Crash Bandicoot Purple: Ripto’s Rampage (known as Crash Bandicoot Fusion in PAL regions) is a unique crossover handheld game for the Game Boy Advance, released in June 2004. This game merges the universes of two popular video game characters, Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon, combining their worlds and challenges into an intertwined adventure. Story The plot of the game revolves around an alliance between Doctor Neo Cortex, a recurring antagonist from the Crash Bandicoot series, and Ripto, a villain from the Spyro series. Together, they devise a scheme to eliminate their adversaries by sending monsters disguised as Crash to Spyro’s world and vice versa. This deception leads to initial conflicts between the characters, but they soon realize they’ve been tricked, leading to the formation of a new alliance between Crash and Spyro. As the story unfolds, Cortex escalates his efforts by ordering Nina to kidnap key allies, Coco from the Crash series and the Professor from the Spyro series. The duo of Crash and Spyro must collaborate closely, with Spyro working to free the captives while Crash distracts the antagonists. This teamwork extends to strategic efforts to track their enemies by placing tracers, ultimately leading them to the villains’ secret base for a final showdown. After defeating Cortex and Ripto, Crash and Spyro part ways, returning to their respective worlds. Gameplay The gameplay in Ripto’s Rampage is primarily focused on a variety of minigames that test different skills, ranging from Breakout-style enemy destruction to racing sequences using jetpacks, tanks, or inner tubes. The game includes traditional platforming elements, allowing players to navigate diverse environments as either Crash or Spyro. An innovative feature of the game is its use of the Game Link Cable, which enables multiplayer gameplay. Players can compete against each other in different minigames, and interestingly, many of these multiplayer components require only one copy of the game, facilitating easy access and cooperative play. Additionally, players can collect and trade virtual trading cards by performing specific tasks within the game. These cards enhance gameplay by adding a collectible layer and can be traded between Game Boy Advance systems, even if the recipient doesn’t own a game copy. Linking Crash Bandicoot Purple with its Spyro counterpart, Spyro Orange: The Cortex Conspiracy, unlocks additional content, enriching the crossover experience.