In the Flashback Tape "Bandicoot vs. Wombat Eval", Cortex compares the results of preliminary tests deciding on if he should use a bandicoot or a wombat for future experiments to turn him into a general. Near the end of the game during the "Toxic Tunnels" stage, he exclaims had he chosen a wombat rather than a bandicoot, "this could have all been different". This plot point is a nod to Crash's early incarnation Willy the Wombat.