Crash Bandicoot 4 Devs React to Riko_KSB’s Speedrun: A Wild Ride Through Time
Speedrunning is an art. It’s a mix of skill, precision, and an almost obsessive understanding of a game’s mechanics. When a player completely breaks a game (in the best way possible), it’s always fun to see the developers’ reactions. That’s exactly what happened when the team behind Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time sat down to watch speedrunner Riko_KSB blaze through their carefully crafted levels at breakneck speed.
The Perfect Storm: Crash 4 and the Speedrunning Scene
Released in 2020, Crash Bandicoot 4 was a love letter to fans of the series while introducing fresh mechanics, tighter platforming, and a level of difficulty that could make even the most seasoned players sweat. The game wasn’t designed to be a walk in the park—quite the opposite. It demanded precision and quick reflexes, making it a prime target for the speedrunning community.
Riko_KSB, a well-known name in the Crash Bandicoot speedrunning scene, took this challenge and flipped it on its head. With a deep understanding of movement exploits, perfect execution of jumps, and split-second decision-making, he managed to complete the game in a time that left the developers both awestruck and utterly baffled.
Developers’ Reactions: ‘Wait, What?!’
In a video posted by IGN, the Crash Bandicoot 4 developers watched in disbelief as Riko_KSB tore through levels in ways they never anticipated. Right from the start, their reactions were a mix of laughter, disbelief, and admiration.
One of the standout moments came when Riko_KSB used an advanced slide-spin-jump technique to skip entire sections of a level. The developers had a good chuckle, realizing that players were interacting with their game in ways they had never even considered.
“This was not how we intended this level to be played,” one of the developers admitted, laughing as Riko completely bypassed obstacles that took weeks to design.
Another moment that had them speechless was how Riko handled boss fights. Instead of carefully dodging and attacking as the devs expected, he exploited precise timing windows, dealing damage in ways that shaved off massive amounts of time.
The Speedrunning Mentality: Breaking the Game Without Breaking It
What makes speedrunning so fascinating is the way players deconstruct a game. They’re not just playing it; they’re analyzing every possible way to push the mechanics to their absolute limits. This is especially true for Crash 4, where movement mechanics like the slide-jump and perfectly timed spins can result in unintended speed boosts.
What’s even more interesting is that the developers didn’t seem frustrated by these exploits. Instead, they embraced them, acknowledging that this is what makes speedrunning special. Rather than patching out these techniques, they appreciated the creativity behind them.
A Game Built for the Challenge
Unlike older Crash games, which had a simpler approach to platforming, Crash Bandicoot 4 introduced mechanics like wall running, dimensional masks, and an overall more fluid movement system. These additions gave speedrunners more tools to play with, leading to even crazier runs.
Riko_KSB’s approach wasn’t just about going fast; it was about understanding every mechanic inside and out, knowing exactly how to push the game’s physics engine to its limits. The developers admitted that while they designed the game to be difficult, they never expected players to dissect it with such surgical precision.
