating for the game, revealing its title, placeholder box art, and a short plot synopsis. Said box art also revealed the game's developer, Toys for Bob, as well as the game being slated for release on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Four new masks can be seen on the artwork.

On June 21st, a live-action teaser featuring the 100% ending of Warped and the title of the game was unveiled through the official Crash Bandicoot social media channels. The announcement trailer came out on June 22nd, 4pm BST.

During Summer Games Fest, an official trailer was shown, showcasing new worlds and four new Quantum Masks, known as the Phase Mask Lani-Loli, the Dark Matter Mask 'Akano, the Time Mask Kupuna-Wa, and the Gravity Mask Ika-Ika. Using Lani-Loli, the player will be able to change phases of certain elements, while using 'Akano, the player can hover and glide over the platforms or even break and knock back things that the normal spin can't, while using Kupuna-Wa, the player will be able to slow time to a crawl, and while using Ika-Ika, the player can reverse gravity to manuever on ceilings and wall run.

Story
"Neo Cortex and N. Tropy are back at it again and launching an all-out assault on not just this universe, but the entire multiverse! Crash and Coco are here to save the day by reuniting the four quantum masks and bending the rules of reality."

- Official PlayStation Store description.

Following their defeat at the hands of Crash Bandicoot in Crash Bandicoot: Warped 22 years prior, Uka Uka attempts to liberate himself and Doctors Neo Cortex and Nefarious Tropy from their prison in the past. His latest effort rips open a hole in the fabric of space and time, and causes him to pass out. Cortex and N. Tropy swiftly escape, abandoning Uka Uka, and discover that the rift they use links their universe to the rest of the multiverse, and decide to make use of it to conquer all dimensions. To ensure success, the pair create a generator capable of opening other space-time rifts and recruit aid from Doctors N. Gin and Nitrus Brio to provide an army in anticipation of their enemies' interference. Meanwhile, Aku Aku, Uka Uka's older twin brother, senses the disturbance in space and time and quickly rushes Crash to N. Sanity Peak. Upon arriving, he comes across Lani-Loli, whom Aku Aku recognizes as one of the Quantum Masks – four ancient witch doctor masks that have great power over space and time, and who would only appear if something has opened up the multiverse. Lani spots a rift and suspects there is trouble, leading to Crash and his sister Coco agreeing to follow him across the multiverse and find the other Quantum Masks, while combating the chaos Cortex is creating.

During their adventures, the pair meet an alternate version of Tawna, Crash's old girlfriend, who offers her help while undertaking an adventure of her own. At the same time, Dingodile, who recently retired from villainy to run his own restaurant, finds himself caught up in the chaos when his business is burned down by a rival restaurant and he is sucked into another dimension by a spacial disruption. While Dingodile does not interact with Crash's adventure at first, his actions inadvertently assist Crash and Coco at various points in space and time. Crash and Coco find two more of the Quantum Masks, named Akano and Kupuna-Wa, and defeat N. Gin and N. Brio. After facing and defeating Cortex, N. Tropy betrays him and reveals that he and his new partner (later revealed to be a female version of N. Tropy from Tawna's universe) are going to remake the multiverse and subsequently erase Cortex, Crash, Coco and the Masks from existence. A furious Cortex agrees to team up with the bandicoots and the three rescue the last Quantum Mask, Ika-Ika, and eventually meet up with Dingodile and Tawna. Together, the team successfully track down and defeat the two N. Tropies and the Quantum Masks destroy the Rift Generator, sealing all the space-time disruptions.

However, after taking a celebratory trip to a futuristic city, Cortex betrays the group and steals Kupuna-Wa, using her to travel back in time before the events of his first bid for world domination in an attempt to avert Crash's creation. Ultimately, he is unsuccessful in both convincing his past self to abandon the experiment and killing the present Crash, Coco and Aku Aku, who followed him from the future. As the Quantum Masks banish him to the end of the universe, the past Cortex proceeds with the experiment, preparing to brainwash the past Crash with the Cortex Vortex; the present Crash accidentally destroys the Vortex's power source, causing it to malfunction and reject his past self, thereby ensuring his own creation. Dingodile rebuilds and reopens his diner, Cortex relaxes on a beach and enjoys the peace and quiet, and Crash, Coco, Tawna, Aku Aku and the Quantum Masks play video games at their home on N. Sanity Island. Following an epilogue narrated by Crash detailing the fates and whereabouts of the game's characters, Cortex's relaxation is interrupted by the sudden appearance of Uka Uka.

Playable

 * Crash Bandicoot
 * Coco Bandicoot
 * Tawna
 * Dingodile
 * Doctor Neo Cortex

Bosses

 * Doctor N. Gin
 * Louise
 * Doctor Nitrus Brio
 * Doctor Nefarious Tropy
 * Doctor Nefarious Tropy (female)
 * Doctor Neo Cortex

Others

 * Aku Aku
 * Uka Uka
 * Quantum Masks
 * Polar
 * Ripper Roo
 * Nitros Oxide
 * Shnurgle
 * N. Trance
 * Zem
 * Nina Cortex
 * Chick Gizzard Lips
 * Stew

Other Levels

 * Flashback Levels

Quotes
See: List of quotes in Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time

Gallery
See: Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time/Gallery

Cast

 * Andrew Morgado as Fake Crash
 * Cherise Boothe as Kupuna-Wa
 * Chris Fries as Additional Voices
 * Corey Burton as Doctor N. Gin and Nitros Oxide
 * Eden Riegel as Coco Bandicoot
 * Edward Bosco as Additional Voices
 * Fred Tatasciore as Dingodile, Akano and Happy Ika-Ika
 * Greg Eagles as Aku Aku
 * Jonathon Lipow as Additional Voices
 * Jon Olson as Additional Voices
 * JP Karliak as Doctor Nefarious Tropy
 * Keith Silverstein as Additional Voices
 * Lex Lang as Dr. Neo Cortex
 * Misty Lee as Polar
 * Richard Steven Horvitz as Lani-Loli
 * Roger Craig Smith as Doctor Nitrus Brio, Commercial Disclaimer
 * Salli Saffioti as Additional Voices
 * Sarah Tancer as Doctor Nefarious Tropy (female)
 * Scott Whyte as Crash Bandicoot
 * Ursula Taherian as Tawna Bandicoot
 * Yuri Lowenthal as Additional Voices
 * Zeno Robinson as Downer Ika-Ika
 * Unidentified Voice Actor as Uka Uka

Trivia

 * The title is both a reference to the time taken since Crash: Mind Over Mutant, the last original console Crash game, was released, and to the general narrative of the game.
 * It's About Time is the second game to be known as Crash Bandicoot 4, after Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex ' s Japanese release.
 * The game was dedicated to the memory of Aku Aku's original voice actor Mel Winkler, who passed away earlier in the same year.
 * The reason why Vicarious Visions only gave development support for this game is because the team was working on the remakes of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2.
 * Maurice LaMarche and Jess Harnell do not reprise their roles as N. Brio and Crash respectively due to them working on the Animaniacs reboot.
 * As a result, this is the first Crash game since Crash Tag Team Racing where Crash is voiced by someone other than Harnell.
 * Additionally, this is the first Crash game since Crash Bash where Debi Derryberry doesn't voice Coco.
 * This is the first game in the series where the Japanese cover doesn't use the Japanese Crash design.
 * This is the first Crash game to include foul language, especially Dingodile's use of the words "bugger", "bastards" and "bollocks". This is why the game carries a PEGI 12 rating in Europe.
 * According to the opening cinematic, Cortex and N. Tropy have attempted to escape their prison 22 times, which also happens to be the number of years that have passed since Crash Bandicoot: Warped was released.
 * Interestingly Aku Aku and Lani-Loli's respective voice actors, Greg Eagles and Richard Steven Horvitz voiced Grim and Billy respectively in "The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy".
 * This is the first mainline Crash Bandicoot game not to feature crystals as a collectible since the original Crash Bandicoot game and its subsequent remake, though they are mentioned.