Day 35: N. Gin (Crash 4)

Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time is like an abusive relationship. It'll beat you down relentlessly, it'll make you question your self worth (as a gamer), but there's something about it that keeps you coming back for more.

Suffice it to say, I have a strong love-hate relationship with this game. While I hate how ball crushingly difficult this game is, especially if you're trying to 100% it, which I DO NOT recommend by the way, I love the nods to the Original Crash Trilogy, the gameplay is among the best in the series, the imaginative level design, and hey, the bosses are pretty cool.

The first boss especially leaves a good impression on the player. So ladies and gentleman, give it up for the one and only Rawk-It Head, N. Gin!

Using the power of the Quantum Mask Akano to power up his drummer mech, N. Gin will start the fight by leaving you on a treadmill platform.

Lyra: Hey, two bosses in a row where treadmills come into play. It's almost like video games are trying to tell you to exercise.

Me: Go away!

Anyway, N. Gin will send enemies to come at you, and what you have to do is spin them into the loudspeaker on the mainstage. Upon breaking the loudspeaker, the treadmill platform will move you to the mainstage where you have 15 seconds to climb up to N. Gin's mech and spin into it to do damage. Doing so will trigger the second phase.

In phase two, there are two treadmill platforms for Crash/Coco to stand on, and this time you need to dodge soundwaves coming from the loudspeakers on the mainstage. Green means you jump over them, red means you duck under them. Pay attention though, as more enemies will come out in between the soundwave attacks, and you have to spin the enemies into the loudspeakers.

You only have to break one of them in order for the drummer mech to stop working again. The treadmill platforms will bring you back to the mainstage and you have to climb up to hit N. Gin, but this time you have to use the Quantum Mask Lani-Loli to phase the platforms in and out of reality so you can reach N. Gin in time and hit him.

Phase three is pretty much the same as phase two except that there are three treadmill platforms now and the sound wave attack come out a bit faster, but doing damage is the same. Hit the enemies until one of the loudspeakers breaks, use Lani-Loli to climb up the platforms to hit N. Gin, same shit different phase of the fight.

But then phase four happens where there are no treadmills, just regular platforms floating above the Rawk-It Head audience that you have to jump on in order to avoid the soundwaves from the loudspeakers and reach the enemies that are dancing on the platforms to spin into the loudspeakers. After breaking the loudspeakers, don Lani-Loli one last time and deliver the finishing blow.

The fight against N. Gin is another challenging first boss that keeps you on your toes and tests your skills with Lani-Loli very well. Overall, N. Gin and this fight in general just flat-out rocks. Keep on rocking, Rawk-It Head!