10 HIDDEN FACTS ABOUT CRASH BANDICOOT YOU PROBABLY DIDN’T KNOW
Before Mario went 3D and Sonic sped into Dreamcast, there was one crazy orange marsupial who defined PlayStation’s early success — Crash Bandicoot.
Developed by Naughty Dog in 1996, it became an instant hit and helped shape the future of 3D platformers.
But even if you’ve beaten every level and smashed every crate, there are secrets you probably missed…
Let’s spin into the jungle and uncover the 10 hidden facts about Crash Bandicoot you didn’t know.
1️⃣ CRASH’S NAME ALMOST WAS “WILLY THE WOMBAT”
Yep — before becoming the Crash we know, developers called him Willy the Wombat.
They later ditched it because it “sounded too cute” for a wild, spinning hero.
2️⃣ THE GAME WAS MADE ENTIRELY WITHOUT SONY’S HELP
At the time, Sony had no mascot.
Naughty Dog secretly built Crash Bandicoot without official PlayStation dev kits — they hacked together tools and learned 3D programming from scratch.
It was so good that Sony eventually adopted Crash as their unofficial mascot.
3️⃣ THE CAMERA SYSTEM WAS A TECHNICAL MIRACLE
Crash’s over-the-shoulder camera angle was revolutionary in 1996.
It gave players a cinematic 3D experience — all while running smoothly on PlayStation’s limited hardware.
Developers jokingly called it “the Sonic’s butt game” during testing.
4️⃣ LEVELS WERE BUILT BACKWARDS TO SAVE MEMORY
To fit massive worlds into the small PS1 memory, each level was designed from the end backward.
That allowed developers to reuse textures and assets cleverly — no one ever noticed.
5️⃣ CRASH’S VOICE WAS RECORDED IN A CUPBOARD
The character’s famous yells and spins were recorded by voice actor Brendan O’Brien… inside a soundproof cupboard at Naughty Dog’s office!
That’s why his screams have such a raw, echo-like energy.
6️⃣ THE GAME’S DIFFICULTY WAS DELIBERATE
Naughty Dog made Crash Bandicoot tough on purpose.
They believed players should “earn every win,” just like old-school classic retro game consoles.
It was meant to bring back the challenge lost in many modern titles.
7️⃣ YOU CAN PLAY A HIDDEN LEVEL CALLED “STORMY ASCENT”
This level was too hard to release in 1996 — so the devs cut it out.
It was hidden on the disc for years before being officially restored in 2017’s N. Sane Trilogy.
8️⃣ CRASH’S SPIN ATTACK WAS INSPIRED BY TASMANIAN DEVILS
The team wanted Crash to feel like a mix of Looney Tunes chaos and Aussie wildlife energy.
So they studied Tasmanian devils — fast, unpredictable, and loud — and built his spin move around that.
9️⃣ THE GAME SECRETLY MOCKS NINTENDO
In a cheeky move, some background textures and posters subtly referenced Nintendo’s Mario — but twisted or distorted.
It was Naughty Dog’s quiet way of saying, “There’s a new hero in town.”
🔟 THE ORIGINAL CRASH WAS STORED ON 3 OLD MACINTOSH COMPUTERS
For years, the game’s source code was thought lost — until Naughty Dog confirmed it was still saved on three ancient Mac computers in their office.
Those files are priceless pieces of gaming history.
💙 RELIVE THE MADNESS ON MODERN RETRO CONSOLES
Want to spin back into the jungle?
With the 2Bluebox Retro Game Console Australia, you can play Crash Bandicoot and thousands of other legendary 90s classics — instantly, no downloads needed.
✔️ 20,000+ preloaded titles
✔️ HDMI plug & play
✔️ Two wireless controllers
✔️ Works perfectly on any modern TV
Because at 2Bluebox,
“We don’t just bring games back. We bring memories back.” 💙