Bear Down

Bear Down is the thirteenth level and is the third level of the third warp room in Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back. The level plays similar to Bear It, where Crash rides on Polar and must maneuver him through a maze of obstacles and enemies that he must avoid. The level of difficulty for this stage is higher than Bear It, and the level takes place during the evening rather than during the day. There are also more pits and obstacles that Crash and Polar must navigate around. The parka lab assistants are new enemies. They lift iron crates and drop them every few seconds. The main objective of this level is to make it to the end of the level without crashing into any enemies or obstacles. Since there are no Aku Aku masks in this level, Crash cannot hit any of the enemies that are scattered around the course. Crash can control the speed of Polar by having him speed up by pressing or R1, which allows him to reach higher crates, jump over larger pits, and speeds up. However, if Crash goes to fast with Polar, then he has a higher chance of hitting another enemy or obstacle. Crash also has to be careful of the TNT crates around the level, as they will countdown as soon as he gets near them.

Once Crash reaches the end of the level, Polar will launch him across a giant chasm, which will place him in front of the exit to the warp room. However, if Crash turns his back to the warp room exit, he will notice a group of icebergs in the water. Crash can jump on the icebergs to access a secret portal, which will warp him to a secret warp room and allows him to go to the secret way of Air Crash, which will allow him to get the crate gem. In the process of jumping on the icebergs, Crash has to be careful as the icebergs will start to sink after being jumped on.

Types of crates

 * Basic Crate
 * Bounce Crate
 * Checkpoint Crate
 * Iron Crate
 * Nitro Crate
 * Nitro Switch Crate
 * ? Crate
 * TNT Crate

Enemies and Obstacles
These are the different enemies and obstacles that Crash and Polar face while traveling through this level. Since there are no Aku Aku masks in this level, Crash cannot afford to hit any of the enemies as they will cause him to instantly die.


 * Totem Poles - These totem poles, which seem to take the design of a polar bear, are scattered throughout the level. They appear in different sizes and are sometimes found lying on the ground. Crash must avoid crashing into them, as they will cause him to fall off Polar. He must jump over the ones on the ground also, as they will catapult him off of Polar.
 * Orcas - These giant mammals jump out of the icy water while Crash is jumping over the chasms. The orcas will either jump out of the left side or the right side of the water. Crash must predict the direction they jump out of because he will lose a life if he hits one.
 * Seals - The seals will stroll back and forth along the path, in which Crash must avoid as they will cause him to lose a live if he would hit one.
 * Parka Lab Assistants - These lab assistants will appear in the middle of the path, and will lift a heavy crate made of metal up and down. Crash must predict when the lab assistants lift the crates up or place them down as he must avoid them depending on what position they are in.
 * TNT Crates - Unlike most TNT crates that start counting when an individual jumps on one, these ones will countdown as soon as Crash gets near them. Crash must stay away from their blast range while counting down, or else they will cause him and Polar to incinerate on impact.

Trivia

 * The name of the level is based on the phrase "man down!", which is used when a fellow soldier is wounded or killed in a battle.
 * Although, it could also be a play on the phrase "bearing down", which means to approach something in a determined and threatening manner, and usually fast.
 * As with the other bear levels in this game, Aku Aku is banned from this level, so even if the player has Aku Aku mask(s) when entering the level, the player loses the mask(s).
 * This level was originally intended to have 2 clear gems, as there is an extra unseen slot in the warp room at the left of the crystal slot. This slot, however, does not correspond to any gem, and is also badly lightened.