The Crystals (also better known as the Power Crystals in Twinsanity and CTTR, and also called the Power Stones in the Japanese versions of the Crash Bandicoot games) are supernatural purple jewels with fantastic powers and they are seen in almost all of the Crash Bandicoot videogame series as an energy source, a lot like the Gems.
These precious minerals filled with condensed tremendous energy, have been used in the series since their first appearance in Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back. In state of fact, there are 25 "Slave Crystals" (referred to by Dr. N. Gin), the Master Crystal and the Super Big Power Crystal, these Crystals were mostly used for evil and to control all of Dr. Cortex's machines and gadgets including the insidious Cortex Vortex but now mostly used for good to help Crash Bandicoot and his allies save the world from the Time Twister Machine and stopping the Elementals.
However, there are 28 Crystals in Crash Bash, and 142 in Crash Tag Team Racing. In that game, the Crystals apparently have the power to change the environment in the stages, in addition to changing their rules.
After Crash Twinsanity, the Crystals were replaced with the Mojo that was used to power Cortex's machines and to create his mutant army.
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Trivia
- The Crystals are most likely based off the amethyst crystal, a type of quartz mineral, due to their shape and complexity of color only being in the violet variety.
- In the early version of Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, the crystals were going to be red, but they were changed to purple. Coincidentally the icon for crystals in Crash Twinsanity is red.
- In Crash Bash, all the crystal challenge arenas are changed from the original arena design. (e.g. Space Bash is a futuristic type arena, while its crystal challenge is more of an Egyptian type arena.)
- The Crystals shares the same name with the magic orbs created and controlled by Jareth the Goblin King from Jim Henson's Labyrinth.