Jaws of Darkness

''So you disliked Temple Ruins? You'll hate Jaws of Darkness! There are more death traps and vicious snakes - to avoid them, move carefully. Don't forget to find Cortex's challenge stage with a KEY for reward!'' - Level description

Jaws Of Darkness (しんでんの おくふかく lit. Deep into the Temple in Japanese) is the twenty-sixth level (including boss fights) and is the ninth level of the third island in Crash Bandicoot. The level takes place under Cortex Castle and is a major death-trap for trespassers trying to enter. It is the second and last ancient temple type of level. It is also the second and last stage in the game with a Cortex bonus round and key, which unlocks the secret level Fumbling in the Dark. The blue gem from Toxic Waste is required to clear this stage with its hidden clear gem. One of the Cortex bonus round tokens is in a hidden area, where platforms appear when Crash lands on the spot. Similar to in Temple Ruins and The High Road, a wumpa above a hole is a hint that there is a hidden path.

Types of crates

 * Aku Aku Crate
 * Arrow Crate - wooden
 * Basic Crate
 * Bounce Crate
 * Checkpoint Crate
 * Crash Crate
 * ! Crate (only found in Cortex bonus round)
 * Iron Crate (only found in the blue gem path, the Tawna bonus round, and the Cortex bonus round)
 * Outline Crate (only found in Cortex bonus round)
 * ? Crate
 * TNT Crate

Hazards

 * Arrows:
 * Snakes:
 * Crushers: 12
 * Spiders:
 * Torches:

Stage parameters

 * Aku Aku Crates: 4 (3 hidden)
 * TNT Crates: 3 (1 hidden)
 * Other Crates: 59 (34 hidden, 60 in Remastered)
 * Tawna Bonus Round Crates: 21
 * Brio Bonus Round Crates: None.
 * Cortex Bonus Round Crates: 25 (24 in Remastered)
 * Total Crates: 112

Translation of Aku Aku Hints in the Japanese Version

 * You've come to the temple again. The ancient cultures have left many secrets. Have you learned? If you lost your way, go where the apples lead to.

Trivia

 * In the prototype, there is no blue gem. The path that requires the blue gem is not there. This is because gems were not present in the prototype.
 * This level has the most hidden boxes in the game.
 * The Cortex Bonus Round of this level is one of two bonus rounds in the game, where it is not possible to break all the crates by normal means: Near the end of the bonus round, a Basic Crate is located directly under an Iron Crate and therefore, not breakable without falling into the abyss.
 * This is the only level in the game where the gem requires a colored gem from a previous level. In all other gem paths (except for the green gem path in Castle Machinery which isn't required for box completion), the required gem is in a later level, requiring the player to return to the level to go for the gem. It's most likely that Naughty Dog wanted all of the gem paths to be this way, but this one is different because Jaws of Darkness was moved from the second island to the third island.
 * In the Japanese version, Road to Nowhere shares this property.