Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure, released in Europe as Crash Bandicoot XS and in Japan as Crash Bandicoot Advance, is a platform game published by Universal Interactive Studios (along with Konami in the Japanese release) and developed by Vicarious Visions for the Game Boy Advance. It was released in North America on February 25, 2002, in Europe on March 15, 2002 and in Japan on July 18, 2002.Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure is the seventh installment in the Crash Bandicoot video game series and the first Crash Bandicoot game to be released on a handheld console. The game acts as alternate sequel to the first four games, along with N-Tranced for the same platform. The game's story centers on a plot to shrink the Earth by the main antagonist, Doctor Neo Cortex, through the use of a gigantic weapon named the "Planetary Minimizer". The protagonist of the story, Crash Bandicoot, must gather Crystals in order to power a device that will return the Earth to its proper size, defeating Doctor Cortex and his minions along the way. The game stemmed from an agreement between Universal Interactive Studios and Konami that enabled them to produce and publish (respectively) a Crash Bandicoot game for next-generation handheld game systems, ending the franchise's exclusivity to Sony-produced consoles.Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure received generally favorable reviews from critics. The game was praised for its graphics and overall design,but critics noted the game's lack of innovation.