Cortex Vortex


 * Cortexvortex.jpgThis article is about the machine. For the level of the same name, see Cortex Vortex (level).

""We are closer than ever before! Quickly, into the Vortex!" "But Doctor Cortex, the Vortex is not ready. We have no idea what it could do!""

- Cortex and Brio arguing about using the unfinished Cortex Vortex

The Cortex Vortex is a mind control device built by Dr. Neo Cortex that forces animals already subjected to the Evolvo-Ray to become Cortex's mindless slaves.

Crash Bandicoot
The Cortex Vortex's first appearance was in the original Crash Bandicoot game. It was designed to make any creature exposed to it obey Cortex completely, and when combined with the Evolvo-Ray, it could also create an army of mutant soldiers for world conquest. The interior of the Cortex Vortex is lined with television screens that spin around the subject like a vortex. The screens then broadcast and feed signals directly into the subject's brain, theoretically turning them into Cortex's mindless slave. However, the Vortex was still at the prototype stage, and while it did imprint some loyalty to Cortex on its mutant subjects (at least until later games), it also gave them distinct personalities due to the signals the machine broadcasts (Ripper Roo became a giggling maniac, Koala Kong a flexing narcissist, and Pinstripe Potoroo a trigger-happy paranoid).

Despite all this, Cortex insisted on using it on his newest mutant, Crash Bandicoot who was slated to lead his "Cortex Commandos" as their General to world domination. However, the machine rejected Crash, who used the opportunity to escape the castle. Cortex deemed his experiment with Crash a failure and was going to subject Tawna Bandicoot to the Vortex instead. However, Crash arrived in time to stop Cortex by burning down his castle, which presumably destroyed the Cortex Vortex, and saved Tawna.

Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back
Immediately after the events of the first game, Cortex discovered a new power source he could use to succeed in his plans: crystals. After spending a year building a new and improved Cortex Vortex (one which would be big enough to enslave the planet), his new right-hand man, Dr. N. Gin, informed him that he had only found the "Master Crystal", and that 25 more "Slave Crystals" were needed to fully power the machine. With no other earthbound operatives to assist him, Cortex manipulated Crash into gathering the crystals, claiming that it would help the world survive a "solar flux" with enough power to tear the Earth apart. However, when Crash gathered all 25 crystals, Coco discovered and revealed Cortex's true intentions: to harness the solar flux's energy with the crystals, using it to power his new Cortex Vortex and brainwash the entire world. His lies exposed, Cortex tried to escape with the crystals to the Cortex Vortex, but Crash defeated him and left him stranded in deep space. Afterwards, Crash gave the 42 Gems he gathered to Dr. Nitrus Brio, who used them to power a laser turret that destroyed the Cortex Vortex.

Dansu! De Jump! Na Daibouken
The Cortex Vortex appears in ''Dansu! De Jump! Na Daibouken'' known as the Base Station. It is designed to resemble the Cortex Vortex Space Station from Crash Bandicoot 2, but it's much smaller. It has the Vortex Dome on a flat surface with a ray gun that looks like the Evolvo Ray. N. Gin controls the ship while Cortex is out helping Crash get the Power Stones to power it.

Crash Bandicoot: Warped
The Cortex Vortex had a very minor, but important role in Crash Bandicoot: Warped. A piece of the Vortex (the space station that was attached to it) plummeted down to Earth, colliding with an ancient temple and freeing the evil Uka Uka from his imprisonment.

Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex
In addition to a level in the last warp room being named Cortex Vortex, the spaceship in which Cortex's meeting is held in at the beginning of the game is likely to be a newly-built Cortex Vortex. Upon creating, and then empowering, his super weapon (which later is revealed to be Crunch Bandicoot), it is likely that Dr. Neo Cortex used this newly-built Cortex Vortex to brainwash his super weapon into a slave.

Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure
In The Huge Adventure, Cortex uses a space station as his base of operations that resembles the super Cortex Vortex space station from Cortex Strikes Back. This space station isn't referred to as the Cortex Vortex by name, nor is it used for that purpose, but it is identical in appearance to its Cortex Strikes Back counterpart.

Crash of The Titans
Though it didn't appear, more on its construction was revealed. According to one Ratnician, after Uka Uka met Cortex, he gave Cortex some of his Mojo to aid in his plans for world conquest. Later on, Cortex and N. Brio had used the Mojo to build the original Cortex Vortex.

Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time
The original Cortex Vortex appears after Cortex's failed attempt to go back in time and prevent Crash's creation and the past version of Cortex conducts the initial experiment on Crash, as the experiment was occurring the future version of Crash accidentally knocked a device which caused the Cortex Vortex's malfunction and in turn created Crash's personality. An annoyed Coco then sarcastically remarked that this "explains a lot".

Appearances

 * Crash Bandicoot
 * Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back
 * Crash Bandicoot: Warped
 * Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex
 * Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure
 * Crash of the Titans (mentioned)
 * Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy
 * Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time

Trivia

 * The Cortex Vortex can be seen in a portrait in the level War of the Whirls in Crash of the Titans.
 * A level in Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex is also called Cortex Vortex.
 * After defeating Cortex in Crash Bandicoot 2, the Naughty Dog logo can be seen on one of its fins.
 * Being an incomplete prototype, the device has a very poor success rate, as nearly all of its subjects have abandoned Cortex's plans or even outright betrayed him at some point.
 * In a prototype of the first game, the Main Menu shows Tawna being sent into the Cortex Vortex.
 * Curiously, Tiny Tiger, despite supposedly working for N. Brio at the time, has a personalised boss lair inside the Cortex Vortex Space Station in the second game. In a twist of irony, Tiny would later prove more loyal to Cortex than any actual subject of the Vortex itself.
 * Koala Kong, Pinstripe, Dingodile, and Rusty Walrus (possibly) are the only actual subjects the vortex worked on successfully.

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