Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back

Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back is the second game in the Crash Bandicoot series and a direct sequel to the original. The platforming gameplay remains largely the same, with players moving through contained environments while breaking crates that contain bonuses. Your objective is to collect 25 crystals for Crash’s nemesis, Doctor Neo Cortex. The crystals are spread across 25 levels, accessed through Warp Rooms that serve as the game’s hub areas. Each level is cleared by collecting its crystal and reaching the end of the path, which sends Crash back to the Warp Room.

After his last battle with Crash Bandicoot, Cortex is thrown onto Crash’s island and falls into a cave filled with glowing crystals. Believing they hold tremendous power, he takes one and returns to his laboratory. A year later, Cortex and his new assistant, Dr. N. Gin, rebuild an upgraded Cortex Vortex in outer space to turn everyone on Earth into mindless slaves. To reach maximum capacity, they need 25 more crystals—and with no operatives left on Earth, Cortex devises a plan to manipulate Crash into retrieving the crystals for him.