Decades old and over a dozen games under their name, Crash Bandicoot amassed quite the number of story references to harken back to. Cheekily sprinkled from throughout the series, Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time hides plenty of Easter eggs in the game.
And considering that this fourth installment of the main storyline only really follows up from Crash Bandicoot: Warped, players don't have to have played the first two decades of the game. But for those who have, they will find themselves grinning to the references hidden across this game.
10 Crunch Bandicoot
Toys for Bob wouldn't even let the players breathe before showering them with Easter eggs. During the introduction at the beach, there are a few obvious references, namely the old-timey television displaying title screens from the previous Crash Bandicoot games, and a Spyro floatation device drifting along the shore. However, a not-so obvious reference is the letter-magnets on the fridge spelling "C-R-U-N-C-H", a reference to Crunch Bandicoot, the first of the franchise's villains to turn good. Though no longer present in the games, it's nice to see Crash still keeps him in mind.
9 Megamix Poster
Not so much a hidden reference but an obscure one, players can find a poster of Megamix (another Cortex experiment gone wrong, merging Cortex, N. Gin, Tiny Tiger, and Dingodile together) wielding a guitar in the level "Crash Compactor". Though this reference might fly over the heads over everyone not buried neck-deep in the Crash Bandicoot lore. After all, Megamix's first appearance ever in the series was as a secret boss, only available when players collect every single crystal and gem.
8 Wanted: Pinstripe Potoroo
In "Mosquito Marsh", players can find a wanted poster for Pinstripe Potoroo, Cortex's personal bodyguard and CEO of the Cortex Power. It comes to no surprise that there's a bounty on his head considering he's been missing from the main storyline since the first game, only having appeared in the manual for Crash Bandicoot 2.
Though, Crash would surely appreciate it if someone collected the bounty for this 50's style gangster. After all, Pinstripe Potoroo was the one who stole away Crash's first love.
7 Parade Balloon: Pura
Somewhat returning is Coco's ever precious purring companion, Pura! Although not quite in the game, fans still get to celebrate his appearance in the Mosquito Marsh, the fifth area of the game as players can see a giant float of him drifting along the background. Not as prominent a character in the franchise, only those that played Crash Bandicoot: Warped where Pura was introduced can fully appreciate the nod to his character as they reminisce about stampeding through the Great Wall of China.
6 Parade Balloon: Fake Crash
Experienced veterans of the Crash Bandicoot series know that plenty of Fake Crash or "Trash Bandicoot" hide in various levels throughout all the games games and its no different for Crash Bandicoot's newest addition. For all you non-hardcore fans out there, Fake Crash is Crash's janky doppelganger, designed as if a seven-year old tried to redraw the beloved bandicoot hero. Also seen in various levels throughout Crash Bandicoot 4, there's also a parade balloon hiding in plain sight in the same level as the Pura balloon.
5 Tiny Tiger Portrait
Rather than Neo Cortex's animal minion, an elevated animal companion seems to be more fitting as players can find a portrait of Tiny Tiger in his gladiator gear hanging on the walls of the Cortex Castle. Arguably Neo's first go in tampering with genetics (in contention with Ripper Roo), Tiny is said to be the most loyal of all his underlings which is probably why he earned a spot on the wall with the rest of the family.
4 "Woah"
Only the Crash Bandicoot franchise could pull off taking something so plain and simple as "WOAH!" and make it an iconic catchphrase recognizable from fans all around the world. Now, everyone may know about the "WOAH!" but only hardcore fans know about the "WOAH!" meme.
Popularized by YouTuber Chris "Oney" O'Neill, a let's-player with a portfolio of different "woahs" throughout his gameplay of Crash Bandicoot 2: Vortex Strikes Back!, the internet ran with his "woahs," attaching it to a poor rendition of 3D Crash. This meme can be found after getting all the fruit in the level, "A Hole In Space."
3 Purple Berries
In the Crash Bandicoot franchise, players collect wumpa fruit, Crash's favorite food that looks to be a weird hybrid between a mango and an apple. In the same level as the "WOAH!" Crash doesn't collect wumpa fruit in that level, he collects these purple grapes. For intense fans that have played all the games, including the Crash's On The Run lane-runner mobile game (that most fans were horrified to hear about), they'll definitely recognize the purple fruit once used not to collect, but to launch as weapons.
2 "Rawkit Hed"
Straight away nodding to N. Gin's various skins from Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled in that he explores a wide variety of hobbies, he now delves into a world of music in Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time. Still keeping science in the forefront of his branding as he plays from inside a giant robot, he aptly names his one-man-band "Rawkit Hed." Not just a cool name that speak to N. Gin's past of developing nuclear weapons, but any fans that paid enough attention to his original design would recognize "Rawkit Hed" as a reference to the literal rocket embedded in his head.
1 Dingo's (Diner)
Although Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time explicitly references Dingo's Diner through Dingodile's commercials after retiring from the villainous life and committing to his diner full-time. Never formally introduced to the Crash Bandicoot plotline until now, Dingo's Diner was an iconic background area, found in many the desert racing areas across multiple games. However, it's good to see that Dingo's also survived far into the future as players can also see it in the background, on the bottom left-hand corner of the game poster with Coco in the future.