Back in the 90s, 3D platformers starring colorful mascot characters were all the rage, even in the early days. One of the first ones out of the gate on the PlayStation was Croc: Legend of the Gobbos. It was made by Argonaut, yes the same folks who helped create the original Star Fox.  I remember playing this on a demo disc (remember those) back then and not liking it.  Mainly because the controls were awkward.  This was back before the PSOne had analog sticks, so Croc had more tankish controls.  It took a while before the PlayStation had quality 3D platformers as good as the N64 ones.  Me personally, they didn’t catch up until Ape Escape and maybe Spyro.  Anyway, because I didn’t like the first Croc game on the demo disc, I skipped out on the other entries in the series.  Turns out there was a lot more than I thought.  There was a 3D sequel as well as a handful of 2D games on handheld and mobile devices.  And I’ve watched a lot of videos with gamers saying they loved Croc as a kid.  I’m willing to give games a second chance, so I’m glad I got to review this remaster.  It’s available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.

In the game you play as Croc, an adventurous little crocodile out to save his little fuzzy Gobbo friends from the evil Baron Dante, a giant frog troll thing.  This remaster only makes two big changes from the original game.  The graphics are touched up to look clearer and run on today’s HD TVs.  They also thankfully changed the controls to play more like today’s plaformers with analog stick movement and camera adjustment.  Croc can jump, swing his tail to attack enemies, and when you are in the air, press the jump button again to stomp on the ground to break blocks.  Since it’s an early 3D platformer, it’s VERY rudimentary.  Each level is broken off into rooms with collectables like crystals which let you take hits like Sonic, special gems and keys to unlock doors, and those little Gobbos.  My big problem with the game is that you have to do a lot of jumping onto tiny little dinner plate platforms, and I kind of rage quit shortly after reaching the final castle levels.

But even though the game isn’t that great, the cool thing about this remaster is all the extras!  I swear there’s more hours of extra content here than in the game itself.  You have hours of video interviews with the staff who worked at Argonaut at the time.  They have a lot of interesting stories, like how if they had continued to work with Nintendo, Croc would’ve probably been a Yoshi game, that’s why the two characters look so similar!  Did you also know there might’ve been a Croc TV cartoon?  I know this because the extras also include a Croc show bible and possible script ideas!  You also have two different soundtracks and music remixes, commercials, print ads, promotional materials and press goodies, and much more!  But I think the only people who will really like this game are ones who had fond memories of the original or who want a simple 3D platformer or like learning about the history of old games.

Kid Factor:

Croc: Legend of the Gobbos is rated E for Everyone with an ESRB descriptor of Mild Fantasy Violence.  You can swing your tail at enemies and they just disappear in a ring of stars.  If you get hit, you just fall over and sigh.  Reading skill is helpful for the text but not necessary just to play.  Younger gamers may need help with the tougher levels, though.

Tags: Game Reviews