We all love secret levels, and Crash Bandicoot was full of them back in the day. Thanks to the hard work by the Vicarious Visions development team, we can now fully enjoy those same secret levels once more in the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy. In this article we’ll show you how to find all the secret levels in Crash Bandicoot, as well as where you can find the keys for them.
The first key can be found by completing a secret Cortex bonus stage that can only be unlocked by finding three Cortex faces on Sunset Vista.
The first Cortex face can be found on the third floor of the Sunset Vista level. Once you reach the top of the ruins, and you see the sunset in the background, there is a small room with white crate outlines. Defeat the lizard inside the room and smash all of the creates to find the first Cortex face.
Now it’s time to find the second Cortex face. After finding the first Cortex face, continue moving forward and look for a small space between two pushing-block walls. From here, hop onto the crates nearby to reach the top of the second pushing-block, and then grab the extra life and Cortex face in this area.
The third Cortex face, which will unlock the bonus stage, can be found near the Cortex teleporter. Look to the left and hop into the hallway with the extra life and move left to enter a small background room. Here you’ll find the Cortex face, so hop around to find it.
With all three of the Cortex faces found inside the level, head to the teleporter and complete the bonus stage to earn the first key.
To find the second key that you need to unlock all the bonus levels, head to Jaws of Darkness—where you’ll need to find three Cortex faces and complete another bonus stage.
The first Cortex face can be found after you ride the tiny set of platforms through the spike traps. Hope through the traps and the fire, and then look for a stack of crates with a TNT crate on top. Break the bottom crate and you’ll acquire the first Cortex face.
The second Cortex face is found in a “?” crate a little further into the level. Look for a small stone platform after you jump through the spears and look for a snake on the right. The “?” crate can be found in the nearby corner. Break it to get the Cortex face.
The last face that you need to find can be found after you reach a platform with the void off to the left. The only path that you can take forward is straight ahead. Ignore that one, and instead move to the left to make an invisible platform appear (look for the Wumpa Fruit to find it). Follow the new path to find the Cortex teleporter and the final face in a nearby crate.
Complete the last bonus stage and you’ll unlock the key, allowing you to access even more bonus levels. That’s all the key locations you need to find in Crash Bandicoot, so be sure to use this guide and collect those keys so you can take on even more nostalgia-filled levels in the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy. For more help be sure to check out our guide on how to find all the color gems in Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy.
