The game's story centers on the arrival of a popular technological device that puts its users under the control of the device's creators and antagonists Dr. Neo Cortex and Dr. Nitrus Brio. Crash and his magical mask friend Aku Aku are the only ones unaffected by the device, and must free their friends from its control and put an end to Dr. Cortex's plot.

The game's story centers on the arrival of a popular technological device that puts its users under the control of the device's creators and antagonists Dr. Neo Cortex and Dr. Nitrus Brio. Crash and his magical mask friend Aku Aku are the only ones unaffected by the device, and must free their friends from its control and put an end to Dr. Cortex's plot.