Toree is a marshmallow. Squishy, sweet, cheap, and I ate it and it's gone now. Consider this a review of both games, not just because they're so short but because the sequel may as well be a level pack.

Toree's aesthetic elements are unremarkable and usually inoffensive. Cutesy low-poly 3D, blippity bloopity chip-tune and electronic music, and for some reason a pinch of creepy-pasta bullshit.

The core mechanics, the jumping and running, are fine. The game feel, animation, sound effects, this is what makes it worthwhile. The levels in the first game range from boring to frustrating, with the second game being a substantial improvement. I like that the game has a 3D Zelda-style "center the camera behind you" button because trying to fiddle with the camera is kind of a pain.

It's charming, but it's mediocre and has some clear problems. Why can you point the camera down, but not up? Why does the second game's boss fight have such bad audio mixing? It's far from the worst thing I've ever played but I don't get why some people seem to really be talking it up. Just because it's basically free?

Edit: honestly, I went back to the first one after getting more used to the controls and I really think the first game has a rather weak selection of levels compared to the sequel. I would recommend just playing that instead.

Reviewed on Jun 11, 2022


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