Totally Bear

Totally Bear is the twenty-sixth level in Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back. The first of two original secret levels in the game, it is unlocked by finding the secret warp in Un-Bearable. This level is considered to be much harder than the previous bear riding levels. This level forces Crash to once again ride his acquaintance, Polar, close to the end of Un-Bearable. In Bear It, it was during the day, in Bear Down, it was evening, and now in Totally Bear, it is night, making it harder for the player because you cannot see that much farther ahead, and there is a light following the two. It is unknown what the source of the light is. It could possibly be moonlight.

Trivia

 * Unlike the rest of the levels in the secret warp room and the other secret paths in the game (including gem paths and death routes), this is the only level that plays the same exact song as the other Polar levels rather than a remix of it, as the "Polar" levels do not have any special route music.
 * This level's name could be a sly pun on Mattel's popular and famous Totally Hair Barbie, which sold extremely well in the years prior to this game's release.
 * For some reason, this level is pitch black, and yet Crash doesn't need fireflies to see, unlike in Night Fight and Totally Fly (the second secret level), probably due to light following Crash and Polar all the time.
 * Shortly after the second check point, the box counter will increase by two without Crash breaking a box.  Through hacking, it has been discovered that this small glitch occurs as a result of a TNT crate exploding before it comes on screen, breaking a nearby life crate with it.
 * As with the other Polar levels in this game, Aku Aku is banned from this level, so even if the player has an Aku Aku mask when entering the level, the player loses it.
 * This is one of only two levels in this game that doesn't contain any nitro crates, the other level being The Pits (though Turtle Woods, Hang Eight, and Road to Ruin only contain nitro crates in secret areas of the levels).