In the original Crash Bandicoot, there are optional time trials that pit you against the clock to beat levels in under a certain amount of time. Some of them — like N. Sanity Beach — are unforgiving, but The Lost City isn’t quite as bad.
It’s recommended that you try to get the Green Gem in this level first, as in doing so, you will be forced to memorize the level’s every nook and cranny. If you’re skilled enough to nab the Green Gem, the Gold Relic is actually a breeze.
To get the Gold Relic in The Lost City, you must beat the level in under 1:56:12 — or one minute, 56 seconds, and some odd change.
With a lot of obstacles that are constantly in motion, the real trick is knowing when to brute force your way ahead and when to simply wait a half second. In many cases, waiting just a fraction of a second can prevent an unnecessary death, a death that will force you to start over from the beginning.
The easiest place to lose significant amounts of time is the moving platform segment that takes you up to the top of the level. If you can master this section, you should be golden (pun intended?)
And don’t worry about a few small screwups. As you can see from the video below, we messed up a couple times and still got the Gold Relic with more than five seconds to spare.
Here’s a video of our successful Gold Relic run in The Lost City:
