Rating
ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove
ToeJam and Earl have crash-landed back on Earth in ToeJam and Earl: Back in the Groove!, a funky fresh rogue-like adventure infused with old skool hip-hop and jam packed with awesome throwbacks to the 1991 classic. The iconic '90s duo is back in the groove with all-new presents to help them navigate this wack planet "Earth" and retrieve all the los...
Details
- Released
- February 28, 2019
- Developer
- HumaNature Studios
- Publisher
- Adult Swim Games, HumaNature Studios
How it plays
Up to 2 players
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ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove Reviews
Professional reviews from gaming critics
Playing this game is equivalent to downing some orange soda and Cool Ranch Doritos while watching Rocko’s Modern Life with the Fresh Prince and DJ Jazzy Jeff playing on my parents’ six-CD player. With a little more variety in objectives this could be the killer co-op game to end all co-op games, but even with the same basic goal each run, ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove is one of the illest, dopest, most hella fly experiences I’ve had on my Switch. And while I know that vernacular is terribly dated, it totally works when talking about this game.
ToeJam, Earl, and the rest of the gang come back to Earth with style.
Capturing the essence of the 1991 classic, HumaNature Studios hits all of the right notes with ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove. With nine playable characters, light RPG progression, online co-operative gameplay, and a whole lot of funk, the latest entry into the ToeJam & Earl franchise rests solidly in the pocket where it is meant to be.
At one time Sega pimped ET rappers – the funky, groovy duo of ToeJam and Earl – as mascots for their Genesis console. However poor sales of the original 1991 game nixed that and that mantle fell to the decidedly more kinetic Sonic and Crash Bandicoot. Enter ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove!
While still in need of some technical polish, ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove is a loving flashback to the good old 90s, filled with some lighthearted laughs and killer beats in an easygoing adventure setting. Fans of the original will definitely find something to love, and those who are new to the craziness can find some great fun here.
ToeJam and Earl are definitely back in the groove with this remake, and this game has been welcomed by fans who backed the Kickstarter back in 2015. I certainly wanted to see a more fresh take on these characters, but the game we got will keep fans of the franchise happy while introducing a whole new generation of gamers to the series.
“An all new adventure game… from 1991.” The original ToeJam & Earl for the Sega Genesis was a roguelike game before the term was coined, and before
ToeJam & Earl & Lewanda & Latisha are trapped on Earth. Getting back to Funkotron will require a box of tomatoes, a few pairs of strap-on wings, and some serious (more or less) teamwork.
Back in the early days of the Sega Genesis, Sonic the Hedgehog wasn’t the only one who was making some noise and pulling the attention away from the powerhouse that was Nintendo.
Otherwise, this is really hard to recommend. The music, which really should have been the focus, is tinny ultra-basic beats, sounding like midi files in their simplicity. There’s no attempt at livening it up with real instruments, and the game’s Guitar Hero-style button-along sequences are insultingly rudimentary. Crikey, I just kept thinking of so many different ways this could have been a much more ambitious take on a cheerful anachronism from an ancient 16-bit era. Sadly, I appear to have been the only one.