Crash Bandicoot 2 - N. Sane Trilogy - Platinum Time Trial #21: Piston It Away -

I wanted one world record in this game and when I clocked a 57:25 here without too much trouble, I figured this had to be it. After trying countless times and being more than a second ahead of the world record time at certain boxes, I always found myself screwed by the last piston platform that I had to wait several seconds for. So, I had to find away to make that wait shorter and that's done by manipulating the pistons through taking damage. The pistons move at a constant pace, but when you take damage, they will stay up for a certain amount of time, allowing you to change the timing. That's what this is all about. Timing. You don't have to run perfectly, as you have to wait for that final platform anyway.

In total, this required more than a thousand attempts over three days. I had to play it that many times to get everything mapped out and this is a level where absolutely everything can and will go wrong. There are several trouble spots that would get me at least half the time, like the first jump up to the platform with four pistons, and that enemy before the three second box in the background. You're allowed to mess up many places here, but other places you have to be absolutely perfect. This time, it's not just my thumbs that hurt, but also my right index finger for holding the running button.

As you can see, I first got a 54:93, but I wasn't satisfied with it, so I kept trying and eventually got this run. There's still room for improvement and there are other possible strategies that might be faster, but I'm satisfied with this for now. I even made a super fancy thumbnail for this one, but I didn't put too much effort into it as I don't expect this record to last forever. And yes, my PSN name is Sjutten, as some people have already guessed.

My time: 54:48
Former World Record: 55:57
Developer Time: 1:13:03
Platinum requirement: 1:16:03