Sunday, January 3, 2021

Quantum Leap - Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time - Part 3

Our adventures have proceeded apace and we've already found ourselves in possession of three of the four quantum masks. With one more left, our oldest enemy, Dr. Neo Cortex, has chosen to show himself.

Though our power has yet to reach its peak, we must nonetheless confront that would-be tyrant and stop his plans for world domination. Once he's taken care of, surely there will be no twists. No other threats will appear and space-time will be free to mend itself.

Right?

RIGHT!?

This is the part towards the end of the game where the story begins to start playing the cards in its hand. Thankfully, because Toys for Bob made a number of intelligent choices in their cast and storytelling, it's also one of the most joyous for an old Crash fan like myself to run through. Every character was handled with love and care, both for their backstories and how they might be brought to a modern audience.

In particular, I want to talk about Cortex's characterization, especially after we defeat him once more. In this canon, where nothing beyond the PS1 games has happened, this is the fourth time he has lost to Crash Bandicoot. At this point, he's not so much out to take over the world as he is to salvage what might yet remain of his pride. Once N Tropy reveals his own betrayal, that just tips him over the edge.

It's fun to watch a villain join the good guys, and try to wrestle with what it means to "switch teams". Even moreso when there are multiple axes to explore that position from. One could interpret this as merely an act of self-preservation, since N Tropy has outright stated he intends to erase Cortex from existence. Another might say it's simple revenge for being slighted by his so-called partner. Still one more explanation is that he's concluded that evil can't win, so the only way to achieve that long-sought victory is by switching sides. Any one, or any combination, of those theories has enough evidence in the text to support it.

Praise should also go to Lex Lang for clearly having the time of his life reprising the role. Cortex is exactly the kind of over-the-top, completely absurd villain that completely steals the stage whenever he's on screen. That larger-than-life (and certainly taller-than-its-owner) personality is so accurately captured in his performance. We haven't gotten to see the best of Cortex yet, but what we have seen is truly delightful.

This is the work of a team who knows these characters and how they tick, and I hope they'll get the chance to continue their work after this game. They've certainly earned it.

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