Japanese render of Crash using an Atlasphere in Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex
The Atlasphere, as named in Crash Bandicoot 2: N-Tranced[1], also spelled Atlas Sphere in the manual[2], is an object that appears in some Crash Bandicoot games. It is a hamster ball-esque sphere that Crash Bandicoot, among other characters, rolls around in. This renders the player unable to jump, spin or use most of Crash's usual moves, leaving them to use the ball's rolling momentum to clear obstacles.
Overview[]
Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex[]
The atlasphere first appeared in The Wrath of Cortex, used in four of the game's levels; Bamboozled, Eskimo Roll, Medieval Madness and Solar Bowler. These are mostly obstacle course style stages where Crash must use the ball's momentum to fly over gaps and avoid pits and other hazards. It is also used in the boss fight against Crunch and Rok-Ko, Rumble in the Roks, where Crash must ram into rocks in order to change them into his color, all while avoiding Crunch who is rolling around in his own atlasphere made of stone. The atlasphere's frame is red, green and blue in Wrath of Cortex with slightly tinted glass.
Crash Bandicoot 2: N-Tranced[]
It is also used in N-Tranced by Crash as well as Crunch in three levels: Globe Trottin', Barrel Roll and Rocks Can Roll. It controls mostly the same as in Wrath of Cortex, with the additional ability to brake by pressing A, or accelerate by pressing B. In this game Crash's atlasphere's frame is dark red with no visible glass. Crunch's atlasphere is neon green instead.
N-Tranced's multiplayer mode also involves the use of Atlaspheres, meaning the multiplayer characters can use it too. The atlasphere's color is different for each character; blue for Coco Bandicoot, mustard yellow for Fake Crash, cyan for N. Tropy, red for N. Trance, brown for Neo Cortex, yellow for N. Gin, dark blue for Tiny Tiger, green for Dingodile, and neon green for Mega-Mix.
Crash Tag Team Racing[]
In Tag Team Racing, a Park Drone in an atlasphere is used as a bowling ball in the Von Clutch's Lanes bowling minigame. This atlasphere has a black frame which is more complex in design.
Crash Boom Bang![]
In Boom Bang!, atlaspheres appear in several mini-games. Its color is determined by the player using it; player 1's Atlasphere is red, player 2's is blue, player 3's is green and player 4's is yellow.
In Battle Ball, players must roll around in their atlaspheres using the stylus to collect as much Wumpa fruit as possible. In Crash Bowling, the player must use their character in an atlasphere as a bowling ball and knock down as many pins as they can. In Atlasphere Rolling, as the name suggests, the player controls their character rolling down a steep hill in an atlasphere, where they must steer left and right to collect Wumpa and avoid obstacles. In Crash Tight Rope, the player must carefully maneuver the atlasphere along a thin strip of land without falling off; the first to reach the center wins. In Crash Pocket!, all four players are inside atlaspheres on a giant pool table; they must avoid other players while trying to hit the pool ball into one of the pockets. In Crash Putter Golf, the player must roll their character into the hole in the center of the stage in as few strokes as possible. In Crash on the Ice, the players are in atlaspheres on a giant iceberg, where they must try to knock the others off without falling off themselves.
Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time[]
In It's About Time, a metallic atlasphere is used by Crash (or Coco) in the level Hit the Road (as well as its Tawna timeline counterpart, Truck Stopped) to outrun N. Gin's truck, the Doom Rig. Atlaspheres are also used by a certain variety of enemies, the Rambling Rollers.
Crash Team Rumble[]
In Rumble, the atlasphere from It's About Time returns as an unlockable Relic Station in the map Calamity Canyon, known as a Junker Ball, which knocks back and damages any opponents it collides with. A similar power-up is available on the map Just Beachy in the form of a bouncy beach ball, which has much higher knockback.
Names in other languages[]
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
| Dutch | Atlasbol[a] |
| French | Atlasphère[a] Mappemonde (N-T manual, CBB!)[b] |
| German | Atlaskugel[a] |
| Italian | Atlasfera[a] Sfera (CBB!)[b] |
| Japanese | CR カプセル[3] カプセル (CBB!)[b] kurasshu kapuseru kapuseru (CBB!) |
| Korean | 크래쉬 캡슐[4] keulaeswi kaebsyul |
| Spanish | Atlasfera[a] Atlas (CBB!)[b] |
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ Crash Bandicoot 2: N-Tranced. Level/area: Globe Trottin'. Aku Aku: "Crash, these Mayan ruins can only be traversed by using one of your favorite toys, the atlasphere. Look out for nitro traps and ledges."
- ↑ https://archive.org/details/n-tranced-manual/IMG_20220920_0004.jpg
- ↑ https://archive.org/details/majin-power-manual/IMG_20230616_0010.jpg
- ↑ https://archive.org/details/return-of-the-demon-king/IMG_20240315_0012.jpg