Tomba! Special Edition

Tomba! Special Edition perfectly preserves the 1997 classic. The game is just as good as it was back then, and perhaps even better now with tons of quality of life features and extras. This is an incredibly special game, and I hope it finally gets the recognition it deserves.

To be perfectly honest, Tomba! isn’t a game for everyone. It’s silly, often feels directionless and random, poorly-explained, and looks a little wonky in that old PS1 game way you love or hate. And the controls can feel fumbly, not just with Tomba’s comically huge jump but with the game and emulator itself. I still find myself forgetting which button to press to do which action, and there isn’t an...

With the added ease of a modern platform release, and all the benefits of new quality of life features, there’s never been a better time to experience this underrated classic. While Tomba! Special Edition very much feels like a retro title, its unique gameplay merits the attention of a modern audience.

Tomba! Special Edition is a thorough remaster of a classic underappreciated title from PlayStation history that manages to stand out among a sea of other mascot platformers. A pioneering force in the popularisation of the 2.5D platformer, I enjoyed being given the chance to see where this subgenre began. While there are definitely relics of archaic PlayStation-era design, these are almost an expec...

So, who remembers Tomba!? Also known as Tombi! in Europe, it was a distinctly Japanese platformer that charmed many a PS1 player all the way back in 1997. Often bizarre but almost always bright and cheery, Tomba! offered something very different to the genre's blockbusters, like Crash Bandicoot or Spyro. It was a curious blend of sprite-based, 2D platforming and layered 3D environments. It even ha...

Tomba! is a fantastic reminder to players everywhere that metroidvania games don’t always act and look the way you may think they will. Sure, you’re going to have some titles that have adorable protagonists, puzzling mechanics or are just plain inscrutable, but still look the part once you break things down. An expansive map, some clear pathways that cannot be traversed initially, and a growing co...