Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure (or Crash Bandicoot: XS in PAL regions), is the seventh installment in the Crash Bandicoot video game series and the first Crash Bandicoot game to be released on the Game Boy Advance.
The game's story centers on a plot to shrink the Earth by the evil scientist, Doctor Neo Cortex through the use of a gigantic weapon named the "Planetary Minimizer". The protagonist of the story, Crash Bandicoot, must gather the Crystals in order to power up a device that will return the Earth to its proper size, defeating Doctor Cortex and his minions along the way. The levels are based on Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back and Crash Bandicoot: Warped. Most of the game is played in 2D with the exception of 2.5D chase sequences and jetpack sequences.
In 2003, a sequel, Crash Bandicoot 2: N-Tranced, was released for the Game Boy Advance.
Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure is a platform game in which the player controls Crash Bandicoot, who must gather 20 Crystals and reverse the shrinkage of the Earth at the hands of Doctor Neo Cortex, the main antagonist of the story. Much of the game takes place in a series of hubs, from which Crash can teleport to various areas of the Earth. Initially, only the first of four hubs is available for play. Each hub features five levels plus one boss level. The goal in each level is to find and obtain the Crystal hidden in the area. After completing all five levels in a hub, the boss level must be completed, in which Crash must defeat the boss character guarding the area. By defeating the boss, a new hub will be accessible for play. When all 20 Crystals are collected and the Earth has been enlarged to its proper size, the game is won.
Crash starts the game with five lives. He loses a life when he is struck by an enemy, or suffers any other type of damage. More lives can be earned by instructing Crash to collect 100 Wumpa Fruit, or by breaking open a special crate to collect a life. Crash can be shielded from an enemy attack by collecting an Aku Aku mask. Collecting three of these masks allows temporary invulnerability from all minor dangers. If Crash runs out of lives, the game is over, but the player can choose to continue by selecting "Yes" at the game over screen.
Besides Crystals, Gems and Colored Gems can be collected for 100% completion. Gems are awarded to the player if all of the crates in a level are broken open or if a secret area is completed. Colored Gems are found in special levels and lead to hidden areas. Unlike in previous Crash titles, however, there is no purple gem, ergo only four colored gems are present in the game. Relics can be won by re-entering a level where the Crystal has already been retrieved. To obtain a Relic, the player must initiate the Time Trial mode and race through a level in the per-designated time displayed before entering a level. To begin a Time Trial run, the player must enter a level and activate the floating stopwatch near the beginning of the level to activate the timer. If the stopwatch is not touched, the level can be played regularly. The player must then race through the level as quickly as possible. Scattered throughout the level are yellow crates with the numbers 1, 2 or 3 on them. When these crates are broken, the timer is frozen for the number of seconds designated by the box. Sapphire, Gold and Platinum Relics can be won depending on how low the player's final time is.
