When I think of the PS1, I think about Crash Bandicoot. Sony never really had a poster boy in the same sense as Nintendo and Sega with Mario and Sonic, but if you ask any PlayStation fan, they'll tell you it was Crash. So to see him in a Mario-esque game on the SNES feels strange and exciting, the kind of thing that makes me feel like a kid at Christmas all over again.
I covered the First Crash Bandicoot in the Retro Dimension game back in 2025 and enjoyed seeing Crash riding Yoshi through levels while collecting Apples and jumping over Spinys. Well, thanks to developer Bandicoot, Crash is back with a Mushroom Kingdom twist once again in Retro Dimension 2: The Crystal Hunt.
In true Crash and Mario style, collecting is the name of the game. There are 120 power crystals and 93 gems to collect over 93 levels, 7 more levels than the last game. You'll need to grab the power crystals from under Dr. Cortex's nose to stop him from using them to fuel his Doomsday Machine. It's up to Crash to stop Dr. Cortex once and for all... until the PS1 games, of course.
What I love about this side-scroller is that it combines the moves from Crash's iconic game, like his trademark spin and elements from the PS1 games like music and characters/bosses, but puts them into the realm of Super Mario World. Combined with items from Super Mario World like the Cape Feather, it makes for a perfect nostalgic cocktail. There's much more of an emphasis on freedom to explore in this sequel, too, with the developer Bandicoot giving players the autonomy to play the game in whatever order they like.
It's fantastic seeing Crash in a side-scrolling adventure like Sonic and Mario. This is kind of like part ROM hack and part demake combined. You'll need a legally acquired ROM of the NTSC version of Super Mario World to patch this hack onto. Head to the official project page to find out more!
