Ranking Crash 2 Levels & Bosses

It's been a while! Previously, I went ahead and ranked all of the levels and bosses in the first Crash Bandicoot game, but then I kinda just forgot to do the same for the second and third games? Well, now's as good a time as any to change that. As I've made clear before, I think Crash 2 is my favorite entry in the trilogy for its more refined gameplay and level design, consistent difficulty curve, satisfying 100% completion, and vastly improved presentation. I like a lot of the stages in this game so properly ranking them all is probably going to be a bit harder this time around. The bosses, on the other hand, are admittedly the weakest in the trilogy so that'll also be a pretty interesting ranking, I think.

Once again, I'll be basing this off the PS1 version of Crash 2.

28. Totally Fly
One thing I definitely wasn't happy to see return from the first game are the dark levels, but they might actually be even worse here. Totally Fly doesn't make you use your health source as light thankfully, instead you need to rely on these fireflies that disappear super quickly and don't respawn meaning if you don't rush for the entire level, you can absolutely be screwed over by the stage's many uneven pits that are just straight up impossible to see in the dark. But the sickest joke is near the end where you have to blindly fumble around for locked crates in the dark to get the Clear Gem, it just sucks. 

 27. Night Fight
Night Fight and Totally Fly are pretty interchangeable, they both suck ass. That being said, while the split path in this one is pretty bad, the locked crates in Totally Fly are worse in my opinion making this stage marginably better.

 26. Rock It
In general, I think Crash 2's endgame is the weakest part since it contains my two least favorite level themes in the game. The worst is obviously the night stages, but I'm not huge on the jetpack levels either despite them being the game's primary selling point since I just don't find them especially intuitive to use. They're at their best when you're continuously moving forward though, which makes Rock It the lesser of the two jetpack stages since you spend a lot more time fumbling around to get all the crates. Great atmosphere and music though.

 25. Totally Bear
Judging solely by its layout, Totally Bear is yet another solid Polar level that further tests your skill with box placement that forces you to boost-jump a lot more precisely. Unfortunately, it's brought down by the baffling decision to make it really dark so you can't see in front of you... in an auto-runner that already requires quick reaction time. At least it's short.

24. Intro
Ha! Thought I wasn't gonna include Crash 2's intro sequence. It's not anything too special, just a basic tutorial, but it gets you excited for the adventure to come and it's a shame this is the only game to have one.

23. Pack Attack
While slightly harder than Rock It, Pack Attack is also a lot more linear as well. Most of the crates are nitros, so you can focus on dodging the fairly well laid-out obstacles and not have to spend as much time wrapping your head around the jetpack's strange controls.

22. The Pits
Pretty much just a slightly harder Turtle Woods, so there's not too much I can say about it. It's a solid level, though having to backtrack through the split path to get all the boxes is never fun.

21. Snow Biz
Basically Snow Go but with less of the fun ice physics, more 2D sections, and a crushingly long gem route. It's still a fine level, but man can it drag at points.

20. Plant Food
Plant Food is the last of the stream levels in Crash 2 and as the name indicates, it puts a much larger focus on the chomping plant enemies, which are now placed such that they can even attack you while on your jetboard. Otherwise, it's nothing too remarkable, though it has a time trial gem just Hang Eight did.

19. Ruination
I'll talk about the ruin stages as a whole when I get to Road To Ruin, so just know that Ruination is basically just more of that stage but a bit harder and with a more annoying alternate route. 

 18. Diggin It
Diggin' It is a dense with a lot of really cool elements and some baffling choices. I love the digging mechanic, as underused as it is here, it feels really nice. Some of the new enemies like the plants and moving statues are fun to deal with, I like that the boulder chase hazards are brought over to be used in a standard level, and the secret exit is well hidden. On the other hand, the death route placement is a mess since it not only skips the entirety of the titular mechanic but makes you backtrack through it to get the clear gem. And on top of that, this stage introduces the godawful bee enemy that frequently blindsides you whenever you try to backtrack. High highs and low lows, this one. 

17. Cold Hard Crash
Ah, Cold Hard Crash. The posterchild for BS box placement. But even putting aside that infamous box in the bonus room, this stage is a routing nightmare. Having to backtrack through the death route is bad enough, but god forbid you want to get all the gems in one run. This stage is lucky it's otherwise pretty fun, being a decently tight platforming challenge that lets you abuse the ice physics in fun ways. It even brings back the rolling stones from Crash 1!

16. Air Crash
On its own merits, Air Crash is a good level. It expands on the fun mechanics of Hang Eight, hiding secrets behind skipping over the jetboard is a neat concept, and it has the series' first death route and a pretty fun one at that. However, it's also arguably the most flagrantly backtrack-y stage in the game seeing as it has a secret exit, a death route, and an alternate entrance that houses the nitro switch which means you'll have to play this stage a bare minimum of three times.

15. Bear It
The Polar stages are a big step-up compared to the hog stages in Crash 1 as they play a lot better, are a lot more reasonable in terms of difficulty, and give you more space to see what's coming up. Bear It is pretty short and it has a few annoying crate placements, but overall, it's a solid breather stage.

14. Sewer Or Later
This level's just kinda weird in terms of routing. You can get everything in a single run and fairly easily too, but you'll need to die in the yellow gem route after getting the clear gem, and you'll need to zig-zag back and forth across a split path. For the most part, though, this is still another fun sewer level with a few new enemies, one of the game's better bonus rooms, and deeper water making failure more punishing.

13. Piston It Away
While the NST version of this stage has become pretty infamous for having awful hitboxes, the original version of Piston It Away is really just a pretty great, primarily 2D obstacle course filled with some of the most complex enemies and unique mechanics in the game, from tentacle bots that can protect their weakspots to lasers that activate when you step on floor tiles. The only thing really keeping this stage from being higher up is the annoying clear gem route which requires a lot of backtracking and purposefully keeping an enemy alive.

12. Crash Crush
The second boulder chase stage in the game and probably my least favorite of the three, though it's still fun. The sunset lighting helps Crash Crush stand out, and the split path in the middle is kinda surprising for a chase level (and it actually sends you back to the start rather than makes you backtrack!). For the most part, the hazard placement remains engaging and fair, though there are a few cases where it feels like the boosters sent me into a hazard and that one locked crate at the end is an absolute bitch. 

 11. Bee-having
Bee-having is what Diggin' It should've been. It makes far better use of the digging mechanic, it doesn't have any split paths unlike its predecessor, and it doesn't force you to backtrack while dealing with the bees at the same time. Granted, the bees are still a pretty annoying enemy, but this stage makes it much easier to outrun them to stealthily hide from them. Also the nitro staircase is the funniest secret in the series and I will die on that hill.

 10. Snow Go
Snow Go is an iconic stage for a good reason. Gorgeous winter scenery, catchy music, the introduction of Crash's fun yet unwieldy ice physics, and most of all, the first Crash stage to have both 2D and 3D segments. I also really like the secret route, it's tough but it gives you a lot of opportunities to mess around with the ice physics.

9. Road To Ruin
Like in the first game, the ruins levels are fun in Crash 2, with some neat environmental hazards like shifting pillars, crumbling platforms, and fire breathing statues to dodge. The lizard enemies that you must defeat by sliding are pretty annoying, but I do love the death route and its Donkey Kong references.

 8. Turtle Woods
Crash 2's first level is once again a fantastic start to the game, showing off the game's new engine by offering up more dynamic and developed level design than anything the first game had, from bouncing over quicksand to fighting off swarms of rats inside pits. The secrets here are pretty great too, from a lengthy bonus area that has you hopping across giant birds that you can access from the very start if you know how to belly-flop, to the Blue Gem requiring you to beat the stage without breaking any boxes. 

7. Crash Dash
Crash 2 might just have my favorite chase sequences in the series. The level design is a lot more dynamic than in the first game, with more varied platforming and a decent array of hazards like boost panels and land-mines, though it still feels manageable in terms of difficulty. I also adore Crash's expressive animations in these stages. Crash Dash is the first chase stage so it's obviously the easiest, but it's still a fun time.

6. Bear Down
Bear Down is a big step-up over Bear It that makes much better use of Polar's mechanics, introducing new hazards like the lifter lab assistants, forcing you to use the boost button, and generally just being a longer stage. It even has the sunset backdrop from Crash Crush, so that's nice. I also really appreciate that the secret exit is right by the normal exit, so you can nab the Clear Gem and take the secret exit beating the level in one clean run.

 5. The Eel Deal
Crash 2 is a rare game to have sewer stages I actually enjoy. Platforming across electrified water, clambering across monkey bars, and dodging rolling barrels all make for engaging platforming challenges, and the music is an absolute bop. While The Eel Deal does have that one annoying bit of backtracking for the green gem, I still think it's an overall really dynamic level that even gets a cool scenery change by the end, and I like that you have to go a bit out of your way for the Crystal here.

4. Spaced Out
Spaced Out is just Piston It Away but better in pretty much every single way, as in, it lacks any backtracking. This is a great final level, possibly my favorite in the trilogy, because it feels like a worthy test of all your platforming skills. Even better is the fact that it introduces the multicolored gem route, a brutal gauntlet that you need all five colored gems to access, really making it feel like the culmination of everything you've accomplish. Even if I think Crash 2 ends on its weakest note overall, it has one hell of a final level.

 3. Hang Eight
Yet another iconic early stage! I can't understate how good Crash 2's early-game is. Hang Eight is another stage with a lot of firsts. It's the first vehicle stage, introducing the very fun jetboard mechanic. It's the first stage to have a gem route that does a good job at expanding on the stage's mechanics further. And it's the first stage to have a dedicated time trial that'll net you a second gem, laying the groundwork for the Relics to come in future games. But even on its own, this is a fun and varied throwback to the first game's stream levels complete with all the tight platforming that made those stages so fun.

2. Hangin' Out
Basically the final minute of The Eel Deal expanded into a full stage, and it's really fun. The climbing controls in the PS1 games are really fast and snappy which makes stages like Hangin Out an absolute blast, and it helps that this is also the only sewer stage to not have a split path.

 1. Un-Bearable
This is it, this is the one. Un-Bearable isn't just my favorite Crash 2 level, it might just be my favorite level in the entire PS1 trilogy. It fuses the Polar and boulder chase gimmicks together into a brilliant culmination of the game up to this point, having you be chase by a giant terrifying polar bear this time around. The on-foot chases are more fun than ever, introducing even more gimmicks like fences you have to burst through and enemies you need to bat away, but the standout moment is the finale which has you escape from the polar bear while riding on Polar. This stage also has quite a lot of secrets, from a genuinely difficult 2D secret route to the cleverly-hidden exit to Totally Bear, really exemplifying all the best aspects of Crash 2 as a whole.

Bosses:

5. Dr Neo Cortex
Yeah, this fight blows. It's in that unlucky space of being a final boss that's both underwhelming and annoying. Because yeah, Cortex doesn't attack you here, he goes down in three hits, and you can end the fight in minutes. But also, the game never actually makes it clear when you can spin attack Cortex so I often find myself needing multiple attempts to feel out the timing which isn't exactly fun either. No matter where you slice it, this is a bad final boss, to the point where the true final cutscene (which isn't even a boss to begin with) feels more like a satisfying ending than it.

4. Ripper Roo
Once again, Ripper Roo's boss fight is just kinda mid. It's better than the first one, figuring out the gaps between the TNT and Nitro crates he unearths is a decent challenge for a first boss, but it's still just a glorified waiting game as you stay near the bottom of the screen and watch as Ripper Roo blows himself up.

3. Dr N Gin
N Gin's fight is certainly the toughest and most developed out of the fights in Crash 2, boasting multiple phases, though it's also kinda strange. You destroy N Gin's mech by tossing Wumpa fruit at him, but the Wumpa fruit kinda just spawn out of Crash (a rare positive change in the NST is the fact that it animates Crash throwing the Wumpa fruit). Also you can't slide for some reason and that really hampers the fight for me.

2. Tiny Tiger
Tiny Tiger's fight has him chase after you, forcing you to hop across platforms to try and bait him into falling into a pit. It's very easy if you know what you're doing, but it's still a pretty fun fight that at least requires a decent amount of forethought and strategy.

1. Komodo Brothers
The Komodo Brothers aren't an especially hard fight, but they are memorable, likely because this is the only time they actually show up in one of the platformers. It is a fun fight though, dodging flying swords is quite fun, and I like how each phase slowly increases the number of things you have to avoid.