Lights Out

''You forgot to bring that flashlight didn't you? Not to worry, Aku Aku will be happy to help in Lights Out. You will need to retrieve the yellow gem from The Lab before you can collect the purple gem hidden here.'' - Level description

Lights Out is the twenty-sixth level in Crash Bandicoot and the eighth level that the player must complete on the Third Island. It involves Crash sneaking around the dark corridors of Cortex's Castle while being aided by an illuminated Aku Aku mask. It is also the first level to introduce the iconic gameplay mechanic that involves Crash traveling through dark levels with a tiny source of light.

Level design
Lights Out takes place in the dark corridors of Cortex's Castle, possibly the attic portion of the castle as there is no stable floor or light source available. The corridors of the castle are decorated with many different memorabilia including shields, chairs, and embroideries with "N" on them, which line up against the walls of the castle. Along the way, Crash will be using the beams and moving platforms of the attic to maneuver around. The level is filled with traps of all sorts including swinging blades and falling platforms. The path is also littered with rats and spiders.

The whole path Crash will be traversing lacks any source of light. To compensate for this lack of light, he will be using special Aku Aku masks to help illuminate his path. These special Aku Aku masks act different from the ones collected in other levels. Crash will be unable to stack Aku Aku masks in this level, so he will be unable to achieve an invincibility. Losing an Aku Aku masks means that Crash will be losing a source of light. To make up for the high probability of Crash losing his personal source of light due to the traps and enemies scattered around the level, there will be an abundance of Aku Aku masks for him to collect. Its still important that Crash keeps his masks as long as possible though as there are plenty of jumps and enemies lurking in the shadows that could easily cause him to lose his source of light.

Enemies and obstacles

 * Rats - The rats typically appear along Crash's path in the level, and usually creep up from the darkness. They usually appear in groups also, so avoiding them will be kind of a challenge. The simplest way to defeat the rats is to just spin them away. This will allow Crash to defeat more than one rat at once.
 * Spiders - The spiders can be found dangling from their web in the middle of the path. Crash can defeat these arachnids easily by spinning them away. In certain portions of the level though, the spiders can be found dangling over pits and must be used to cross the large chasms by jumping on them.
 * Swinging Blade - These swinging blades cut away ferociously at Crash's path. They can be avoided easily by running around while they are not blocking the path. If a blade hits Crash though, he will lose his Aku Aku mask.

Trivia

 * The stage's name is based on an old saying mothers everywhere tell their children at bedtime.

Video walkthrough
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