The Crash Bandicoot video game series is one of the most beloved mascot franchises in gaming. It’s chock full of fantastic games and a small handful of some that aren’t so great. Among the long list of games Crash Bandicoot’s history is Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex. It’s the fourth mainline game and sixth overall to be released in the franchise.

The Wrath of Cortex had the evil Dr. Neo Cortex develop a new genetically enhanced living superweapon to finally defeat Crash Bandicoot and his allies once and for all. This superweapon was a new character named Crunch Bandicoot. The only issue was that his creation of his needed a power source. Uka Uka suggested using a group of renegade masks known as the Elementals. This set Crash, Coco, and Aku Aku on an adventure to find the Power Crystals and use them to imprison the Elementals before they cause too much mayhem.

The game has received a bit of a lukewarm reaction from fans, with most thinking that it’s just simply okay. It’s rarely seen that someone would say it’s the worst game in the Crash Bandicoot game library, but it’s almost never referred to as one of the best or someone’s favorite.

It’s also worth noting that The Wrath of Cortex, along with many of the games that came after it, have essentially been erased in the canon by the release of Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time. The same could be said for characters like Crunch or Nina Cortex who were introduced in those games that only existed in that original canon. Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped and It’s About Time are both time travel-focused games, and It’s About Time takes place directly after the events of Warped despite other games originally coming out after it. This more or less created a new timeline that the games currently follow, meaning that games like The Wrath of Cortex didn’t occur on this current timeline.

Those who weren’t fans of The Wrath of Cortex got a sense of gratification knowing that it only exists in the previous canon. It’s just a shame that not only does the game not get the love it deserves, but now it’s essentially erased from the canon timeline. It’s a bummer for those of us who genuinely enjoy it.

The characters who were introduced, like Crunch, were welcome additions to the roster of fan-favorites. Crunch became a bit of a staple in some of the later games in the series (in the original run). Plus, The Wrath of Cortex is actually a lot of fun.

Reusing the gameplay formula from Warped, which is easily one of the best in the franchise, was a smart move that allowed players to choose the order of which levels they played for each world, as well as allowing for a diverse selection of levels and mechanics. New mechanics that were only featured in this game, like Crash rolling around in a giant hamster ball contraption and Coco riding a Razor scooter, offered a lot of fun while providing an experience that felt new without feeling like something that wasn’t Crash Bandicoot. The Elemental masks were also really cool, blending with Crunch for creative and exciting boss fights.

Sure, it’s not quite as excellent as the original trilogy of Crash games, but it was still a ton of fun to play, and is quite enjoyable to revisit now. The game deserves more love and respect than what it’s been getting from both the fans and the developers. Hopefully those now-erased characters will be reintroduced in a future game, and hopefully there is some return for The Wrath of Cortex, whether it be in another remake collection like The N. Sane Trilogy for other Crash games or an HD rerelease. Either way, it’s a really fun game that shouldn’t be forgotten.

Read Next: Now is the Perfect Time For a New ‘Jak and Daxter’ Game