Activation Crate

An Activation Crate is a crate used in Crash Nitro Kart and Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled to set traps, such as trap doors, obstacles, and magnets. It looks exactly like the ! crate, except wooden. In Crash Nitro Kart, Activation crates are found in eight of the thirteen race tracks (61.5%), and in three of the five battle arenas (60%). In the original game, each track with an activation crate has only one such crate. Every activation crate from Crash Nitro Kart returns in Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled, where a second activation crate is added to Electron Avenue. Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled also includes an activation crate in Nina's Nightmare, an original track. The functions vary from track to track, and are described below. The crate is also seen in Crash Bandicoot: On the Run!, where it can be used to change things on the path ahead.

Tiny Temple
The activation crate changes which torches breathe fire and which do not.

Meteor Gorge
The activation crate toggles a ramp between inactive and active.

Barin Ruins
The activation crate causes a large boulder to roll in the middle of the tube.

Out of Time
The activation crate is located very early in the lap, and can in fact be seen from the starting line. There are two ramps, side by side, and the activation crate toggles which is active and inactive.

Clockwork Wumpa
Breaking the activation crate will cause a trapdoor shortly after the crate to open up into a hole that racers can fall through. Unlike in most tracks, everything goes back to normal on its own, not by breaking the crate again.

Thunder Struck
The activation crate is located very close to the end of the lap. It toggles which of two nearby statues are actively hammering the ground.

Assembly Lane
Breaking the activation crate will cause the giant magnet to travel to a new location.

Electron Avenue
The activation crate toggles which turbo pad is active and which is inactive. In Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled, a second activation crate is added, toggling the active pad between a different set of turbo pads.

Nina's Nightmare
The activation crate changes whether the pumpkin monster stomps on the left path or right path of the track.

Desert Storm
The activation crate, located on a floating island in between the main centre platform and one of the four side ramps, causes the roof of the main platform to descend and crush anyone on it.

Magnetic Mayhem
The activation crates cause pistons in the roof to extend, bringing down a flat sheet of metal to crush anyone in the middle of the arena.

Terra Drome
The activation crate, located at the top of the ramp, causes fire to shoot out of holes in the pit in the centre.

Crash Nitro Kart
"These crates don't give you anything when you drive through them. Instead, they activate a trap to slow down the other racers! Crash through them at the right time to see your opponents flattened, burned, or rolled over. These crates are marked with an exclamation point."
 * Manual

Appearances

 * Crash Nitro Kart
 * Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled
 * Crash Bandicoot: On the Run!