It’s actually happening! Crash Bandicoot is coming to Skylanders Imaginators. So what does this all mean? Well here is everything you need to know!
Starter Pack
The Crash Bandicoot figure is coming to Skylanders Imaginators exclusively at launch in a unique starter pack for Playstation 3 and Playstation 4.
It is important to note the phrasing of that statement… at launch.
Although Crash Bandicoot is a limited time exclusive for the Playstation Starter Pack, unlike the Nintendo guests starts last year, he is playable on all systems.
So after Crash Bandicoot releases outside the Starter Pack, you will be able to play him on any platform.
Although it is not officially confirmed yet, the Crash Bandicoot special edition Starter Pack looks to be a Toys”R”Us exclusive here in the United States.
The Starter Pack will retail for $99.99, which is $25 more than the standard Starter Pack but the same price as the Dark Edition.
If you pick up the Crash Bandicoot Starter Pack, you get everything that comes in the standard Starter Pack (Master King Pen figure, Golden Queen figure, fire creation crystal, portal of power, and the game).
You can pick up the Crash Bandicoot Starter Pack for Playstation 3 or Playstation 4 when Skylanders Imaginators launches on October 16th, 2016
Figure
Here is what Activision had to say about the figure design:
Our early focus was to nail Crash’s look. We wanted to make him feel at home in his new high-definition surroundings, while staying as true to his original design as possible. To kick off this exploration, we dug deep (and I mean DEEP) into the archives for inspiration. We even unearthed a pile of ancient, mimeographed documents of the original “Willy the Wombat” concepts that were shared with Vicarious Visions ten years ago when we began to work on the franchise. (We may or may not have unleashed a 32-bit mummy on the office in the process. The good news is he can only travel on one axis, so he’s pretty easy to avoid.)
Crash’s look has evolved over the years, but these timeworn images made it clear that the lines and proportions of his character have been consistent since day one. With that in mind, we began churning out concepts for Crash’s in-game look while we brainstormed how best to translate his energy and personality into a real-life toy.
We went through sooooo many versions of Crash’s toy pose. It had to capture everything about Crash that makes him special and also represent him as a true member of the Senseis in Imaginators. We brought in lifelong Crash fans to evaluate our sketches, early 3D prints, and test figures at every stage to make sure we were creating a toy THEY would want for their favorite furry protagonist. When we were happy with Crash’s pose and look, we did a final consistency pass and just like that… Crash was ready to run amuck in the Skylanders Imaginators line-up.
Back Story
From a storyline standpoint, how exactly did Crash end up in the Skylands? Here’s how!
A wormhole has opened in Skylands and the great Aku Aku appears! He has come to announce the once-in-two-decades Synchronization Celebration–a time when all of the worlds align perfectly. All the inhabitants of Wumpa Island are having a party and they want to invite the Skylanders. But with Kaos on a quest to take over Skylands using his army of Doomlanders, the Skylanders must focus on stopping his evil plans. Never one to shy away from danger, the legendary marsupial Crash Bandicoot leaps through the wormhole to join the Skylanders in the ultimate battle against Kaos!
Gameplay
How does Crash Bandicoot play in Skylanders Imaginators? Just as you would expect a Crash figure to play like!
As Activision says,
“No Crash game would be complete without the ability to jump on TNT Crates to blow them up or collect the Bazooka Crate to get a rocket launcher. From his edginess to his trademark wackiness, Crash is featured with a full move set and upgrade path based around his signature spin attack, as well as callbacks to his beloved past, including moves that incorporate exploding crates with 3-2-1 countdowns, wumpa fruit, jetpack attack from high in the air and more.
Crash’s Sky-Chi attack is the ability to use a yo-yo to yank his enemies into a spin attack!”
In addition, here is a big more details about his move set:
It was important that we stayed true to how he moved in his earlier incarnations, from his edginess, trademark wackiness, and swagger as he navigates the world, all the way down to his idles and timeouts. If you want to see one of those fancy throwbacks, just set the controller down for a second and see what happens! But, that’s just the beginning of our obsessive attention to detail:
Crates!
- No Crash game would be complete without these ubiquitous wooden boxes. Jump on the TNT Crates to blow them up, or collect the Bazooka Crate to get a rocket launcher and jetpack that allows you to attack from high in the air!
The Yo-yo
- Every Sensei in Skylanders Imaginators has a devastating Sky-Chi attack, their most powerful move. Crash’s Sky-Chi attack is to use his yo-yo to yank his enemies into a
spin attack!
Spinning
- Crash Bandicoot would not be complete without his signature spin attack. Rest assured that we have heard your silent demands and delivered on this classic move.
Life System
- Anyone who has played a Skylanders game knows that the game uses an RPG-style health meter, while the Crash games have traditionally used a life system. It was important to us that we kept the spirit of that feature while folding Crash into the Skylanders game system.
- To achieve this, we built a special Life System just for Crash in Skylanders Imaginators. When Crash is defeated in our game, he reappears with an animation inspired from the past Crash games!
- Not only that, when Crash throws crates around he has a chance of throwing one that holds up an extra life.
Aku Aku
- Crash doesn’t speak (most of the time) and we wanted to make sure that he communicated in a way that was familiar to fans but wouldn’t confuse new players and soon-to-be new fans!
- Enter Aku Aku! He provides a voice for our silent Bandicoot when the player needs to communicate with him.
- Aku Aku has been Crash’s best friend and guide since day one. We would have been remiss if we’d excluded him.
- As a Sensei, Crash has some special abilities he can impart on player-created Imaginator characters. Aku Aku handles all the voice stuff.
- Not only that, when Crash is defeated, he is shielded for a short period of time by the wise and wooden Aku Aku!
You can check out a full uncut look at his gameplay below:
Other notes:
One of the great things to see about Crash Bandicoot coming to Skylanders Imaginators, is the original voice actor Jess Harnell is back to reprise his role as Crash Bandicoot!
In addition, Vicarious Visions will be heading up the remasters of the first three Crash games that will be released on Playstation 4 in 2017.
