Best Crash Bandicoot Clones From The PS1 Era

When the first Crash Bandicoot game was released on PS1 in 1996, players were introduced to a cartoonish world of platforming. The protagonist of the game is an animated marsupial, and the antics the player has to go through in the game are very similar to something from a Loony Tunes episode. Crash Bandicoot was instantly popular, and the series has received a number of likewise sequels and a remaster. However, Crash wasn't the only platformer on the PS1.

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The success of the first Crash Bandicoot led to a wave of similar platformers for the PS1 era. Some of these games functioned like this game, while others took inspiration from Crash and went in their own direction. Either way, these games started as Crash Bandicoot clones.

7 Lilo and Stitch: Trouble in Paradise

Metascore: 54

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Lilo and Stitch: Trouble in Paradise is a platformer that is loosely based on the pair's first movie. Players can use Lilo or Stitch to smash boxes, jump on enemies, or run past them in this corridor-based platformer. Stitch even has a few humorous death animations like Crash does in his own game.

6 Gex: Enter the Gecko

Metascore: N/A

Gex the Gecko was already an established name in video games when the first Crash Bandicoot game came out. Although, his previous games all took place in the 2D space. When it came time for Gex to make the jump to 3D in Gex: Enter the Gecko in 1998, the developers would of course need to take inspiration from Crash.

The first 3D Gex game did have all the tight platform controls that were required for a game like this at the time. However, Gex: Enter the Gecko becomes unique in its premise of being sapped into a TV to participate in levels based on well-known TV shows and movies.

5 Donald Duck: Goin' Quakers

Metascore: 65

Any of Disney's mascots could have been used in a PS1 platformer to rival Crash Bandicoot. However, Donald Duck's temper issues make him a great protagonist in Donald Duck: Goin' Quakers. This platform game sees the titular duck on a mission to save Daisy from an evil warlock.

To achieve this, players must travel through a variety of corridor-based levels and collect prizes, There are also some signature chase levels and boss fights that make this PS1 title even more like Crash Bandicoot than it needs to be. The controls are fun, even if some of the levels stretch on a bit longer than necessary.

4 Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear To The Rescue

Metascore: 75

There is a lot the Toy Story 2 for the PS1 could have done to make it the perfect Crash Bandicoot clone. The platforming was tight and responsive, and the cast of characters from the film made the perfect group of things to collect down a narrow corridor platformer.

Instead, the developers took what worked in Crash and added so much more in Toy Story 2 on the PS1. Players could explore fully realized locations like Andy's house, Al's Toy Barn, and an airport. These levels are all full of fast-paced platform challenges but also feature so much more. There are puzzles, races, and collectibles to find in this great adaptation of a film that is over twenty years old.

3 Spyro The Dragon

Metascore: N/A

In many ways, Spyro the Dragon and Crash Bandicoot are direct counterparts. Both characters first appeared as platformers in the PS1 era and were both seen as mascots for that generation of PlayStation. If a player had one game, then the chances were they also played the other.

The main difference between Spyro and Crash is that Spyro games are more open-world. This means that players can explore more of these levels in more of a collectathon-style game, rather than dealing with faster enemies and traps in Crash Bandicoot.

2 Croc: Legend of the Gobbos

There was a time when gamers could be discussing Croc: Legend of the Gobbos and its own PS1 clones. The game was expected to be released in early 1996 and would have been the world's first 3D platformer, ahead of both Crash Bandicoot and Super Mario 64. Sadly, production delays meant that the game didn't hit shelves until 1997.

The world had already seen great 3D platformers on the PS1 by this point, and Croc's controls were seen as outdated compared to its earlier competitors. The 3D models and controls worked well on release, it was just a shame that other games had done these things before.

1 Rayman 2

Metascore: 90 (Nintendo 64)

The first Rayman on PS1 had already made waves among gamers. That meant the stage was set for another version of the 2D side-scroller. However, the developers weren't happy to just rest on their laurels, and Rayman made the jump to 3D in Rayman 2, released in 1999.

The game follows a lot of what Crash Bandicoot did well, with great controls and imaginative environments. Although, Rayman 2 has to take things a step further by giving players the ability to glide, climb, and water ski. All these movements could have been a disaster had the developers not taken more inspiration from Crash and how he controls in new environments. The whole experience ended up feeling seamless, and it was great seeing another platformer run after Crash had done so well.

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