What a bunch of Croc. No, seriously. It’s a lot of Croc in one game. Now, it is remastered.
Kidding aside, last week Argonaut Games released a remastered version of Croc – Legend of the Gobbos. It was a game that spanned several different platforms, including the original PlayStation, the failed Sega Saturn, and the Game Boy Color. It also made its way to Windows during that time when Windows 95 was still the bee’s knees.
Anyway, the original game, especially on the PlayStation, did well. It sold over two million copies worldwide and somehow stayed relevant all these years thanks to some sequels and how spread out it was over various platforms. Back in the day, Croc was another 3D platformer that was more pomp than circumstance with its gameplay, which was enough to be popular in the late 90s. The world was still thrilled with this type of game and still pushing beyond the confines of a 2D gaming experience.
Nearly 30 years later, the first game has made its triumphant return in a remastered version called Croc – Legend of the Gobbos Remastered. While the cute concept of an adorable Crocodile saving little fuzzy things is still kind of cool, the gameplay drags a bit in translation to modern 3D platforming expectations. If you’re a video game history buff, such is the case with yours truly, then you’ll appreciate what this brings and how smooth and shiny Argonaut has made one of their most successful titles. If you’re just jumping into the game, then it may not impress you as much as you would probably like.
Let’s get right into this review.
The Story
Taking a page from Lambert the Sheepish Lion, the story of Croc – Legend of the Gobbos starts with the king of the Gobbos finding a stranded baby croc floating his way. He decides to adopt Croc and raise him as a Gobbo. One day, an evil villain and his minions begin to harass and capture Gobbos, locking them away in cages or forcing them into hiding, and Croc takes it upon himself to go search them out while stopping the evil baddy.
While the story of Croc isn’t anything special, it’s still a fun and entertaining 90s storyline that does enough to give a reason for this gameplay to exist. Sure, you might find a bulldog in an ice world or a ladybug ready to box, which are both odd for the story, but having them there in a 90s gaming environment wasn’t as important as what they looked like and how they reacted to the character in a 3D world.
Listen, back in the 90s we just were interested in 3D gaming and the story came second, which is generally the opposite sentiment nowadays in games. If you need an example of ‘what the hell did I just watch’, then look at Nights Into Dreams. I still have no idea what that game was about but, damn, it was fun flying through hoops in a 3D landscape.
Anyway, my point here is that the story does enough. It gets the player into the 3D world and treats said world like a buffet of creativity where anything could show up. It’s not a groundbreaking new way to tell a story. It’s just enough to give a reason for this adventure to exist. I’m more than cool with that reasoning.
Gameplay Stuck in the 90s
The gameplay of Croc – Legend of the Gobbos Remastered doesn’t truly go further than it did back when it was introduced to gamers. While I will commend Argonaut for retooling the graphics and most certainly improving the camera movement and controls, the game still feels like a clunky 90s adventure.
The controls for Croc’s gameplay are simple, if not pulled from every 90s 3D platformer that involved cute characters (such as Mario 64). You move Croc wherever you would like in an environment, let him jump up and ground-pound baddies below, and you can whip his tail around to smack people. Beyond these moves, jumping around and grabbing platforms, as well as climbing up walls, are the main mechanics of the game. Back in the day, PlayStation didn’t have thumbsticks when it was originally released, which created a bad time for 3D gaming. Nintendo at least got one thing right that generation with its freaky-looking controller that came with a literal analog stick. Croc was released (September 1997) the same year as the first Dualshock with thumbsticks (April 1997), which meant 3D gaming with analog sticks was still new to most gamers.
The shakiness of those analog sticks back in the day was cleaned up and improved with this remastered release. The controls feel solid with the remaster and don’t fall behind the modern gaming curve. This was my biggest fear going into this review session, as I have seen games from the 90s not translate their modern gaming controls at all. The controls in the 90s are not the same as now. Not at all.
The controls, while improved, are still limited when you’re moving Croc around 3D levels. For example, the camera controls with the right thumbstick don’t fully achieve an entire 360 range. This means that if you’re trying to get Croc over a few ledges and platforms, you can’t establish a bird’s-eye view of either as the camera movement is restricted to only about a 45-degree level. Full camera movement is the expectation of modern gaming camera controls, but not what you get with a 90s title. In a way, it’s fitting. If you’re a developer trying to maintain the integrity and grit of your game from the 90s, then you don’t loosen up the controls too much from what they were originally intended. Otherwise, you risk taking away the original concept and the game’s difficulty essence.
Now, having said this, the actual gameplay contact in this game was very 90s. There are two main ways for Croc to hit enemies – ground-pound with his butt and swipe with his tail. Both are stuck in the respective decade they were made in. The latter of the bunch might be the most frustrating, especially when it comes to fighting bosses. The contact between the tail and the boss is lost most of the time, especially when the game doesn’t give you a hint on where you should be hitting. For example, when I was fighting a ladybug boss, I didn’t know if I was supposed to smack them in the back or front. Both sides didn’t work initially, as Croc’s tail would make contact with the ladybug only to have his tail go right through them. Having no contact, no reaction, and no clear target was such a ’90s move and not a good one. Eventually, I found out that I had to wait for the ladybug to punch/miss, then smack them with my tail, and then jump on its belly. None of this was obvious.
Modern bosses always have an obvious target or at least allow for the player to make contact with them anywhere. The hitbox on the bosses in this game is so restricted and the timing is such a small window that it can be infuriating trying to seek out where to hit them and when. Again, it’s such a 90s-type gameplay.
What is also 90s is the restrictive level sizes. I don’t know much about the PlayStation’s architecture. I do know that games like Crash Bandicoot and Metal Gear Solid showed how big environments could be in a 3D landscape. The levels in Croc – Legend of the Gobbos Remastered are rather small in size. This means you’re walking into a room and that is the contained level. Granted, there are several rooms connected that make up a bigger whole, but the amount of gameplay for the 3D environment is rather small. The variety of enemies and obstacles is also rather small, though creative from place to place. In other words, don’t expect a Crash or Mario 64 type of level size with a large variety of enemies at once. The levels are restrictive in size and also restrictive with what is put into them. You’ll have short stints of levels that lead to a boss. It probably won’t impress most gamers nowadays but it’s an example of smaller developers just getting a good feel of how big a 3D environment could be. You can see all the pieces and parts to this but not fully together as one whole.
Staying with modern gaming expectations, I was impressed with how the devs extended the gameplay with a little bit of hidden items/Gobbos and a minor amount of exploration. While the levels may not be huge, some areas in each level can be ‘found’ and explored. This means that you will get the most out of each level and find some amusing goodies on the way through. For anyone who is a completionist when it comes to games, this is a good element of gameplay to have in a 3D platformer. It’s a nice plus to an otherwise decent trip down memory lane.
Overall, the gameplay in Croc – Legend of the Gobbos Remastered is solid but mostly stuck in the 90s. For those who enjoy classic games, you’ll be happy with what is maintained and improved with this release. For those who are new to the Croc series, this may not be your cup of tea.
Updated Graphics
While the word ‘remaster’ might be confused with ‘remake’, it should be noted that the former means slight improvement. That’s what you get with Croc – Legend of the Gobbos Remastered’s graphics. They are a slight improvement over the original game. The textures in the game have been smoothed out and Croc has been more defined as a crocodile. The game isn’t totally remade to the point where it is unrecognizable from its original form, but it’s enough to say it looks better.
Now, should you hate the new look and want to go back to the original (or somewhere in between), you can push down on the PlayStation 5’s control pad in the middle and switch instantly between the versions. It’s a page taken from the remastered version of The Secret of Monkey Island and a good choice. Some people are traditionalists and would prefer to have this option to switch back and forth.
Overall, the presentation of the game is slightly improved but not dramatically.
On that sweet note, let’s wrap up this review.
Conclusion
Croc – Legend of the Gobbos Remastered from developer Argonaut Games is a throwback to a simpler, more experimental 3D platformer time. The remastered game represents the old one nicely without going too far or destroying any of the original game’s essence. While some of the 90s gameplay concepts in Croc – Legend of the Gobbos Remastered are still stuck in the 90s, some elements are improved. This may not hit with new gamers but it’s undoubtedly going to please those raised during that 90s video game era.
