Average reading time: 10 minutes
A challenging platformer wrapped in a very pretty package.
This isn't my first foray with Croc. I distinctly remember attempting to play through this game a number of years ago and then quitting in world 3 due to a crazy difficulty spike. Now, a few years later, my brain spiders command me to once again control the lovable green reptilian and try to beat this game for good. Of course, I knew what I was getting into, and decided to make one small, yet absurdly essential change to make this game more fun.
Now, anyone who's read my Billy Hatcher review knows my opinions about lives systems in games, and that opinion of mine isn't going away. Because of this, I implemented an unlimited lives cheat for this run. As I go further into detail about my time with Croc, it will become clearer as to why I did this, but I did want to state this early on, just for the sake of clarity regarding my experience this time around.
Now, Croc has a simple story. You witness Croc floating in a basket towards a group of Gobbos, who then adopt and raise him. Soon, Baron Dante makes his presence known, sending his troops to kidnap the Gobbos. The Gobbo King bangs a gong to have Croc sent away from the chaos, allowing Croc the chance to fight back and save his friends!
A simple plot for a simple game. However, the instruction manual gives way more detail about the Gobbo world. Reading it will teach you more about the Gobbos as a species, the Gobbo King, referred to as "King Rufus the Intolerant", Croc's experiences growing up with the Gobbos, and even information about Baron Dante's evil group, referred to as "The Dantinis". It's also a bizarrely funny read, with a lot of jokes that stick the landing very well. If you want to read something that will make you constantly double take, read the Croc instruction manual!
Once you take control of Croc, you'll immediately notice a point of contention regarding this game: it's a 3D platformer with tank controls. Needless to say, not the most comfortable platforming experience. Even using an analog controller does not fix this issue, sadly. You'll often find yourself stopping to turn yourself to line up a jump, and jumping feels very stiff. Whatever direction you plan on moving in the air is the only direction you're moving, with little room for adjustment. Over time, of course, you'll get used to the platforming mechanics, but you'll never find yourself saying "this feels great to play!"
Aside from running and jumping, Croc has a few extra moves at his disposal. One of the most vital moves he possesses is his ability to turn around! Using a dedicated button, Croc can do a 180 degree turn whenever he wants, which is a godsend for re-orienting yourself to line up another jump. If you do it while he's on the move, he'll do a really cool flip that made me react like this when I first saw it.
As for Croc's combat ability, he has two moves to use. First, he has a tail swipe move that's great for deleting enemies from existence. His other move is a ground pound, performed by hitting the jump button twice. Aside from dispatching enemies, this move will allow Croc to bust open crates and objects blocking tunnel passageways. Gonna be honest here, I don't like that you have to hit jump twice for this. I wish it was mapped to a different button, because I would often have scenarios where I was doing a precision platforming section that required me to jump as soon as I landed on a platform, and if my timing was off slightly it would result in Croc stopping in midair, asserting the ground-pound position, and plummeting to his death. Not fun.
It's also worth noting that when Croc performs his attacking moves, he has a number of onomatopoeia's he can blurt out, such as "yazoo!" or "kersplat!" You would think this would get annoying after a while, but honestly it never bothered me. I think it adds to Croc's character, being a young croco on a big adventure to save a tribe of people who have a tradition of shoving kitchen utensils down their pants (PLEASE READ THE INSTRUCTION MANUAL I PROMISE I DIDN'T MAKE THAT UP)
Speaking of Croc as a character, oh man, would you take a look at these little guys! This game is filled to the brim with scrimblo-type characters, little dudes that you're gonna want plushies of as soon as you see them. They're EVERYWHERE! If you love little weirdos and want to catalogue them all, this is the perfect game for you. Absolutely loved seeing each new creature emerge on my screen as I played.
Okay, so we have cute characters in a fuzzy 32-bit world clearly made for kids. The controls take some getting used to but surely the main game doesn't get too taxing, right? Oh, how I wish I could say yes. For the first two worlds, it's honestly a pretty comfortable romp. Level design is highly forgiving, featuring non-intimidating level design unless you're going after collectibles. Once you hit world 3, though, you'll start seeing much more difficult stage layouts requiring you to perform more precise movements to get by. For me, this is where Croc begins to fall in terms of quality.
So, Croc behaves like Sonic the Hedgehog when it comes to taking damage, in that he'll drop this game's ring equivalent (gems) when getting hit. Get hit without them and you'll lose a life. It's around world 3 where you'll begin facing much more challenging platforming over damaging floors and bottomless pits. Because of this, it is incredibly easy to lose lives. Thankfully, you're given a checkpoint at every door/tunnel you exit, which means a death won't set you too far back. Getting a game over, however, sends you back to whichever stage you last saved at, which means starting a level over again from the beginning.
Now, on paper this doesn't seem like too bad of a punishment, but after getting game over's over and over again due to how easy it is for Croc to die I began to find it intolerable, hence why I opted for the unlimited lives cheat. I can accept dying and having to re-do a small section but having to re-do a stage over and over due to game overs, especially when you get close to the end of a stage, just feels intolerable in the modern era. If you want to tackle this game without such assists, then all the power to you. Just be prepared for a lot of level attempts in the back half of the game and lots of visits to specific stages to grind extra lives hidden away in secret spots.
When it comes to collectables in stages, you really only have two to worry about: Gobbos and colored gems. There are six Gobbos hidden in each stage, and collecting all of the Gobbos in the game allow you to access some secret levels that unlock even more secret stuff. Throughout the stage, you'll find five of these Gobbos hidden in boxes, cages, and on hard-to-reach platforms. "Wait hold on five? I thought you said there were six Gobbos in a stage!" So remember when I mentioned colored gems? You can find five of these in each stage either disguised as regular gems or hidden in boxes. Collecting all of these unlocks a door near the end of each stage, where you will either complete a platforming challenge or a minigame to rescue the last Gobbo.
The platforming challenges are straightforward enough. However, it's the minigames where I take issue with this system. While most minigames are perfectly fine, there's one that I dislike immensely. Basically, you have a cauldron that you control by jumping on two arrow buttons. Your goal is to catch the gems descending from the sky. Catch them all and you're awarded a Gobbo. The problems here are that this minigame goes on way too long, and if you miss even one, the mini game ends. You may think "Oh, if I die I can reset the mini game and try again." A smart idea, but sadly not the case. Losing any minigame without securing a Gobbo will require you to beat the entire stage again to retry it. This means re-collecting every Gobbo and colored gem along the way, which is a frustrating process if it happened in a more difficult level, even if you know what you're getting into.
With how difficult the stages can get, you would think the boss fights would also prove to be challenging. Surprisingly, the bosses in this game are absurdly easy. It's your typical "wait for them to attack and hit them when they're vulnerable" type of fights throughout the game, and dodging attacks is as simple as running in a circle around the boss while they do their thing. Also, almost every boss does this thing where they just stop animating and freeze after you deal the final blow, which is always funny to witness.
The more thing I want to touch on is the music. The soundtrack is pretty good! There's some leitmotif sprinkled throughout the stages, with overworld and underground areas sharing some melodies. The title screen is also pretty catchy and may or may not have had a chunk of its melody lifted from it to be a part of a main theme for a Nintendo game.
Speaking of Nintendo, it's worth noting that this game began life as a pitch for a 3D Yoshi game. After the pitch was turned down, it became Croc, and you can kinda see some of that Yoshi blood in here a little bit. You have a green reptile protagonist who can ground pound (a move Yoshi had in Yoshi's Island) as well as a bad guy who uses magic to make smaller creatures into tough boss enemies. Swap the characters for Yoshi's Island ones and add a tongue move and flutter jump to Croc's arsenal and you basically have a Yoshi game, which is fun to think about as you experience this game.
Overall, I didn't hate Croc. I love his design, and the Gobbo Archipelago is fun to explore. The enemies you encounter are all cute and charming, and hearing Croc exclaim things like "Wazoo" never gets old. However, the stage design, especially in the back half of this game, combined with the awkward controls make this a difficult game to clear. I recommend giving this game a shot, despite the difficulty.
The aesthetics of this game invoke an aura of childhood innocence and succeeds at taking you back to a time where things felt simpler, even if the game isn't the easiest around. For that reason alone, I feel that Croc is worth visiting today. Even with the rise of low-poly indie 3D platformers, there's none that I am aware of that really capture the welcoming aesthetics of Croc.
A challenging platformer wrapped in a very pretty package.
This isn't my first foray with Croc. I distinctly remember attempting to play through this game a number of years ago and then quitting in world 3 due to a crazy difficulty spike. Now, a few years later, my brain spiders command me to once again control the lovable green reptilian and try to beat this game for good. Of course, I knew what I was getting into, and decided to make one small, yet absurdly essential change to make this game more fun.
Now, anyone who's read my Billy Hatcher review knows my opinions about lives systems in games, and that opinion of mine isn't going away. Because of this, I implemented an unlimited lives cheat for this run. As I go further into detail about my time with Croc, it will become clearer as to why I did this, but I did want to state this early on, just for the sake of clarity regarding my experience this time around.
Now, Croc has a simple story. You witness Croc floating in a basket towards a group of Gobbos, who then adopt and raise him. Soon, Baron Dante makes his presence known, sending his troops to kidnap the Gobbos. The Gobbo King bangs a gong to have Croc sent away from the chaos, allowing Croc the chance to fight back and save his friends!
A simple plot for a simple game. However, the instruction manual gives way more detail about the Gobbo world. Reading it will teach you more about the Gobbos as a species, the Gobbo King, referred to as "King Rufus the Intolerant", Croc's experiences growing up with the Gobbos, and even information about Baron Dante's evil group, referred to as "The Dantinis". It's also a bizarrely funny read, with a lot of jokes that stick the landing very well. If you want to read something that will make you constantly double take, read the Croc instruction manual!
Once you take control of Croc, you'll immediately notice a point of contention regarding this game: it's a 3D platformer with tank controls. Needless to say, not the most comfortable platforming experience. Even using an analog controller does not fix this issue, sadly. You'll often find yourself stopping to turn yourself to line up a jump, and jumping feels very stiff. Whatever direction you plan on moving in the air is the only direction you're moving, with little room for adjustment. Over time, of course, you'll get used to the platforming mechanics, but you'll never find yourself saying "this feels great to play!"
Aside from running and jumping, Croc has a few extra moves at his disposal. One of the most vital moves he possesses is his ability to turn around! Using a dedicated button, Croc can do a 180 degree turn whenever he wants, which is a godsend for re-orienting yourself to line up another jump. If you do it while he's on the move, he'll do a really cool flip that made me react like this when I first saw it.
As for Croc's combat ability, he has two moves to use. First, he has a tail swipe move that's great for deleting enemies from existence. His other move is a ground pound, performed by hitting the jump button twice. Aside from dispatching enemies, this move will allow Croc to bust open crates and objects blocking tunnel passageways. Gonna be honest here, I don't like that you have to hit jump twice for this. I wish it was mapped to a different button, because I would often have scenarios where I was doing a precision platforming section that required me to jump as soon as I landed on a platform, and if my timing was off slightly it would result in Croc stopping in midair, asserting the ground-pound position, and plummeting to his death. Not fun.
It's also worth noting that when Croc performs his attacking moves, he has a number of onomatopoeia's he can blurt out, such as "yazoo!" or "kersplat!" You would think this would get annoying after a while, but honestly it never bothered me. I think it adds to Croc's character, being a young croco on a big adventure to save a tribe of people who have a tradition of shoving kitchen utensils down their pants (PLEASE READ THE INSTRUCTION MANUAL I PROMISE I DIDN'T MAKE THAT UP)
Speaking of Croc as a character, oh man, would you take a look at these little guys! This game is filled to the brim with scrimblo-type characters, little dudes that you're gonna want plushies of as soon as you see them. They're EVERYWHERE! If you love little weirdos and want to catalogue them all, this is the perfect game for you. Absolutely loved seeing each new creature emerge on my screen as I played.
Okay, so we have cute characters in a fuzzy 32-bit world clearly made for kids. The controls take some getting used to but surely the main game doesn't get too taxing, right? Oh, how I wish I could say yes. For the first two worlds, it's honestly a pretty comfortable romp. Level design is highly forgiving, featuring non-intimidating level design unless you're going after collectibles. Once you hit world 3, though, you'll start seeing much more difficult stage layouts requiring you to perform more precise movements to get by. For me, this is where Croc begins to fall in terms of quality.
So, Croc behaves like Sonic the Hedgehog when it comes to taking damage, in that he'll drop this game's ring equivalent (gems) when getting hit. Get hit without them and you'll lose a life. It's around world 3 where you'll begin facing much more challenging platforming over damaging floors and bottomless pits. Because of this, it is incredibly easy to lose lives. Thankfully, you're given a checkpoint at every door/tunnel you exit, which means a death won't set you too far back. Getting a game over, however, sends you back to whichever stage you last saved at, which means starting a level over again from the beginning.
Now, on paper this doesn't seem like too bad of a punishment, but after getting game over's over and over again due to how easy it is for Croc to die I began to find it intolerable, hence why I opted for the unlimited lives cheat. I can accept dying and having to re-do a small section but having to re-do a stage over and over due to game overs, especially when you get close to the end of a stage, just feels intolerable in the modern era. If you want to tackle this game without such assists, then all the power to you. Just be prepared for a lot of level attempts in the back half of the game and lots of visits to specific stages to grind extra lives hidden away in secret spots.
When it comes to collectables in stages, you really only have two to worry about: Gobbos and colored gems. There are six Gobbos hidden in each stage, and collecting all of the Gobbos in the game allow you to access some secret levels that unlock even more secret stuff. Throughout the stage, you'll find five of these Gobbos hidden in boxes, cages, and on hard-to-reach platforms. "Wait hold on five? I thought you said there were six Gobbos in a stage!" So remember when I mentioned colored gems? You can find five of these in each stage either disguised as regular gems or hidden in boxes. Collecting all of these unlocks a door near the end of each stage, where you will either complete a platforming challenge or a minigame to rescue the last Gobbo.
The platforming challenges are straightforward enough. However, it's the minigames where I take issue with this system. While most minigames are perfectly fine, there's one that I dislike immensely. Basically, you have a cauldron that you control by jumping on two arrow buttons. Your goal is to catch the gems descending from the sky. Catch them all and you're awarded a Gobbo. The problems here are that this minigame goes on way too long, and if you miss even one, the mini game ends. You may think "Oh, if I die I can reset the mini game and try again." A smart idea, but sadly not the case. Losing any minigame without securing a Gobbo will require you to beat the entire stage again to retry it. This means re-collecting every Gobbo and colored gem along the way, which is a frustrating process if it happened in a more difficult level, even if you know what you're getting into.
With how difficult the stages can get, you would think the boss fights would also prove to be challenging. Surprisingly, the bosses in this game are absurdly easy. It's your typical "wait for them to attack and hit them when they're vulnerable" type of fights throughout the game, and dodging attacks is as simple as running in a circle around the boss while they do their thing. Also, almost every boss does this thing where they just stop animating and freeze after you deal the final blow, which is always funny to witness.
The more thing I want to touch on is the music. The soundtrack is pretty good! There's some leitmotif sprinkled throughout the stages, with overworld and underground areas sharing some melodies. The title screen is also pretty catchy and may or may not have had a chunk of its melody lifted from it to be a part of a main theme for a Nintendo game.
Speaking of Nintendo, it's worth noting that this game began life as a pitch for a 3D Yoshi game. After the pitch was turned down, it became Croc, and you can kinda see some of that Yoshi blood in here a little bit. You have a green reptile protagonist who can ground pound (a move Yoshi had in Yoshi's Island) as well as a bad guy who uses magic to make smaller creatures into tough boss enemies. Swap the characters for Yoshi's Island ones and add a tongue move and flutter jump to Croc's arsenal and you basically have a Yoshi game, which is fun to think about as you experience this game.
Overall, I didn't hate Croc. I love his design, and the Gobbo Archipelago is fun to explore. The enemies you encounter are all cute and charming, and hearing Croc exclaim things like "Wazoo" never gets old. However, the stage design, especially in the back half of this game, combined with the awkward controls make this a difficult game to clear. I recommend giving this game a shot, despite the difficulty.
The aesthetics of this game invoke an aura of childhood innocence and succeeds at taking you back to a time where things felt simpler, even if the game isn't the easiest around. For that reason alone, I feel that Croc is worth visiting today. Even with the rise of low-poly indie 3D platformers, there's none that I am aware of that really capture the welcoming aesthetics of Croc.
Honestly while the tank controls feel stiff today, I enjoyed it when it came out.
croc and ball torture
Fond memories of my friend Tobias bringing his newly acquired, family-owned Playstation over to my house to play this. Without a memory card we played as much as we could that evening, and let it stay on overnight to continue our progress. A pointless endeavor since he had to bring it back with him next morning. I doubt we made it much further than the first level.
Just the novelty of playing our first Playstation game was enough to have fun, and we dreamed about what other games we'd get on it. Not that we ever got any.
Just the novelty of playing our first Playstation game was enough to have fun, and we dreamed about what other games we'd get on it. Not that we ever got any.
Another childhood game that I had played a lot when I'd go to my cousin's house.
A very enjoyable platformer with colourful graphics, with fun boss fights too!
A very enjoyable platformer with colourful graphics, with fun boss fights too!
In a world where 3D platformers were still finding their feet, Croc gave it a good go and sought to provide solid fun. It creaks at the seams a bit now and then but for a young boy enamoured with the very idea of 3D - it delivered.
I believe it was also the first game I owned on the PlayStation.
I believe it was also the first game I owned on the PlayStation.
charming but it sucks donky dick LMAO
Charming in a "this game sucks cronky dock" way
Kerpow! Kersplat!
Some great music in this game.
Why did they use tank controls????
Some great music in this game.
Why did they use tank controls????
Replayed it through Retroarch for the achievement features. Had fun with it as always. Been on a real nostalgic kick lately for some reason. I usually dont replay games very often nowadays.
Tank controls FOR A PLATFORM GAME?
This was a bit harder for me to try and be fully biased as I do remember this game from my childhood and really, it's just a basic and cute platformer, but I certainly try my best.
Croc: The Legend of the Gobbos is about this dragon that gets adopted by these furry little critters called Gobbos. Everything is peaceful, until this evil guy shows up to kidnap all of Croc's family. Fairly basic stuff and it doesn't try to hide that. The mission is to save the Gobbos, including their king and defeat the bad guy!
With gems as collectables and with it being a dragon, you can be forgiven for thinking about Spyro, but I admit Spyro is better in regards to both controls and platforming. This game suffers from stiff controls, due to being out before they created and made dual-shock a necessity for games moving forward to give greater camera control and ect. Due to this you will find yourself cursing to every deity you know whenever you fall off a platform or fail to make a jump or other issues that controls make worse.
The camera is pretty bad too. It doesn't matter too much as the levels are very linear so it's hard to get lost, but it only moves in the direction you are facing which makes turning corners or turning 180 degrees a challenge when the camera is looking at the wall. It isn't too bad in this game because of the levels being small, but the sequel...oof...it's much worse in that one.
It was a fun little game when I was younger, but it certainly hasn't aged too well and there are better platformers out there that have aged well and worth looking into far more than this. As much as my nostalgia wants me to claim otherwise.
Game + Stream
Croc: The Legend of the Gobbos is about this dragon that gets adopted by these furry little critters called Gobbos. Everything is peaceful, until this evil guy shows up to kidnap all of Croc's family. Fairly basic stuff and it doesn't try to hide that. The mission is to save the Gobbos, including their king and defeat the bad guy!
With gems as collectables and with it being a dragon, you can be forgiven for thinking about Spyro, but I admit Spyro is better in regards to both controls and platforming. This game suffers from stiff controls, due to being out before they created and made dual-shock a necessity for games moving forward to give greater camera control and ect. Due to this you will find yourself cursing to every deity you know whenever you fall off a platform or fail to make a jump or other issues that controls make worse.
The camera is pretty bad too. It doesn't matter too much as the levels are very linear so it's hard to get lost, but it only moves in the direction you are facing which makes turning corners or turning 180 degrees a challenge when the camera is looking at the wall. It isn't too bad in this game because of the levels being small, but the sequel...oof...it's much worse in that one.
It was a fun little game when I was younger, but it certainly hasn't aged too well and there are better platformers out there that have aged well and worth looking into far more than this. As much as my nostalgia wants me to claim otherwise.
Game + Stream
Finalmente terminei esse jogo. "Controles de tank/10"
As with every game with tank controlls, give it a bit and it feels normal, and when it feels normal, this game becomes pretty fun. Also great soundtrack
based on everything ive heard of this game before actually playing it, i was expecting a 3d platformer that bordered on shovelware, barely a step above bubsy 3d, with controls i'd have to wrestle with, but to my pleasant surprise, even with the tank controls it controlled like a dream. the level design, while not always great could still be fun and get pretty creative at times. honestly the game was fun enough to 100%.
only gripes are that sometimes the platforming can be a bit slippery, enemies that shoot are a pain and the bosses were very lackluster, with the secret final boss being the most disappointing.
overall good game
only gripes are that sometimes the platforming can be a bit slippery, enemies that shoot are a pain and the bosses were very lackluster, with the secret final boss being the most disappointing.
overall good game
i remember a family outing where we went to buy a playstation together. getting home, watching my parents assemble it. and playing the game that came packaged with our PS: Croc. I loved it, and it occupies a special place in my heart due to that. But i never completed it, so its losing half a star for what i imagine is a gameplay loop that is sub-par.
Let's goooo.
Croc has some bad ideas. But you've also got a crocodile. I think it's a rite of passage to play Croc if you get into the PS1 but you don't really need to finish it.
One of the PS1's many 3D platformers, Croc is famous for originally being intended as a Yoshi game but repurposed after a deal with Nintendo fell through. Unfortunately, while you might have nostalgia for its colourful levels and twee soundtrack, the game doesn't stand the test of time. Tank controls make the platforming feel stiff and ungainly, level design quickly falls into the trap of presenting platforms over voids rather than coherent worlds, and - incredibly - the entire collectathon aspect of platformers is rendered entirely pointless as you don't actually need to collect anything unless you want to play the laziest secret level in existence.
One of the least essential games I've ever played. The score isn't indicative of the quality of assets or because of technical issues. When I check out older games, I do try to see these games through the context in which they were released. Even by this time, even on the Playstation 1, even if you are just looking for a platformer that would appeal to small children that saw this being advertised on some Fox-related VHS rental, there are better alternatives.
Nothing in this game from an artistic standpoint resonates with me. I am a slither-wizard enthusiast. From Renekton to the entire Blindwater Congregation, if you show me a flat fuck running around, having a good time, I'm probably gonna feel some attachment. I don't care about Croc at all. I think his design invokes feelings of plain oatmeal. There's no personality to Croc shown in game. He doesn't even do anything cool or have like, a fun powerup. You have a tail swipe with no range. You have a ground pound with very little impact. Croc's movement, demeanor, and personality feels like you're playing someone with arthritis. He doesn't even control as poorly as many other platformer characters on the same console, but nothing is fun or engaging, and I can't imagine it would have been to the target audience even at the time. People complained about the tank controls of this platformer, but that would imply you needed precision platforming in the first place. This game isn't going to ask precision from you, this game isn't asking for anything other than to lay down in bed.
(There are also good, or at least more interesting platformers with tank controls.)
Take everything I said about Croc himself, and apply that to every other aspect of the game. The soundtrack sounds less ambitious than most of the licensed PS1 games I've played through. When I picture the level design in my head, I get visions of AI hallucinations. Everything blends together and I can see the entire game in my head, and nothing distinctive all at once. The only level that stood out at all was the optional final boss of the game, and it was fucking terrible. This game doesn't need a remake, and the fact one is on the way (or already out, I don't care) is baffling.
This game is timeless, in that I can't imagine any time since it's existence where I'd rather be playing Croc over anything else I had access to.
Nothing in this game from an artistic standpoint resonates with me. I am a slither-wizard enthusiast. From Renekton to the entire Blindwater Congregation, if you show me a flat fuck running around, having a good time, I'm probably gonna feel some attachment. I don't care about Croc at all. I think his design invokes feelings of plain oatmeal. There's no personality to Croc shown in game. He doesn't even do anything cool or have like, a fun powerup. You have a tail swipe with no range. You have a ground pound with very little impact. Croc's movement, demeanor, and personality feels like you're playing someone with arthritis. He doesn't even control as poorly as many other platformer characters on the same console, but nothing is fun or engaging, and I can't imagine it would have been to the target audience even at the time. People complained about the tank controls of this platformer, but that would imply you needed precision platforming in the first place. This game isn't going to ask precision from you, this game isn't asking for anything other than to lay down in bed.
(There are also good, or at least more interesting platformers with tank controls.)
Take everything I said about Croc himself, and apply that to every other aspect of the game. The soundtrack sounds less ambitious than most of the licensed PS1 games I've played through. When I picture the level design in my head, I get visions of AI hallucinations. Everything blends together and I can see the entire game in my head, and nothing distinctive all at once. The only level that stood out at all was the optional final boss of the game, and it was fucking terrible. This game doesn't need a remake, and the fact one is on the way (or already out, I don't care) is baffling.
This game is timeless, in that I can't imagine any time since it's existence where I'd rather be playing Croc over anything else I had access to.
Main theme is nice
EYES YES YS EYSEY SEYSE YSEYSE YSE YSEY SEY SEY SE I LOVE CROCODILE
KERSPLAT! Yippeee!
This game seriously has some of the best sound effects in the genre. The colorful world and goofy silly enemies had a habit of making me smile even while they were kicking my ass. The tank controls were rarely too big of an issue once you get the hang of them. But the hitboxes and sus depth perception definitely knocks this one down a few pegs. Overall a fun short lil charming platformer!
This game seriously has some of the best sound effects in the genre. The colorful world and goofy silly enemies had a habit of making me smile even while they were kicking my ass. The tank controls were rarely too big of an issue once you get the hang of them. But the hitboxes and sus depth perception definitely knocks this one down a few pegs. Overall a fun short lil charming platformer!
Croc is pretty cute and it's a shame this game has extremely wack movement controls.
Adorable, great music, and pretty fun too.
The tank controls actually work pretty well, as long as the camera stays behind croc, but will take a little getting used to for new players.
The production quality is mostly very good, with great models, animations, interesting level ideas, etc.
The only real issue is that some of the later levels lack a bit of polish, and so can be frustrating or confusing.
Otherwise, a lot of fun, and well worth playing.
The tank controls actually work pretty well, as long as the camera stays behind croc, but will take a little getting used to for new players.
The production quality is mostly very good, with great models, animations, interesting level ideas, etc.
The only real issue is that some of the later levels lack a bit of polish, and so can be frustrating or confusing.
Otherwise, a lot of fun, and well worth playing.
YAHOO! KAPOW! KA-SPLAT! (it was alright)
A sorta maligned early 3d platformer that lacks the production values of its rivals, but that does quite a few unique things. The tank controls are surprisingly not that bad, it has a 'turn 180' button that is very helpful and side-step buttons. I honestly would have traded the side-step for a turn around as often when I tried to turn I ended up walking a bit forward and falling, probably my biggest gripe with the movement.
Another thing that makes Croc interesting is that it doesn't follow the mario 64 formula, it doesn't care about open world or sense of freedom, instead you get several rooms of platforming challenges type design which reminds more of a simpler version of wario world's optional challenges or mario sunshine's "secret of" stages than anything in mario 64; after playing many collectathons, this feels like a breath of fresh air. And while it lacks the charm of a lively game world, it kinda makes up for it with creative and sometimes brutal platforming.
On the bad side, bosses are very weak, even for early 3d platformers standards and the rarity of extra lives doesn't match the demanding platforming.
Another thing that makes Croc interesting is that it doesn't follow the mario 64 formula, it doesn't care about open world or sense of freedom, instead you get several rooms of platforming challenges type design which reminds more of a simpler version of wario world's optional challenges or mario sunshine's "secret of" stages than anything in mario 64; after playing many collectathons, this feels like a breath of fresh air. And while it lacks the charm of a lively game world, it kinda makes up for it with creative and sometimes brutal platforming.
On the bad side, bosses are very weak, even for early 3d platformers standards and the rarity of extra lives doesn't match the demanding platforming.
This is a very standard platformer for the era it released. Nothing revolutionary but nothing too terrible.
First, I have to talk about the main little tidbit this game is infamous for. Feel free to skip these first two paragraphs. So the developers of this game, Argonaut, previously worked closely with Nintendo, developing Star Fox, which was an undoubtedly impressive title for the SNES. Nintendo did kinda screw Argonaut over by cancelling Star Fox 2 when it was nearly done and taking many staff who had moved to Japan, but the way this game ties into this story is that Argonaut supposedly showed a prototype of a 3D Yoshi game to Nintendo, which according to the founder Jez San, Miyamoto himself said was inspiration for Super Mario 64, thanking Jez San for the idea of a 3D Mario game. Jez San claims that Nintendo basically stole that idea from Argonaut while screwing them over. That Yoshi game, of course, went on to be Croc.
The thing is, I'm not sure if I really buy this. Even if it did happen, 3D was an inevitability. Jumping Flash released a year before Super Mario 64, Crash Bandicoot was also being developed, Alpha Waves came out far before any of these, the idea of a 3D Platformer wasn't that unique.
Even if it did happen, it doesn't really mean much. Super Mario 64 and Croc: Legend of the Gobbos are very different games. Let's start with the big thing: The controls. They're odd. In a lot of ways, your moveset is pretty basic. A jump, a tail attack, and a ground pound. Where things get odd is the actual movement. So, there is full analogue here, which is cool, but the camera is much different than modern games. The game uses a strange mix between tank controls and conventional analogue. Pressing left, for example, makes Croc run left while also turning the camera. If you just nudge the stick left, Croc stays and place and turns left. L and R are slow strafe moves. Got it? Well, there's more. In the air, the functionality of the shoulder buttons and stick are effectively reversed! Now, L and R turn Croc and left and Right on a stick move him left and right. It's very odd.
Honestly, once you get used to the controls, they're not bad. In fact, I had a decent amount of fun after getting the hang of the details. It also helps that the levels feel built around these controls. That's not to say the level design is great, it's definitely pretty basic, and one could argue that's kind of because the controls are so limiting. The first two world especially feel very repetitive in terms of level design, and the third and fourth kind of do too. I realized midway through that while this game was pretty consistent, it was also very generic. Most mechanics were very generic, most level themes were pretty generic, the most interesting thing about the game is the weird controls. Look at a game like Chameleon Twist, released the same year as this. It was very short. Its camera was inconsistent, to say the least. However, it was unique. This game isn't really unique. Look at Croc. Listen, I don't care if this game had the greatest gameplay ever, Croc would never be a cultural icon. His most distinct feature is a backpack.
Ironically, I thought the final world, which most people seem to hate, had by far the most unique ideas. Yeah, the penultimate level was a little too punishing, but each level felt distinct. It showed that they could've made a really good game with this basis, focusing more on puzzles and interacting with the environment.
Then there's the bosses. Uh... They suck. They're very easy, all take place in generic arenas, and defeating them is always the same. They attack, they get tired, you attack them, repeat. They also lack feedback. Often, I couldn't really tell if I was actually damaging a boss because any damage animations are way too subtle.
I think the best part here is the audiovisuals. Sure, the visual style is pretty uninspired, but the draw distance and detail is impressive. Also, the music is epic. Very good.
Alright, wasn't sure where to mention this, but I had to discuss it. You know how if one was to, say, stand on a relatively slow moving train, they wouldn't fly off? I believe it's called static friction? Well, in Croc even if you're just above a moving platform, your velocity matches that of the platform. It's just a very odd quirk.
So despite its problems, I liked the game. Will you like it? I dunno, maybe the upcoming Croc HD will make some modernizations. Regardless, 6/10, definitely closer to a 5 though.
The thing is, I'm not sure if I really buy this. Even if it did happen, 3D was an inevitability. Jumping Flash released a year before Super Mario 64, Crash Bandicoot was also being developed, Alpha Waves came out far before any of these, the idea of a 3D Platformer wasn't that unique.
Even if it did happen, it doesn't really mean much. Super Mario 64 and Croc: Legend of the Gobbos are very different games. Let's start with the big thing: The controls. They're odd. In a lot of ways, your moveset is pretty basic. A jump, a tail attack, and a ground pound. Where things get odd is the actual movement. So, there is full analogue here, which is cool, but the camera is much different than modern games. The game uses a strange mix between tank controls and conventional analogue. Pressing left, for example, makes Croc run left while also turning the camera. If you just nudge the stick left, Croc stays and place and turns left. L and R are slow strafe moves. Got it? Well, there's more. In the air, the functionality of the shoulder buttons and stick are effectively reversed! Now, L and R turn Croc and left and Right on a stick move him left and right. It's very odd.
Honestly, once you get used to the controls, they're not bad. In fact, I had a decent amount of fun after getting the hang of the details. It also helps that the levels feel built around these controls. That's not to say the level design is great, it's definitely pretty basic, and one could argue that's kind of because the controls are so limiting. The first two world especially feel very repetitive in terms of level design, and the third and fourth kind of do too. I realized midway through that while this game was pretty consistent, it was also very generic. Most mechanics were very generic, most level themes were pretty generic, the most interesting thing about the game is the weird controls. Look at a game like Chameleon Twist, released the same year as this. It was very short. Its camera was inconsistent, to say the least. However, it was unique. This game isn't really unique. Look at Croc. Listen, I don't care if this game had the greatest gameplay ever, Croc would never be a cultural icon. His most distinct feature is a backpack.
Ironically, I thought the final world, which most people seem to hate, had by far the most unique ideas. Yeah, the penultimate level was a little too punishing, but each level felt distinct. It showed that they could've made a really good game with this basis, focusing more on puzzles and interacting with the environment.
Then there's the bosses. Uh... They suck. They're very easy, all take place in generic arenas, and defeating them is always the same. They attack, they get tired, you attack them, repeat. They also lack feedback. Often, I couldn't really tell if I was actually damaging a boss because any damage animations are way too subtle.
I think the best part here is the audiovisuals. Sure, the visual style is pretty uninspired, but the draw distance and detail is impressive. Also, the music is epic. Very good.
Alright, wasn't sure where to mention this, but I had to discuss it. You know how if one was to, say, stand on a relatively slow moving train, they wouldn't fly off? I believe it's called static friction? Well, in Croc even if you're just above a moving platform, your velocity matches that of the platform. It's just a very odd quirk.
So despite its problems, I liked the game. Will you like it? I dunno, maybe the upcoming Croc HD will make some modernizations. Regardless, 6/10, definitely closer to a 5 though.
Spyro better