What is the exact title of the second Crash Bandicoot game?

What is the exact title of the second Crash Bandicoot game? Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back. Released in 1997 for the original PlayStation, it is the direct sequel to Crash Bandicoot and the second entry in Naughty Dog’s original trilogy. The title identifies Doctor Neo Cortex as the central figure in the story, even though he manipulates Crash into helping gather crystals for a supposed plan to save the world.

The game introduces Warp Rooms, which serve as hubs connecting its levels. Crash must collect 25 crystals across five Warp Rooms, defeat bosses, and survive hazards such as enemies, pits, and water. Compared with the first game, Cortex Strikes Back expanded Crash’s moveset and added features such as body slams, slides, secret paths, bonus areas, and more varied level designs.

Several similarly named games cause confusion. Crash Bandicoot: Warped is the third mainline game, while The Wrath of Cortex is a later title and N-Tranced is a handheld spin-off. “Cortex Strikes Back” is therefore the distinctive and canonical subtitle of the second game.