Fumbling in the Dark

thumb|500px|left ''Darkness? It is here, secretly! Be fumbling around in it, but don't miss out on the Clear Gem unit!!'' -Level description

Fumbling in the Dark is one of the two secret levels in Crash Bandicoot. It can only be entered once Crash wins the key in Jaws of Darkness. Fumbling in the Dark expands on the mechanics introduced in Lights Out.

In this level, Crash sneaks his way through the darkened, eerie corridors of Cortex Castle. Because the darkness basically makes everything around Crash invisible, the Aku Aku masks, which in this level glow in order to help Crash see the path, are extremely vital for his survival. Collecting them is the safest way to get through the level, but it also means that if Crash is hit by an enemy, he loses his only source of light.

Trivia

 * This level's name is a reference to Nintendo's famous Chargin' Chuck enemies, from the Super Mario World video game. These enemies were famous for playing the sport of American football, and in this level's title, they are fumbling the ball, because they are unable to handle the PlayStation's radical new darkness mechanics, a surprisingly pointed jab at Nintendo for not letting Naughty Dog develop this series for the N64. It is perhaps because of this unnecessarily sharp criticism that they chose to make this a hidden level.
 * Alternately, the name could be based on something mothers everywhere do after turning the lights out, a sly reference to this level being an extension of its predecessor. It can be assumed that the development team has fond memories of their mothers, evidenced by this pair of levels, which should not be denied.