Rewards: Clear Gem 1—smash all 57 boxes. Clear Gem 2—Yellow Gem required to access a secret stage.
As the name suggests, Crash is back in the sewers. Expect some similar enemies and challenges as well as some new. The first Clear Gem requires the usual breaking of all boxes. If you have the Yellow Gem from the Plant Food level, you can also get the second Clear Gem.
Right at the start, you have to get your feet wet. Don’t worry, there are no eels in this water. Avoid the nitro box, then deal with robots in a tunnel. As you emerge into a larger area, you face a new enemy. This humanoid robot is armed with a flamethrower. Wait until the flames stop, then run and jump to hit the enemy up high with a spin attack. Break the two wooden boxes without hitting the nitro box.
Follow a tunnel around to a flooded room. There’s an eel in here. Jump onto floating platforms and a couple of boxes to smash them before continuing through a door to another room with water. Only one platform floats in here, so jump over to it and wait until it’s safe to jump into the water and onto the next platform, where a checkpoint awaits. The yellow platform is also here, if you have the Yellow Gem and choose to go after the second Clear Gem.
To continue through the level, move through a door into a tunnel, where you must time your way past a rolling barrel next to a propeller. Another flamethrower robot waits in the room at the end of the tunnel. Use the same tactic as before to hit him, but be careful of the armored rat behind him. Get past more rolling barrels, robots, and rats to reach a room with a “?” manhole cover. Stand on it to descend into the bonus stage.
Continue into a hallway. Use spin attacks to hit robots into the propeller blades. This causes the blades to break off, so it’s easier for you to get through. Robots spawn here, so use them to take care of all of the blades. Continue to the checkpoint, then jump across floating platforms in a flooded room. Don’t fall into the water while it’s electrified. Pass another propeller by hitting robots into it.
You come across a wall of boxes. TNT boxes are on the first and third rows. Jump up, and spin-attack as you come down to hit just one of the wooden boxes. Retreat until after the explosion. Only the reinforced boxes are left, so Belly Flop onto them to destroy them. When you come to a fork, go right and hit two switches to get rid of nitro boxes. Backtrack to the fork and head left.
Get past another flamethrower robot, and continue through a tunnel to a flooded room. Jump across the water using a floating platform, and collect the crystal and some boxes. Backtrack again and take the right tunnel at the fork. After eliminating another flamethrower robot, jump across the water and into a tunnel.
In the next flooded room, jump over to a floating platform and wait for the flamethrower robot here to give you the chance for a flying spin attack. Keep going into the portal room to pick up a Clear Gem and complete the level.
Time Trial
Time Requirements
Sapphire: 1:04:00
Gold: 0:41:29
Platinum: 0:34:00
This is a tough level for a time trial. The flamethrower robots can be a pain. However, since you’re in a hurry, you need to take some chances. Don’t wait until the flames stop. Instead, as the flames sweep to one side, rush in from the other and do a flying spin attack. In addition to the time boxes, collect all three masks to become invincible. You can get through most of the level before the invincibility wears off. Run through barrels, propellers, enemies, and water. Be sure to take the right tunnel at the fork. By the time the invincibility wears off, you’re near the last flamethrower. Head straight through him, and one of your masks takes the damage for you so you can keep going to the portal.