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Crash Bandicoot is notable for its rich themes and subtexts, which show the influence of Eastern philosophy as well as ideology of the Elizabethan era.

The game largely deals with balance, harmony and the natural order. These concepts are embodied in the duality present throughout the game; good and evil, natural and man-made, intelligence and physical strength, emotion and logic. The setting also reflects this, with many level types appearing twice. Opposites, according to the game, are meant to be in balance. The narrative serves as an exploration of what happens when harmony is disrupted.

The primary conflict of the game is the disturbance of this balance by Cortex, whose desire for power and control lead him to act against the natural order. Formerly balanced between good and evil, he is driven to madness by his suffering at the hands of fellow scientists. Now almost entirely evil, he spreads his imbalance to the people and places he comes in contact with. His foil Brio for instance, becomes servile to Cortex, rather than an evenly matched rival. Cortex’s enterprise rains down destruction on the islands, through pollution and tampering with nature, creating a decaying dystopia with him at the throne. This disruption of the natural order leads to the creation of Crash. Although intended by Cortex to be an instrument of further destruction, he serves as a means for the natural order to restore itself. When an evil entity is introduced, a good one soon follows. Inevitably, the two opposites meet and balance is restored.

Crash Bandicoot may function as a tragedy in the Shakespearean sense. By this understanding, Cortex serves as the tragic hero. Although only his fall is shown during the course of the game, he was once a respected intellectual. The turning point for him came when his newest theories were ridiculed, despite their accuracy. This drove him to seek revenge at the cost of his humanity. In this sense, Cortex is the victim. His “evil plan” is merely his own attempt to restore balance by exacting his revenge on those that first attacked him. The restoration of the natural order through the confrontation of Crash and Cortex provides Catharsis. In the end, Cortex fails, and is left with nothing. Crash, the instrument of the natural order, restores balance, but in doing so loses his innocence. Like Cortex, he comes out a different person, unable to return to his natural, animal state despite having done nothing wrong.

The themes of the game are conveyed not just through the action, but through symbolism as well. Aku Aku is the embodiment of the natural order, aiding Crash in his efforts to restore balance. Conversely, the Cortex Vortex represents the disruption of balance by Cortex. In far eastern mythology, the shell of a turtle represents heaven while its underside represents earth. The appearance of turtles upside down in the game symbolizes the disorder and chaos Cortex has caused in the natural order. The TNT crates foreshadow the events of the game, with the countdown from three to one representing the journey across the three islands and the explosion representing the confrontation between Crash and Cortex and violent restoration of balance. The Wumpa Islands themselves are important symbols. They represent the three acts of the game: the beginning, middle, and end. The islands also reflect the changing mindset of Crash and the destruction of his innocence, first shown to be benign and tranquil, but becoming dark and threatening as time goes on. Each island also presents a different form of civilization. The first is primitive and the only one that lives harmoniously with nature. Consequently, it is the only one shown to be healthy and strong. The second civilization has failed long ago, its existence is only hinted at through the ruins it has left behind. It seems to have been mighty, but ultimately failed and has been taken over by the forest. The third civilization is that of Cortex. This, too, is mighty, but works against nature, which leads to its downfall. The events on the third island reveal to the player that the civilization failed because it went against nature, indicating the cause of the second civilization’s destruction. Therefore, the message of these civilizations is that those who do not coexist harmoniously with nature will be destroyed by it. Considering the game’s strong commentary on civilization, the prevalence of hogs throughout the islands may be a reference to William Golding’s Lord of the Flies.