Doctor Neo Cortex uses his "Evolvo-Ray" to genetically alter the local wildlife into an army of soldiers for the purpose of world domination. Among these soldiers is a bandicoot named Crash, who Cortex selects to be the general of his army. Crash is rejected by the Cortex Vortex and is chased out of Cortex's castle, plummeting to the ocean below. As Cortex prepares Tawna to be used in Crash's place, Crash washes up on a smaller island and resolves to rescue Tawna and defeat Cortex.