To progress, the player must find and collect a Crystal within each of the stages, which can be played in any order, before facing the boss of each room. From Twinsanity onwards, the games took a more free-roaming approach, with Crash travelling various areas on foot.
To advance, players need to find and collect crystals within each level, which can be explored in any order before facing the boss of each area. From Twinsanity onward, the game series transitioned towards a more open-ended format, allowing Crash to move around freely on foot.