Over the past few years, Activision has been hard at work bringing everyone’s favorite hyperactive marsupial back into the mainstream, starting with the release ofCrash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogyback in 2017. Since then, fans have rejoiced at Crash’s regained relevancy, especially when a brand new installment in the form ofCrash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Timereleased late last year.
The series' newest installment released solely on the PS4 and Xbox One, and could be played on the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S at a higher resolution. The Nintendo Switch was seemingly left out of the equation, but sinceCrash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogyeventually released for Nintendo’s hybrid handheld-home console platform, fans held out hope thatCrash Bandicoot 4would receive a similar treatment. Now, after Activision announced yesterday that the game will come to the Switch and next-gen platforms in March, many fans feel relieved, but some are skeptical about howCrash 4will run on the system.
RELATED:Crash Bandicoot: On the Run Releases 2021, But What Is It?
Over the years, it has become quite a theme with the Nintendo Switch receiving many 3rd-party titles after their initial release along with some compromising tweaks in specs given the hardware’s capabilities. Not to mention, some games such asHazelight Studios’It Takes Twolikely won’t come to the Switch at all for the same reason. While fans can be sure to expect a native 4k 60fps experience on next-gen hardware, Lou Studdert, creative producer at Toys for Bob, stated thatCrash Bandicoot 4will run on the Switch at 1080p and 30fps in docked mode, while running at 720p and 30fps in handheld mode.
Although some may see this as a significant compromise, it’s worth noting that this is rather impressive by Nintendo Switch port standards, especially given thatCrash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogyran on the Switch at 720p and 30fps while docked, and 480p and 30fps in handheld mode. Like with other Switch ports such asOri and the Will of the Wisps,Studdert also mentioned that bringingCrash Bandicoot 4to the Switch has been quite a task, given the game’s amount of content in unlockable skins, levels, playstyles, and more.
According to Studdert, Toys for Bobs' engineers, artists, QA team, and more have been hard at work to ensure a seamless transition and that the game runs as closely on the Nintendo Switch as it did on the consoles it initially released on. Now, the Nintendo Switch will be home to all three of the most recentCrash Bandicootgames,includingCrash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled.
With remasters, new entries, and the upcomingmobile gameCrash Bandicoot: On the Run!,it seems that Crash Bandicoot has spun his way back into the mainstream as fans both new and old enjoy a variety ofCrashgames. It will certainly be interesting to see what else Activision has in store for the series in the future.
Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Timeis available now on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The game will release on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S on March 12th, 2021, and on PC sometime later in 2021.
