Crash Bandicoot 4 PowerA Switch Controller Announced

Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time was released late last year for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One and has now officially arrived on the Nintendo Switch. As Crash is one of gaming's most recognizable characters, it makes sense that his latest Nintendo outing would generate some new merch, and it appears to have done just that.

PowerA is a video game peripheral manufacturer that largely focuses on making themed third party controllers for different home consoles. The company previously made Pokemon and Cuphead themed Switch controllers, and has now set its sights on the one and only Crash, developing a beautiful Crash Bandicoot 4 controller.

The controller is set to be released on March 30, two weeks after the game's Switch launch. While PowerA did technically miss the release window, as the title Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time would suggest, the Crash series has never been about getting things done in a timely manner. With its gorgeous design, the controller appears to have been worth the wait, anyway. It features classic Crash orange buttons and a weather worn surface as though its trekked through jungles and swamps right along with the famous Bandicoot.

Much like PowerA's Pokemon Switch controller, the Crash Bandicoot controller will not support HD rumble or NFC functionality, though this is largely par for the course with third party controllers. Many gamers do prefer PowerA's thumbsticks and d-pads however, so it really does boil down to personal preference. Anyone looking to grab the Crash Bandicoot 4 controller for themselves can pre-order it now from Amazon.

After a painfully long wait, fans of the Crash Bandicoot franchise were finally treated to a brand new game with Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time. Better yet, the game saw a return to the corridor-style of platforming that fans had been crying out for since Crash Twinsanity and subsequent main console releases changed the franchise's iconic gameplay. Crash 4 was well-received by fans and critics, exemplified by its 85 Metascore on PlayStation 4.

Considering that the game is a sequel to Crash Bandicoot: Warped, which hit stores all the way back in 1998, it should come as little surprise that Toys For Bob implemented numerous new features to the 2020 game. Along with Flashback Tapes and Timeline stages, Crash 4 lets players switch up their style with numerous skins for the two main protagonists, Crash and Coco.

One of the many great features about the main story of Crash Bandicoot is that, much like Warped, it takes place in numerous different periods, allowing the developers to create wonderfully imaginative levels. One of the game's main areas takes place in a futuristic city, where players can unlock a Coco skin that looks like someone kicked her through Cyberpunk 2077.

One of the best new features that Crash Bandicoot 4 introduces is the ability to play as multiple characters with different playstyles, one of which is Dingodile. The Party Gras skin is unlocked when players collect six gems in the level Home Cookin', which is the former villain's introductory stage.

The skin isn't a reference to the Home Cookin' stage itself, but instead one of the game's most well-designed and memorable levels: Off Beat.