You’ll have to perform some serious phase-shifting in Crash Bandicoot 4 to get the Hidden Gem in Crash Compactor, the second level of Map 2.
This sprawling stage pits you against flame-throwers and treacherous gauntlets where you’ll have to use your blue mask power-up to hop through walls and make platforms appear beneath you. The levels are only getting harder, so let’s dig in and get all the crates.
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2-2: Crash Compactor | All Crates & Hidden Gems
To earn 100% on a level, you need to find 80% of all Wumpa Fruit, die no more than 3 times, find the Hidden Gem, and find all crates. These challenges can be completed in any order. If you die more than 3 times while finding all the crates, you can return and earn the last gem later. All gems you’ve unlocked in a level stay unlocked in future replays.
26/136: No tricks here. Just clear all the crates — including the few on the right, on a small optional path near the start. Keep going until you reach a ledge with an open room on the left.
[Easy-To-Miss] 28/136: Two hidden crates are found in the small interior room to the left, once you encounter the mutant with the flame helmet.
38/136: Dodge the flame jets and spinning gears. There are a bunch in the background, and this set ends with two fruit crates.
[Easy-To-Miss] 39/136: At the blue neon pointer, you’ll have to jump on some circular platforms. In the foreground, there’s a small ledge with one crate.
40/136: The checkpoint crate is ahead. This is where you’ll find the grind rail — and the red gem bonus room. The red gem bonus room is only available if you collected the red gem in N. Sanity Peak.
[Red Gem] 64/136: There are 24 crates in the red gem bonus area. Make sure you use the hidden bounce crate after the spinning gears to reach the upper area with 2 crates.
68/136: There are 4 crates on the rail grind. After the second crate, immediately jump right to reach a hard one.
69/136: This is the checkpoint crate right after the rail grind. It’s important because there’s an “!” crate beneath it. Drop down and hit the crate, then slide-jump back up.
Hidden Gem: Hit the “!” crate hidden underneath the checkpoint to open a door to this hidden gem, right behind the masked mutant ahead.
74/136: Above the hidden gem alcove, there’s a small optional path to the right with five crates.
98/136: There are 24 crates in the bonus room. The trick to this room is you need to reach the end, then backtrack back — jump over lots of crates so you have plenty to go back and then back to the exit again with. There’s one tricky crate floating above the bouncing metal crate.
[Easy-To-Miss] 102/136: Past the bonus room, you’ll find a TNT crate near two minions. Smash the lower crate with a spin attack, wait for the TNT to explode, and jump on top of the bouncing metal crate to collect an easy-to-miss crate on top.
108/136: Jump on all 6 crates forming a bridge past that last little puzzle.
109/136: This is the checkpoint crate, and where you’ll gain the phase-shift mask.
[Easy-To-Miss] 112/136: Gain the blue mask, then phase-shift and jump to the platform to the left of the flamethrower trap. There are 3 crates here.
116/136: Climbing the phase-shift gauntlet, get onto the spinning gear on the upper-left and phase-shift to reach a high platform with 4 more crates.
120/136: 3 crates and 1 checkpoint ahead.
[Easy-To-Miss] 121/136: There’s a tricky crate on the wall to the right of the checkpoint. Go down, then to the bounce crates — then phase-shift left and slide-jump up the platforms to reach it.
136/136: Hit the Nitro detonator to get the last crates.