Flashback Tape's Icon.
Flashback Tapes are collectible VHS tapes that are needed to unlock special Flashback Tape levels in Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time. They focus on the experiments and trials that Crash Bandicoot and Coco Bandicoot went through in Cortex Castle after their creation by Neo Cortex up to their respective escapes. Crash's tapes are chronologically set before the events of the first Crash Bandicoot game, while Coco's tapes are set after the original game and before Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back.
Flashback Tape levels are unlocked by finding Flashback Tapes on story levels without dying before obtaining them. They are always unlocked in order. The game has a total of 21 tapes, with the first 11 being playable as Crash, and the latter 10 being playable as Coco. Simply completing a Flashback Level rewards the player a Sapphire Flashback Relic. Breaking 90% of the level's crates earns a Gold Flashback Relic, and a Platinum Flashback Relic for breaking all of them. Collecting all 21 Platinum Flashback Relics unlocks the General Rule skins for both Crash and Coco. Flashback Tapes reuse tracks from the original versions of the first two games as background music.
Contents
Crash's Flashback Levels
| Level name | Crates | Music | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject #218 | 118 | Piston It Away and Spaced Out | January 1, 1996 |
| Navigational Awareness | 135 | Temple Ruins and Jaws of Darkness | January 2, 1996 |
| Wumpa Affinity Test | 163 | N. Sanity Beach | January 6, 1996 |
| Bandicoot vs Wombat Eval | 102 | Pinstripe Potoroo | February 28, 1996 |
| Outfit Durability Exam | 73 | Road to Nowhere and The High Road | March 15, 1996 |
| N. Brio Superior Study | 215 | Snow Go, Snow Biz, and Cold Hard Crash | April 2, 1996 |
| Diary Entry: 30th May, 1996 | 175 | Toxic Waste | May 30, 1996 |
| Team Health Analysis | 148 | Papu Papu | June 10, 1996 |
| Subject #272_Final_B | 127 | Dr. Neo Cortex (Crash Bandicoot) | July 19, 1996 |
| Countdown Crate Intro | 301 | Ripper Roo (Cortex Strikes Back) | August 3, 1996 |
| Cortex Vortex Pre-Check | 190 | Hang Eight, Air Crash, and Plant Food | September 9, 1996 |
Coco's Flashback Levels
| Level name | Crates | Music | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject: Perameles Coco | 124 | Warp Room (Cortex Strikes Back) | October 9, 1996 |
| N. Gin N. Terview | 192 | Crash Dash, Crash Crush, and Un-Bearable | November 12, 1996 |
| Nitro Bounce Crate Test | 164 | The Eel Deal, Sewer or Later, and Hangin' Out | December 24, 1996 |
| N. Gin's N. Genious N. Bouncers | 171 | Bear It, Bear Down, and Totally Bear | January 1, 1997 |
| Mammal Manipulation | 210 | The Lab | February 14, 1997 |
| Replacement Considerations | 331 | Heavy Machinery and Castle Machinery | March 25, 1997 |
| Overall Fitness Exam | 99 | N. Gin (Cortex Strikes Back) | April 8, 1997 |
| Tech Check | 142 | N. Cortex (Cortex Strikes Back) | May 6, 1997 |
| Resilience Evaluation | 130 | Tiny Tiger (Cortex Strikes Back) | June 12, 1997 |
| The Gauntlet | 118 | Cortex Power | July 24, 1997 |
List of levels where the tapes can be found
| Level | Name |
|---|---|
| 1 | Crash Compactor |
| 2 | Hit the Road |
| 3 | Booty Calls |
| 4 | Jetboard Jetty |
| 5 | Give It a Spin |
| 6 | Draggin' On |
| 7 | Off-Balance |
| 8 | Off Beat |
| 9 | Run It Bayou |
| 10 | Snow Way Out |
| 11 | Stay Frosty |
| 12 | Bears Repeating |
| 13 | Blast to the Past |
| 14 | Dino Dash |
| 15 | Out for Launch |
| 16 | Stowing Away |
| 17 | Crash Landed |
| 18 | Food Run |
| 19 | Nitro Processing |
| 20 | Toxic Tunnels |
| 21 | Cortex Castle |
Gallery
Names in Other Languages
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Arabic | أشرطة الذكريات | Memory Tapes |
| Italian | Nastro Flashback | (Same as English) |
| Japanese | きなくのカケラの テープを Kinaku no kakera no tēpu o |
The Tape of the Broken Piece |
| Portuguese | Fita Flashback | (Same as English) |
Trivia
- Getting the Flashback Tapes in the main levels behave similarly to the Death Routes from the previous Crash Bandicoot games.
- The nitro bounce crates only appear in the Flashback Levels.
- During "Wumpa Affinity Test", Cortex was revealed to be allergic to Wumpa Fruit. Ironically, Cortex collects Wumpa Fruit in his alternate timeline levels.
- In "Outfit Durability Exam", there is a mugshot of Crunch Bandicoot in a TV monitor.
- "Subject #272_Final_B" takes place on Crash's birthday (July 19th), as revealed by Cortex.
- During "Replacement Considerations", Cortex is torn about having to choose between Crocodiles or Dingos in case his last Bandicoot specimens fail. This is a nod to the creation of Dingodile.
- During "The Gauntlet", Cortex will comment about testing on other animals, stating "Maybe next time I'll try a hedgehog... or a bobcat... or a gecko". These are a nod to the platforming mascots Sonic the Hedgehog, Bubsy Bobcat and Gex the Gecko respectively.
- There are exactly 3,428 crates in all of the Flashback Tape levels.
- The last Flashback Tape for Crash, right before he flees Cortex Castle, is set on September 9, 1996, the day the first game Crash Bandicoot was released.
