Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy players who are looking for a tougher challenge are in for a treat, as the unreleased and notoriously difficult Stormy Ascent level from the original Crash Bandicoot has been added to the remastered trilogy through DLC.
The Stormy Ascent level is currently available for free on the PlayStation Store, and it will remain so over its first month.
The Story Behind The Stormy Ascent Level Of 'Crash Bandicoot'
In an official PlayStation Blog post, Dan Tanguay, the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy game director from Vicarious Visions, and Taylor Kurosaki, one of the original members of Naughty Dog's Crash Bandicoot team, discussed the story behind the infamous Stormy Ascent.
According to Kurosaki, he designed Stormy Ascent for Crash Bandicoot. However, it turned out to be insanely difficult, even for him, who created the level.
Stormy Ascent actually made it into the disc for the original Crash Bandicoot but hidden away as Kurosaki did not have enough time to tone down its difficulty. Players, however, were able to unlock the level through cheating device GameShark, opening up a level that took a lot of skill and patience to get through.
Stormy Ascent is viewed as the sister level to the Slippery Climb stage in the original Crash Bandicoot. According to Tanguay, Stormy Ascent is about four times longer compared to all other levels in the first game in the series and is considered not just the hardest stage in the first Crash Bandicoot but also maybe in the entire trilogy.
Vicarious Visions decided to keep the difficulty of Stormy Ascent when it remastered the stage for Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy but released it as DLC to make it clear that the level is not for all players.
For the best Crash Bandicoot players out there who have already finished the games multiple times, you might want to try your hand at Stormy Ascent.
Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy Now Available
Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, featuring remastered versions of Crash Bandicoot, Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, and Crash Bandicoot: Warped is now available for the PlayStation 4. The Stormy Ascent level can be downloaded through the PlayStation Store for free until Aug. 21, and it will cost $2.99 after the one-month period ends.
If the remastered trilogy succeeds, there is a chance that an entirely new Crash Bandicoot game will be created. Vicarious Visions may have also dropped a clue in Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy to hint at its next project, which could be a similar remastered trilogy for Spyro the Dragon.
