 With the aid of his assistant Doctor Nitrus Brio , Doctor Neo Cortex creates the Evolvo @-@ Ray , which he uses to mutate the various animals living on the islands into beasts with superhuman strength . They experiment on a peaceful bandicoot named Crash , who Cortex intends to be the military leader of his growing army of animal soldiers . Despite warnings from Brio , Cortex subjects Crash to the untested Cortex Vortex in an attempt to put him under his control . The experiment proves to be a failure as the Vortex rejects Crash . After Crash escapes Cortex 's castle by leaping out a window and falling into to the ocean below , Cortex prepares a female bandicoot named Tawna for experimentation . 
