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The original PlayStation birthed lots of iconic franchises. From Crash Bandicoot to Gran Turismo to Tomb Raider to Resident Evil, many series that got their start in this era are some of gaming’s biggest franchises today. Other games released around this time were just as good as those classics but not as lucky when it came to commercial and long-term success. One prime example of this is Tomba, a cult classic that first released in North America in 1998 but just got a new lease on life.
Tomba is an ambitious 2.5D platformer from Whoopee Camp that’s still a joy to play today because of its freeing structure and satisfying platforming. When I stumbled upon the PSP classics re-release game years ago, I was astounded that Tomba wasn’t more popular. Is it because it played from a 2D perspective and not in 3D like Crash Bandicoot? Or was its main character just not as immediately appealing as Lara Croft of Spyro the Dragon? Whatever the reason Tomba didn’t go mainstream is, I’m still disappointed that this series was relegated to cult classic status after just one sequel.
That’s why I’m also thankful that Limited Run Games just released Tomba! Special Edition on PC, PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch. While I don’t expect Tomba to throw Mario to the wayside anytime soon, I’m glad there’s now an easy way to play this fantastic experience.
An open-ended platformer
Like most mascot platformers from its era, Tomba puts players in the shoes — or bare feet, in this case — of its titular character as they set off on an entertaining adventure full of obstacles for them to jump over, around, and through. In this case, a golden bracelet that belonged to Tomba’s grandfather was stolen by some evil pigs, so Tomba sets out to defeat the seven evil pigs in charge and get it back.
The overarching story isn’t that original, but the writing in Tomba is hilarious and still holds up today. One of my favorite early game bits is Tomba learning the language of dwarfs by jumping on and grabbing them, tying gameplay back into a comedic narrative bit. Tomba’s world is so charming that I constantly stay engaged while playing, looking forward to whatever weird scenario it’ll throw at me next.
Thankfully, the gameplay of Tomba rewards this kind of curiosity. Its world is dotted with “Events” for players to complete, some of which are required to progress the story and others of which can just be done for fun or for special items. This isn’t a 2D platformer where players just have to get from the left side of the level to the right side; it feels like an adventure that weaves back in on itself, has depth, and always has some kind of interesting event up its sleeve in whatever direction players decide to go in.
That freedom works because Tomba still feels fantastic today. Players jump in fairly substantial arcs and can grab and throw enemies they jump on. It’s possible to climb on walls, swing from certain objects, and even scramble up parts of its 2D backgrounds. Essentially, Tomba is a 3D game that presents itself from a side-scrolling perspective. That’s what makes Tomba a 2.5D platformer, and it adds to the feeling of exploration as every screen of the game has depth. Limited Run Games did a solid job of flourishing what’s otherwise an emulated re-release too.
Tomba! Special Edition is about on par with June’s Rocket Knight Adventures: Re-Sparked. It lets players rewind their gameplay, use a CRT filter, and add some colorful borders around their screen. It features a Museum with art and other assets from Tomba‘s development, but my favorite part of the package is its interviews with Tokuro Fujiwara and composer Harumi Fujita. Learning more about how Whoopee Camp made such an ambitious game during such an experimental period for the industry is fascinating.
Those interviews demonstrate that there are interesting stories to tell from the development of any video game, not just the most popular ones. My only real disappointment is that Tomba! 2’s re-release is happening separately and not part of this package. If you enjoy open-ended platformers but haven’t given Tomba a shot before, it’s still a joy in 2024. After playing it, you’ll probably also wish Tomba became one of gaming’s platforming greats, as I do.
Tomba! Special Edition is available now for PC, PS5, and Nintendo Switch.
