Crash Bash is a party video game featuring eight playable characters with differing powers and skills.[1][2] The game's storyline involves a contest of good vs. evil held between the twin witch doctor spirits Aku Aku and Uka Uka.[3] The gameplay consists of 28 different mini-games divided into seven basic types with multiple variations each.[4][5] Crash Bash includes multiplayer compatibility for up to four human players with the use of the PlayStation Multitap.[6]
Crash Bash features three distinct modes of play: "Adventure", "Battle" and "Tournament".[4] In the Adventure mode, one or two human players must win all 28 mini-games and retrieve trophies, gems and crystals by accomplishing certain challenges presented for each mini-game. The mini-games are accessed from a series of "Warp Room" hub areas,[7] with the first Warp Room consisting of four mini-games.[4] A trophy is won by achieving victory in three rounds of any given mini-game, after which the player(s) can return to the mini-game and receive a gem or crystal by winning one round under special conditions. When a minimum number of trophies, gems and crystals have been won, the Warp Room's "Boss Arena" becomes accessible, in which the player(s) must defeat a boss character by depleting his health. Winning a Warp Room's Boss Arena will grant entry to the next Warp Room. When three of the game's four Boss Arenas have been won, mini-game challenges become available in which the player(s) can win gold or platinum Relics by defeating advanced computer-controlled opponents. The Adventure mode is completed when all trophies, gems, crystals and relics have been won.[7]
The Battle mode is a quick match within any mini-game that has previously been won in the Adventure mode. The mini-games within this mode can be played as a free-for-all or in teams. In the Tournament mode, players compete in four consecutive mini-games and accumulate points; the player with the most points wins the tournament. In both the Battle and Tournament modes, the number of rounds needed to win a mini-game can be adjusted between two and seven, and the skill level of computer-controlled opponents can be adjusted between "easy", "medium" and "hard".[8]
Plot