Crash: Mind over Mutant

Crash Bandicoot using a jacked Grimly to fend off two Znus

Crash can perform both a light and heavy-powered attack. He can also block, dodge-and-counter, or break an enemy's block.[8] When he defeats enemies or destroys objects, a magical substance known as Mojo is released that, when collected, allows Crash's abilities to be upgraded.[9]

While small minions require only a single combo attack for Crash to defeat, larger enemies, known as "Titans", require more effort to subdue. Each of the unique Titans in the game possess a star meter that indicates how close they are to being stunned.[10] When the meter is full, the Titan is susceptible to "jacking", meaning Crash can mount the creature and control it.[10][11] While controlled by the player, the Titan possesses a similar moveset to Crash, although some jacked Titans can shoot projectiles.[12] Besides having more health, the Titans controlled by Crash have a purple Titan Meter which, when full, allows the Titan to unleash a powerful special attack. This fully drains the meter in the process.[13]

A feature new to the series involves Crash storing a Titan in his pocket and utilizing it when it is most advantageous.[11][14][15][16] When Crash is riding a Titan, any Mojo collected goes to the Titan. If enough is collected, the Titan's abilities are upgraded rather than Crash's.[9]

A player using a second controller can join in the game at any time. The second player will initially appear as a mask floating around Crash. The mask can attack enemies by using magic projectiles. By pressing a certain button, the second player's character can exit and enter the mask.[13] In the Wii and Xbox 360 versions of the game, Crash's sister, Coco Bandicoot, fills in the role of the second player,[4][14][15][16][17][18][19] while a white-furred version of Crash known as "Carbon Crash" takes on this role in the PlayStation 2 version.[18] Coco is not available for play until she is defeated in a boss fight, after which she is fully playable (though the player can choose to continue with Carbon Crash). This method of play is useful for overpowering enemies and collecting Mojo faster.[13]

The game is played in a free-roaming format rarely seen in previous games,[4][14][16][17][19] although the DS version is played as a 2-D beat 'em up as a means of utilising the handheld's hardware to its greatest capacity. The opening events of the game take place on Wumpa Island. Crash's house is accessible here, and can be used by the player to access skins, concept art, enemy bios and cutscenes.[3] Surrounding environments consist of societies inhabited by friendly Titans, including the Ratcicle Kingdom, the Rhinoroller Desert and the Sludge Junkyard. Other areas include the Evil Public School, attended by the main antagonist's niece, and Mount Grimly, where the evil mask Uka Uka is held. The final events of the game take place in the Space Head, a space station recycled from junkyard parts that is operated by Doctor Neo Cortex.[20]

Nine returning characters from previous Crash titles star in the home console version of Crash: Mind over Mutant. The protagonist of the game, Crash Bandicoot, is a bandicoot who must defeat the main antagonist Doctor Cortex and free the Titans from the control of Cortex's new device. Aiding Crash is Aku Aku, an ancient wooden mask who can take control of Titans by entering their heads. Crash's genius sister, Coco Bandicoot, appears initially as a boss character under the control of Cortex's and Brio's handheld device. Afterward, she acts as a playable character during the co-operative mode of the Wii and Xbox 360 console versions;[4][14][15][16][17][19] she is replaced by a white-furred version of Crash named "Carbon Crash" in the PlayStation 2 version.[18] Crunch Bandicoot, Crash's muscular cyborg friend, also appears in the game as a brainwashed boss.[21]

The main antagonist of the series, Doctor Neo Cortex, is a mad scientist who plans on taking control of the denizens of the Wumpa Islands by marketing a mind-controlling mobile phone, the "NV", to them. Doctor Nitrus Brio makes a return appearance as Cortex's partner, aiding him in the development of the NV.[14][15][16] Uka Uka, Aku Aku's evil twin brother, is the source of the bad Mojo necessary to take control of those using the NV device. Nina Cortex, Neo Cortex's niece, also appears in the game, having been transferred to an evil public school by her uncle. Doctor N. Gin, Cortex's demented right-hand man, makes a relatively minor appearance as a boss character early in the game.[22]

A number of small fodder enemies attempt to hinder Crash in his journey, much of them appearing in the previous Crash of the Titans. The Ratnicians, who previously worked for Doctor Neo Cortex, have since gone feral and vegetarian, and now work for the minor antagonist Doctor N. Gin.[23] The Brat Girls, who previously worked for Nina Cortex, have betrayed her and now run the Evil Public School and supervise the Ratcicles in the Ratcicle Kingdom.[24] The Doom Monkeys make a return appearance as employees of Nitrus Brio in the Sludge Junkyard.[25] Two new fodder enemies make their debut in the game: the Znu, a group of small, warty creatures that inhabit Mount Grimly,[26] and the Slap-E's, hand-shaped robots that share Doctor Cortex's memories and personal problems.[27]

The individual cutscenes of Crash: Mind over Mutant are drawn in differing artistic styles. Some examples of these styles (as shown above) include hand puppetry, American comics, South Park and Dragon Ball

Social satire and the theme of consumerism are frequent sources of humor in the plot of Crash: Mind over Mutant, with the game featuring jokes about SUVs and the skyrocketing prices of gas at the time.[28] The game's story is told through a number of cut scenes animated in 2D Animation with different styles, such as those of Dragon Ball, The Animatrix, and South Park.

Crash: Mind over Mutant takes place a year later after the events of where Crash of the Titans left off.[4] The Titans, free from the control of Doctor Neo Cortex, have spread throughout the Wumpa Islands and cultivated their own societies and towns.[3] All seems well until a rejuvenated Cortex teams up with his old partner Nitrus Brio to invent a personal digital assistant, the "NV", that can control the minds of both mutants and bandicoots by transmitting bad Mojo, forcefully siphoned from Cortex's former boss Uka Uka. Crash and Aku Aku are not affected by the device,[4] meanwhile N. Gin launches an attack on the bandicoots. Crash and Aku Aku defeated him, but they discover their family members Coco and Crunch are soon transformed into monstrous version of themselves who seek Crash's destruction.

After Coco is freed from the NV's control, the Bandicoots learn of Doctor Cortex's plot by accessing his blog,[29] and decide to go to the Evil Public School, where Nina was placed by Doctor Cortex. Nina in return for Crash saving her science fair project, informs the heroes of Cortex's and Brio's alliance and reveals their location in the Junkyard,[30] where N. Brio is recycling parts to create a new space station, the "Space Head", for Cortex and new NV devices.[20]

Crash and Aku Aku find Crunch and N. Brio at the Junkyard and manage to break Crunch free from the NV's control. After learning of Uka Uka's whereabouts from N. Brio, Crash and Aku Aku go to Mount Grimly, where Uka Uka is being drained of all his Mojo. After being freed, Uka Uka informs Crash that his six voodoo bones, his source of power, have been stolen and given to three of the worst Titans on the Island, and tells them to go and retrieve the bones for him.[31] When the bones have been gathered, Uka Uka uses his restored power to send Crash to the Space Head and Crash can enact Uka Uka's vengeance on Cortex. Crash engages in a fight against Cortex, who uses a mutation formula stolen from Brio to empower himself for the battle.[32] Upon losing to the Bandicoot, Cortex throws a tantrum, causing the Space Head to fall towards the Earth. Cortex, having returned to normal, makes his escape from the plummeting Space Head, while Crash and Aku Aku brace themselves for a crash-landing on Wumpa Island. Crash and Aku Aku manage to survive the crash and reunite with Coco and Crunch as parts of the Space Head rain down from the sky.[33] Coco ends the story by telling Aku Aku that they're not going to help clean up, much to his chagrin.