Things I didn’t expect to be on my 2020 bingo card: Can I play Crash Bandicoot 4 as Tawna instead of Crash?
The new redesign for Tawna, originally Crash’s girlfriend in the series, was introduced this morning. My first thoughts: girl looks good. Toys for Bob has given Tawna a complete visual rework, with new hair that’s giving me some Zarya vibes and an attitude that’s very “who needs Crash”.
And hey, when you’ve got a giant grappling hook and the only walljump in the game, you definitely don’t need Crash. The art direction, according to one of the developers, was that Tawna’s been on her own adventures and discovered her own personal style. It definitely works, and the chaining of moves is something speedrunners are absolutely going to vibe with.
You can see it all mesh together in the video below. There’s also a sick visual element with the level where the entire thing is in black and white, but as Tawna moves forward it paints colour back into the level.
Toys for Bob also confirmed that the main game will be a linear progression through the levels, with players encountering new mechanics and characters along the way. Each of the new characters — Cortex, Coco, Tawna — will have their own “main” story level where they’re introduced.
But for the most part, the extra playable characters will only be playable through the “Timelines” optional levels. The timelines show you how the other characters interact with Crash and Coco, which is neat to see, but it means you won’t be able to go back through the game and play just as Tawna, unfortunately.
The way Tawna’s described, however, sounds ripe for a future spin-off. She’s spoken as a “Guardian Angel on the sidelines” and someone who’s been through some shit, which sounds like a great launching point for a sequel.
Crash Bandicoot 4 gets a demo next week, although it’s only available if you pre-order the game digitally. You might as well just wait: the full game launches on October 2 for PS4 and Xbox One.
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