Best Crash Bandicoot Villains

Highlights

Crunch Bandicoot, Tiny Tiger, and N.Gin are just a few of Crash’s memorable foes throughout his gaming history.
From Crunch’s elemental powers to Tiny’s brute strength, Crash’s enemies provide challenging boss fights and unique gameplay.
Dr. Neo Cortex remains Crash’s ultimate nemesis, with his mad scientific genius driving the series forward with each new game.

As a child of the ’90s, I vividly remember the thrill and excitement that came with playing the iconic game series, Crash Bandicoot. The villains in this franchise have always been as much a part of the experience as our beloved bandicoot himself. Among these antagonists, three stand out for me – Dr. Neo Cortex, Uka Uka, and N. Tropy.

Over time, Crash Bandicoot has transitioned from being a symbol for PlayStation to appearing on multiple platforms – a marsupial with quite a gaming resume. He’s dabbled in racing games and party games, coming close to achieving everything. Yet, none of the subsequent releases could surpass the original PS1 trilogy… or perhaps not even the remakes found in the Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy from 2017.

On August 8, 2024, Vicarious Visions’ remastered versions of Naughty Dog’s games became available on Xbox Game Pass, making the trilogy an essential addition for subscribers. Even if they haven’t played it yet, they might be intrigued to learn about the characters that Crash Bandicoot has battled against for close to three decades. Among his many adversaries, these are his most formidable foes.

8 Crunch Bandicoot

Crash’s Bigger, Badder Brother From Another Mother

Debut: Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex
M.O: Using the Elementals to fight off Crash with their fire, wind, water, and earth powers

Crunch Bandicoot, one of the rare characters introduced after Naughty Dog, has become popular within the series, despite initially appearing as an antagonist in the game “ Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex“. In essence, Crunch is the character that Cortex envisioned Crash to be – a large and powerful bandicoot, with sufficient intelligence to control him and carry out his orders.

Just like Crash acquires abilities through Aku Aku and the Quantum Masks in “Crash 4”, Crunch transforms into various super-powered forms by merging with the Elementals, in an effort to crush Crash. After escaping Cortex’s control, he switched sides and became a hero, but he remains intriguing as a dark counterpart to Crash.

7 Tiny Tiger

Ironic Name For A Giant Beast

Debut: Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back
M.O: Growling, frowning, jumping, chasing, and falling

Prior to the character known as Crunch, there existed another, namely Tiny Tiger. Much like his predecessor, he’s a large and intimidating figure. However, unlike Crunch, he’s noticeably less intelligent than Crash. His massive build and fearsome appearance are all about raw power with no real strategic thinking beyond pursuing Crash. As a result, his boss fights tend to follow a predictable pattern that more experienced players can exploit.

1. In the games Crash 2 and Crash: Warped, they could trick him into falling into traps or avoid his jumping attacks with a trident. However, he suits the role of the typical strong character quite well, possessing a ferocity that earlier heavy characters like Koala Kong were lacking. This is assuming fans don’t consider his redesign in Crash of the Titans, which made him appear more like a stuffed toy in military garb.

6 N.Gin

Mad About Mechs

Debut: Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back
M.O: Making giant mechanical mechs and rocket ships to threaten his foes, having a missile-turned-life support device in his head, sounding like a robotic Peter Lorre

In every mad scientist’s world, there’s an essential sidekick, and after collaborating with N.Brio in ‘Crash 1’, Dr. Cortex shifted to the infamous character N.Gin for ‘Crash 2’. He’s renowned as a physicist, but it appears that his deep-seated passion lies in engineering, as he takes delight in employing diverse mechs and vehicles against the Bandicoot and his companions.

In the world of Crash Bandicoot, I once attempted to annihilate Crash with my chosen weapon in Crash 2, only to discover that it wasn’t so effective against Wumpa fruit. My Advanced Mech in Crash: Warped fared better, boasting multiple missiles, but even it crumbled at the hands of Coco, Crash’s sister. My Doom Rig and Weapon of Mass Percussion in Crash 4 didn’t stand a chance against them either. Yet, I can always count on myself to conjure up a mechanical adversary or two for a boss battle now and then.

5 N.Brio

Potion-Mixing Menace

Debut: Crash Bandicoot (1996)
M.O: Mixing potions to produce explosive formulas to chuck, to create blob monsters to chase Crash down, or turn himself into a hulking monster

Dr. Nitrus Brio, often abbreviated as N.Brio, initially worked closely with Cortex but turned against him in Crash 2. Later, he teamed up with N.Tropy in Crash Twinsanity and then returned to work alongside Cortex for Crash Bash, Crash 4, and Crash: Mind Over Mutant. The loyalty of this character is as changeable as his potions. He has mostly been outshone by N.Gin, since he’s had fewer appearances and his explosive beakers and transformations aren’t as alarming as N.Gin’s massive rockets.

However, his portrayal in the game “Crash: Mind Over Mutant” catapulted him to a more prominent role. In that title, his uncontainable energy peaked at maximum levels, and he delivered some of the most memorable lines – from recognizing the humor in “N.Brio” to claiming authorship of the Bible. As a result, he became the standout character in an otherwise mediocre game. Since then, he has retained his manic nature, though not as eccentrically as before.

4 Dingodile

Aussie Animal Merc With A Penchant For Blasters

Debut: Crash Bandicoot: Warped
M.O: Firing his flamethrower, throwing crates with his gun, poor manners

In connection with Cortex’s fascination with marsupials, it is often speculated that the settings for the Crash games are predominantly based on Australia or regions near it. This region, fondly known as “The Land Down Under,” boasts a rich diversity of Polynesian motifs alongside its native kangaroos and potoroos. However, only one character in the games sports an Australian accent, and that’s Dingodile.

He’s a dingo-crocodile hybrid who, though thought to be made by Cortex, works for himself. But if someone’s offering him the chance to flame fools with his flamethrower, he’s unlikely to say so. This explains why he briefly allied himself with the Bandicoot in Crash 4. That said, he’s made his name as one of Crash’s most persistent foes, using a variety of blasting weapons to bring his lives down to zero.

3 N.Tropy

Time-Twisting Scientist With A Vain Streak

Debut: Crash Bandicoot: Warped
M.O: Traveling through time and different timelines, ripping the fabric of time and space, partnering up with himself.

The villainous Tropy, often abbreviated as N.Tropy, adds a twist to the game “Crash Bandicoot: Warped” in multiple ways. Utilizing his Time Warp Device, he orchestrates the events that force Crash and Coco to voyage through various time periods in order to amass an abundance of gems and crystals. This collection is crucial for thwarting Tropy, Dr. Cortex, and Uka Uka’s plans to seize control over the world at different points in its timeline – past, present, and future.

He was essentially Cortex’s more competent rival, to the point where he booted the diminutive doctor in favor of his alternate-timeline female self in Crash 4. It helped him come into his own as a villain as he tried to reset all timelines into one of his own making. Before then, he had sparing appearances, from brainwashing Crash’s friends in the GBA game Crash Bandicoot 2: N-Tranced, and as a dual boss fight with N.Brio in Crash Twinsanity.

2 Uka Uka

The True Source Of Evil In Crash’s World

Debut: Crash Bandicoot: Warped
M.O: Constant frustration, taking control of Cortex to mock the player, having more competent plots than Cortex, scaring young children

As a dedicated fan, it felt only natural that they’d introduce an evil counterpart to Crash’s magical mask, Aku Aku – I call him Uka Uka. He burst onto the scene in “Crash: Warped,” breaking free from his subterranean prison thanks to the Cortex Vortex’s downfall. It was revealed that he had been the puppet master behind Cortex’s schemes all along. Disappointed by Cortex’s failures, Uka Uka recruited N.Tropy for his own malicious plans. Since then, he has frequently emerged as the primary antagonist, orchestrating one chaotic plot after another.

He’s also the closest the series has to a scary villain, with his cruel, growling laughs, and his grim relish whenever a player gets a game over in Crash: Warped and the N.Sane Trilogy. He’s still as cartoony as the rest, though players know things are going to get real when he turns up. That, or he’s about to give the bad guys racing tips in Crash Team Racing.

1 Dr. Neo Cortex

Mad, Bad, And Dangerous To Know

Debut: Crash Bandicoot (1996)
M.O: Flying in mechs, stealing crystals, tricking others into gathering crystals, attempting world domination, making regrettable bad decisions.

Still, the best villain in the series has to be Crash’s first and only true nemesis, Dr Neo Cortex. He’s an evil scientific genius who tried mutating animals into his own private army, only to end up creating a wacky bandicoot who’d foil his schemes over and over again. It’s no wonder he ends up feeling so demoralized at the end of Crash: Warped.

Despite his persistent attempts, Doctor Cortex continues to strive for world domination. This is evident in games like “Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure,” where he tries to make the world small enough to hold in his hand, and “Crash 4,” where he fights to regain control of the Quantum Masks in a desperate bid to counteract Crash’s existence. Frustrated, saddened, but always malevolent, a “Crash” game without Doctor Cortex would be like one without Crash himself.

2024-08-15 01:04