Tomba! Special Edition review

My
first
experience
with
Tomba!
(also
known
as
Tombi!)
came
from
the
demo
disc
that
was
stuck
to
the
front
of
the
Official
PlayStation
Magazine.
What
I
discovered
on
that
disc
was
a
weird
mish-mash
of
genres
and
ideas,
all
squished
into
a
quirky
mess.
But
that’s
where
my
Tomba!
Adventure
ended.
I
never
got
the
full
game.
That
brings
us
to
the
year
2024
where
Limited
Run
Games
announced
Tomba!
Special
Edition,
a
new
release
of
Whoopee
Camp’s
1997
platformer/RPG/adventure
game.
Let’s
take
a
jog
down
memory
lane,
shall
we?

First
things
first,
let’s
tackle
what
this
Special
Edition
is.
If
you
were
hoping
for
updated
graphics
or
other
major
changes
then
I’ve
got
some
bad
news:
visually
and
mechanically
this
is
almost
exactly
the
same
game
that
released
on
PS1
in
1997.
I
say
almost
because
the
emulator
is
actually
upscaling
the
game
a
little
bit.

Developed
by:
Whoopee
Camp/Limited
Run
Games
Published
By:
Limited
Run
Games
Available
On:
PC,
PlayStation,
Switch
Reviewed
On:
PS5
Price:
$19.99/£16.75

But
there
have
been
a
couple
of
useful
things
added,
namely
a
handy
rewind
ability
that
lets
you
jump
backwards
in
time,
much
like
the
recent

Sly
Cooper
release
on
PlayStation
.
It’s
a
great
addition,
especially
in
a
game
like
this
where
the
platforming
calls
for
some
precision
that
the
controls
can’t
always
deliver.
You
can
also
save
the
game
at
any
time
now,
rather
than
just
at
set
points.
Again,
an
excellent
addition.
The
music
has
been
remastered
too,
although
you
can
swap
back
to
the
original.
And
you
can
choose
to
play
the
game
in
a
few
different
ratios
as
well,
including
stretching
it
out
to
16:9.
I’d
recommend
sticking
to
the
4:3
though,
because
it
looks
strange
in
anything
else.

There
are
also
some
cool
extras
included
in
this
package.
There’s
an
interview
with
creator
Tokuro
Fujiwara,
along
with
a
museum
that
includes
never-before-seen
developer
notes,
original
packaging,
the
game’s
manual
and
more.

If
these
changes,
or
lack
of
changes,
don’t
feel
like
they
justify
the
£20
pricetag
then…well,
yeah,
I
get
it.
For
some
people
the
recreation
of
Tomba!
on
modern
consoles
without
any
major
changes
or
tweaks
is
exactly
what
they
want

a
way
to
play
the
game
as
it
was
intended
For
others,
paying
£20
for
an
emulated
version
of
a
PS1
title
is
asking
too
much,
especially
when
you
Sony
themselves
currently
releasing
classic
titles
for
far
less.

The
Game
Itself

Tombs!
is
weird.
There’s
no
other
way
to
describe
it.
Even
back
in
the
PS1
day
when
weirdness
was
commonplace,
Tombi!
was

weird.

It
combined
2D
and
3D,
side-quests,
RPG-style
levelling
up
and
a
host
of
other
elements
into
a
unique
package.
It
was
conceived
by
Tokuro
Fujiwara
who
left
Capcom
in
1995
and
set
up
Whoopee
Camp.
He
sought
to
create
a
less
difficult
game
than
he
was
known
for,
and
chose
the
platforming
genre
for
its
relatively
straightforward
nature.

As
the
titular
cave
child
with
inexplicably
pink
hair
(which
everyone
likes
to
comment
on)
you
are
one
day
mugged
by
a
bunch
of
evil
pigs.
As
if
the
beating
they
deliver
wasn’t
insulting
enough,
the
pigs
also
steal
Tomba’s
grandfather’s
bracelet.
They
hot-hoof
it
away
with
their
ill-gotten
gains.
Enraged
by
this
turn
of
events,
Tomba
follows
them
to
a
nearby
village
where
he
is
told
to
seek
out
the
100-year-old
Wise
Man.
The
wizened
old
geezer
tells
Tomba
the
story
of
the
7
Evil
Pigs
who
rose
to
power.
Their
underlings,
the
Koma
Pigs,
stole
Tomba’s
bracelet
because
they
are
stockpiling
gold
for
some
nefarious
reason.
To
get
his
grandfather’s
heirloom
back,
Tomba
will
need
to
travel
the
land,
kick
some
pig-arse
and
eventually
use
the
magical
Pig
Bags
to
discover
where
the
Evil
Pigs
are
lurking.

This
brief
plot
synopsis
is
only
the
beginning
of
the
game’s
oddness.

Tomba!
is
primarily
a
platformer,
albeit
a
very
floaty
one.
Tomba
has
some
well-developed
leg
muscles
because
he
can
leap
into
the
air
like
Tigger
from
Winnie
the
Pooh
on
crack
cocaine,
and
he
even
has
a
decent
amount
of
control
in
the
air.
He
can
spin
around
poles
on
occasion,
and
can
even
leap
forward
and
backwards
onto
different
2D
planes
from
time
to
time.
It’s
a
clever
piece
of
design
that
lends
the
world
a
sense
of
depth
missing
from
other
2D
platformers
of
the
time.

The
various
enemies
are
dispatched
by
leaping
atop
them
whereupon
Tomba
bites
them.
Tap
the
button
again
and
Tomba
will
toss
the
enemy
away
with
ease.
But
if
jumping
on
them
doesn’t
work,
Tomba
also
has
a
handy
throwing
weapon
he
can
hurl
a
few
feet
in
front
of
him,
too.

For
the
most
part
the
game
doesn’t
demand
too
much
precision
from
the
player,
but
there
are
a
few
sequences
that
need
you
to
land
on
tiny
ledges
that
are
immensely
frustrating.
Tomba’s
aerial
controls
take
some
getting
used
to,
and
the
noticeably
iffy
hit-boxes
don’t
help
the
situation.

Those
aren’t
the
only
frustrating
moments.
Tomba!
is
a
product
of
its
time,
including
some
obtuse
PS1-era
designs
that
can
leave
you
scratching
your
head.
There’s
a
touch
of
Metroidvania
to
the
world’s
layout,
often
sending
you
bumbling
back
across
the
various
locations
with
a
new
item
or
ability
in
hand
that
will
hopefully
let
you
progress.
I
don’t
mind
admitting
that
I
opened
up
some
of
the
old
walkthroughs
to
figure
out
what
I
needed
to
do
next.
Maybe
I’m
just
getting
old
and
soft
and
to
used
to
modern
games
which
subtly
(and
sometimes,
not
subtly)
point
you
in
the
right
direction.
Tomba!
is
happy
to
let
you
stew
in
your
own
stupidity,
and
other
times
to
let
you
stew
in
the
game’s
stupidity.

A
few
sequences
stand
out
as
nearly
being
annoying
enough
to
make
me
stop
playing.
One
section
of
the
world
involves
using
special
mushrooms
to
make
Tomba
laugh
or
cry,
but
while
they
are
active
they
stop
you
from
using
your
boomerang
and
will
also
activate
at
random,
leading
to
a
bunch
of
annoying
deaths.
The
key
is
to
find
the
regular
mushrooms
which
can
heal
Tomba,
but
while
your
travelling
back
and
forth
to
special
doors
and
to
characters
that
need
Tomba
to
display
these
emotions,
it
can
be
incredibly
annoying
to
die
because
Tomba
randomly
runs
forward
while
bawling
his
eyes
out.

Some
of
the
confusion
stems
from
the
game’s
interesting
design.
It’s
all
based
around
non-linear
“events”
which
act
as
quests.
Some
are
optional,
some
are
mandatory
to
move
the
story
forward.
Almost
all
of
them
boil
down
to
finding
a
specific
object.
Keeping
track
of
them
all
can
be
confusing
at
times,
but
finally
figuring
out
what
you
need
to
do
can
be
satisfying.
As
you
complete
these
little
quests,
Tomba
will
earn
points
that
can
be
used
to
unlock
new
abilities,
like
swimming.
It’s
a
fun
dash
of
RPG.

So
far,
I
sound
kind
of
negative
about
Tomba!
Special
Edition,
so
let
me
clear
that
up

it’s
an
old
game
and
I
sometimes
struggle
to
go
backwards
in
time
like
this.
But
that
doesn’t
stop
there
being
a
quirky
charm
to
the
game.
Even
now,
in
the
year
2024,
it
still
feels
unique.
There’s
nothing
quite
like
it,
which
makes
me
eager
to
try
out
Tomba!
2
which
I’m
reliably
informed
is
a
far
better
game.
The
good
news
is
Tomba
2
is
already
is
already
confirmed
to
be
getting
the
same
treatment.

In
the
6
or
7
hours
it
takes
to
complete
the
game,
I
learned
the
language
of
Dwarves
by
jumping
on
their
heads
and
biting
them,
ate
a
lot
of
mushrooms,
helped
a
monkey
find
his
pants,
met
some
old
dudes,
battled
evil
pigs,
got
angry
a
few
times,
got
impressed
a
few
times,
wound
up
a
tad
confused
and
helped
a
village
by
brewing
some
wine.
That’s
not
a
bad
way
to
spend
a
few
hours.

In
Conclusion…

















Rating:
3.5
out
of
5.

This
is
a
tricky
game
to
review
because
it
heavily
depends
on
what
your
expectations
are
from
this
Special
Edition
release.
This
is
a
faithful
recreation
of
the
original
game
in
many
respects.
The
additions
of
some
quality-of-life
improvements
are
fantastic
and
make
playing
the
smoother.
However,
the
lack
of
graphical
upgrades
or
even
something
like
faster
loading
times
might
be
a
sticking
point
for
some.

In
the
end,
I
enjoyed
my
time
with
Tomba!
Special
Edition.
I
can’t
lie:
it
feels
clumsy
and
awkward,
but
a
lot
of
that
comes
down
to
my
inability
to
enjoy
older
games
some
times.
I’m
too
spoiled
by
all
the
comforts
of
modern
gaming,
I
suppose.

Putting
that
aside
though,
Tomba!
is
a
fascinating
game.
It’s
strange,
and
quirky
and
combined
elements
of
multiple
genres.
It’s
easy
to
see
why
it
scored
so
well
when
it
launched
in
the
90s.

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