Crash Bandicoot 2 N Sane Trilogy - Clear and Coloured Gems Guide

This guide contains a complete walkthrough for finding all of the clear and coloured gems in Crash Bandicoot 2 in the N Sane Trilogy remaster. Like the original game, Crash Bandicoot 2 contains a large collection of clear gems and a handful of coloured gems. Many of these coloured gems are well hidden in the game and each one plays an important part in unlocking new levels and ultimately the second ending.

With the release of the N-Sane Trilogy, the classic Crash Bandicoot 2 game has been preserved in it's entirety. The well known Gems and Crystals are still of major importance to the story and the players gameplay focus.

About Gems

The original Crash game was rather simplified in it's requirements for earning coloured gems, simply challenging players to smash all of the boxes on each level without losing a single life. This unlock process repeated itself throughout the course of the game.

Crash Bandicoot 2 takes things a little further than the first game. Dr Nitro needs Power Crystals to complete his space station's destructive power and for every level in the game there's a power crystal that Crash must collect (not including BOSS fights).

In addition to the thin looking Power Crystals, there are also "chunky" Gems that come in both clear and coloured varieties. The coloured versions are hidden in most circumstances, with some masked behind time trials and other mini-challenges. See the table further below for a full list, followed by a detailed guide for each.

In total there are 37 clear gems and 5 coloured gems which are: Blue, Red, Green, Yellow, Purple.

Portal Rooms

Whilst standing in the portal room, take note of the Gem and Crystal symbols above the portal entrance to each level. There will always be a thin looking Power Crystal outline and possibly one or two other Gem silhouettes, one of which may be coloured.

For example, on the very first level called "Turtle Woods" there are two Gems (one of which is blue) and one Crystal silhouette. The adjacent level called "Snow Go" also has a coloured Gem, a red one. Other levels in the first warp room do not have an associated coloured Gem.

If you're going for 100% completion and the secret ending then you can (and should) replay levels multiple times to ensure that you go back for any missing collectibles.

How to Get All Clear Gems

The majority of clear gems are earned by breaking all of the boxes on each level (similar to Crash 1). However, there are a number of gems that are found naturally during normal gameplay such as venturing down alternate pathways.

See the table below for each of the levels and gem requirements:

LvL	Name	Gem 1	Gem 2
1	Turtle Woods	Smash all boxes
2	Snow Go	Smash all boxes (use switches to destroy nitro and invisible boxes)
3	Hang Eight	Smash all boxes (requires Blue gem)	Finish level before timer expires
4	The Pits	Smash all boxes (explore both forks)
5	Crash Dash	Smash all boxes
6	Snow Biz	Smash all boxes (requires Red gem)
7	Air Crash	Smash all boxes (requires access from secret Air Crash entrance in the bonus warp zone)	Take the skull path and complete it without dying
8	Bear It	Smash all boxes
9	Crash Crush	Smash all boxes (requires some backtracking to explore both paths)
10	The Eel Deal	Smash all boxes
11	Plant Food	Smash all boxes
12	Sewer or Later	Smash all boxes (explore both forks)	Complete secret gem path (requires Yellow gem)
13	Bear Down	Smash all boxes
14	Road to Ruin	Smash all boxes (requires access via secret warp room from "Diggin It")	Take the skull path and complete it without dying
15	Un Bearable	Smash all boxes (note there are some boxes in the hole the bear falls in)
16	Hangin Out	Smash all boxes (note secret level is found by backtracking after falling down hol)
17	Diggin It	Smash all boxes (explore all forks)	Take the skull path and complete it without dying
18	Cold Hard Crash	Smash all boxes (including the invisible boxes in bonus area)	Take the skull path and complete it without dying
19	Ruination	Smash all boxes (tricky, 49 boxes in total)	Explore path by checkpoint
20	Bee Having	Smash all boxes
21	Pistion It Away	Smash all boxes (suggest taking skull path first)	Take the skull path and complete it without dying
22	Rock It	Smash all boxes
23	Night Flight	Smash all boxes (explore both forks)	Take the skull path and complete it without dying
24	Pack Attack	Smash all boxes
25	Spaced Out	Smash all boxes	Complete secret gem path (requires ALL coloured gems)

How to Get All Coloured Gems

The table below lists each of the ways to earn the coloured gems. For a more detailed guide, see the section below the table. The first Gem, Blue, is the easiest to collect whilst others such as Purple and Yellow can be found much later in the game.

Gem	Warp Zone	Lvl	How to Get	Unlocks
Clear (37)	N/A	All levels	Varies. Either breaking all boxes or found during exploration.
Blue	1	1. Turtle Woods	Don't break any boxes	"Hang Eight" path and "Spaced Out" multicolor path
Red	1 / 2	2. Snow Go	Complete secret route using the secret portal from "Air Crash"	"Snow Biz" path and "Spaced Out" path
Green	2	10. The Eel Deal	From secret route behind a fake wall	"Ruination" path and "Spaced Out" gem path
Yellow	3	11. Plant Food	Complete level before timer runs out	"Sewer or Later" path and "Spaced Out" path
Purple	4	20. Bee-Having	Secret route accessible via fake nitro stairs	"Spaced Out" path

Detailed Steps

Blue Gem

The easiest of the coloured gems to find. The blue gem can be earned from the very first level in the game, "Turtle Woods", by simply completing the level WITHOUT breaking any of the boxes. Considering the relatively short duration of this level, the blue gem should be yours immediately.

This action of course goes against the principle of destroying all boxes to get the clear gem. You therefore have to replay this mission twice to collect the Power Crystal, clear gem and coloured gem.

Red Gem

Although the Red gem is found on the "Snow Go" mission you should use the secret route from "Air Crash" to actually get there. "Air Crash" is level 7 found in Warp Zone 2.

From the start of "Air Crash" follow the route until you reach the first checkpoint crate. Notice the water in front of you and the stone platform to the right side. Bounce on the two right hand side crates to reach the platform and enter the secret route.

This secret route takes you to a new Warp Zone. Enter the "Snow Go" level and follow the route onwards. Eventually you will collect the Red gem on your travels. It is not hidden.

Green Gem

A particularly well hidden and sneaky location for the Green gem. From the "The Eel Deal" level, Warp Zone 2 Level 10, follow the route until the first fork in the pathway. Take the right hand side route and get ready to dodge a serious number of green nitro boxes.

Keep going until you reach the end of the pathway and what appears to be a bunch of green nitro boxes and a dead end. Don't worry, the tunnel wall is fake so just jump through it. Continue onwards until you get the Green gem.

Finally once you have the gem, backtrack to the original fork location and take the alternate route to the end of the level.

Yellow Gem

The Yellow gem is a reward for completing the "Plant Food" level before the timer at the bottom of the screen runs out. "Plant Food" is the first level of Warp Zone 3 which becomes available after defeating the Komodo Brothers.

Note that the timer only starts once you smash the first checkpoint box. It's certainly worth having a mask for this particular challenge.

Purple Gem

Another sneakily hidden gem. The Purple gem is hidden in a bonus area that's accessible via fake nitro stairs in the "Bee Having" level. This is level 20, found in Warp Zone 4.

The stairs are easy to spot about halfway through the level and completely safe to touch. Simply climb the stairs to reach the top and the entrance to the bonus area. Explore further and the Purple gem is yours.

Alternate Secret Ending

As mentioned above, collecting all of the clear gems and all of the coloured gems unlocks a secret alternate ending. Unlike Crash 1, there are no special walkways to reach this special ending. Instead, players simply have to use the final platform in the Warp Room to commence the alternate cutscene.