Croc: The Legend of the Gobbos
PlayStation 1 original
PS4 Platinum Edition
Nostalgia Factor:
It's not too often I get to do a dual video game review, especially one like this. Normally when I review a modern remaster of an older game, I treat it as its own separate entity. Examples: The Crash N-Sane Trilogy and the Spyro Reignited Trilogy. I counted these as separate games from their PS1 counterparts. To be honest, I almost did that here, too. Why didn't I? Because these versions of Croc are just too darned similar.
To clarify: I do think they are different enough to be given their own review scores, but not different enough to be counted as separate games on my Master Game List.
What sets Croc aside from the other remasters is that the changes made have been (for the most part) fairly insignificant. When you look at Spyro, they basically redid the entire control scheme, along with the design of the game's world. Enemies are more detailed, the environments are brought up to modern day standards. Even the dragons you rescue are given much more love and attention in the Reignited Trilogy. It's almost like you are playing two different games.
With Croc, the changes aren't nearly as significant. The newer version has an updated control scheme which does away with the tank controls, but other than that - this is pretty much the exact same game in every way, shape, and form. But I suppose we'll get to that later once we dive into the actual review. We're here to talk nostalgia!
The first time I played Croc, it was for the Sega Saturn back in 1997. I remember being impressed by the game. The Saturn didn't have a lot of great 3D platformers, and it was nice to see something that could compete (at least in my mind) with Super Mario 64 and Crash Bandicoot. I rented the game from Blockbuster and beat it the same weekend. I would never play Croc again until about 2008 or 2009, when I found a copy of the PS1 version at a used game store. While I highly enjoyed the game when I'd first played it back in '97, I did NOT like it this time around. The controls were too damned frustrating, and I found myself getting upset with the game to the point where I was yelling at the TV and nearly throwing the controller. I beat the game, but I quickly took it back to the video store to trade it in for something that didn't completely suck.
And that was the last time I'd played Croc, till now. I'd had one good experience and one bad experience. When I saw the remake for sale on the PS Network, I looked it up online to read about it before buying it. First thing that I saw was that they'd fixed the tank controls. Immediately, I wanted to buy this game. The controls were the worst thing about it. Make the game actually playable, and at its heart, it is actually a really fun and well-designed platformer. Plus, I had a suspicion that my son would like the game. So I bought it.
And now, here I am. What are my thoughts on Croc, and how it has aged over the years? Let's dive in.
Story:
There's not much here when it comes to story. You play as Croc, an adorable little crocodile that was taken in by a group of "Gobbos" when he was a baby, and raised as one of them. One day, the evil Baron Dante shows up and attacks the Gobbo village, capturing and enslaving many of its inhabitants.
Croc to the rescue! Your ultimate goal is to fight your way through the game's worlds, rescuing as many Gobbos as you can. Along the way you will fight several boss characters. It's interesting because these characters are essentially innocent animals that are minding their own business. But then the Baron comes along and corrupts them. What a prick. At the end, you make it to Baron Dante's castle, defeat him, and free the kingdom of Croc from his tyrannical rule.
Gameplay:
The controls are where the two versions of the game differ the most. Let's start with the basic premise, and then I'll explain the difference in the controls.
The basic premise is the same in each game. There's a map that is filled with levels. You must beat one level in order to move onto the next. For example, when you beat level 1-1, you unlock level 1-2, and so forth. Essentially you are moving forward in a linear matter, beating levels, fighting bosses, and making it to the end of the game. The between-level map is similar to what you see in games like Donkey Kong Country. Once you've beaten a level, you can come back and play it again at any time. But the only real reason to revisit old levels is to make sure you've collected 100% of its items.
Each level (with the exception of the boss levels) contains 5 hidden colored gems, and 6 Gobbos you must rescue. While it is the Gobbos that count towards 100% completion, you want to get all the colored gems, because each level contains a "gem door" that only opens when you have all the gems. Inside is normally the final hidden Gobbo. Exploring the stages and collecting all the hidden gems and Gobbos has always been the highlight of the game for me. The whole game is really well-designed. The levels are fun and cute. They are a joy to explore. As I said earlier, I'm glad this game got a remaster. Because at its heart, this is a really fun, solid game. The controls have always been what has held the game back.
Time to talk about those controls. We'll start with the PS1 original. Playing as Croc, you can run, jump, swing your tail, do a butt stomp, and grab onto ledges to pull yourself up. Pretty basic stuff. What makes the game's controls so tough are the tank movement controls. Now, normally, I am not one to whine about tank controls. When it comes to other games, like Resident Evil, Tomb Raider, or Dino Crisis, I am perfectly okay with tank controls. When I hear people complain about them, I roll my eyes and say "get gud, son!" But in a full 3D platformer like Croc, one that often requires precision jumping and making quick decisions, it just doesn't work. It's hard to put into words or fully describe through written text, but it just doesn't.
Let's say you've got two blocks next to each other. You want to jump on one, smash it, and jump on the other. You have to turn Croc towards the block to aim at it, hold up to run towards it, jump, do the smash, turn your character (like a tank) to the other block, hold up, hit the jump button, etc. It's just very tedious. And the game gets EXTREMELY difficult later on. There are platforms that flip upside down and throw you off. You have to precision jump from one small cube to another. Tank controls make this so, so incredibly hard.
That's where the PS4 remaster fixes things. There's no tank controls. You don't have to slowly turn your character like you're looking through a periscope. No lining up jumps with precision accuracy before you start running forward. You just point the stick the direction you want to go, and that's where you go. It may sound like a simple or small adjustment on paper, but until you've played both versions and seen the difference yourself, you won't know that it makes an absolute world of difference. The PS4 remaster is infinitely more playable. Everything else about the game is the same. The level design, the layouts, the enemy placement, the music, the sound effects, even the look of the enemies. But the control scheme instantly makes the PS4 version the ultimate version of the game. There's almost no reason to come back to the PS1 game.
But I did. And you know what? I didn't find the tank controls to be quite as awful as they were in my memory. The PS4 version is still the better version. In fact, I'll likely never come back to the PS1 game again. But if you can adjust yourself to the tank controls and make them work, the game still holds up surprisingly well. When we get to the end of this review, the PS4 version will undoubtedly get the better review score. But the PS1 game is going to do better than I had initially expected.
Graphics:
While the PS4 version is billed as a remaster, it's really the control changes that steal the show here. It seems like the graphical update was more of an afterthought. The game does have a fresh coat of paint to make it look more modern. You can switch back and forth between the new graphics and the PS1 graphics at any time. Surprisingly, the PS1 game still looks totally fine. I thought it would have that ugly, pixelated look to it like many games of the time do. But no, it looks great. I even played the original PS1 game on original hardware, and I still think it looks good also.
I can't say the game looks as imaginative as other PS1 titles like Crash Bandicoot or Spyro. The levels are a lot more basic and generic looking. The PS4 gloss of paint doesn't even do much to make them look better, aside from smoothing some of the jagged edges. It's still a very basic looking game with a lot of big, empty spaces. But it has its charms. There is so much that stands out in this game, with its Gobbos, colored gems, gongs, stained glass windows, and big gem doors.
Sound:
I came into my most recent playthrough on the PS4 remembering very little about the game's music from the last time I'd played it. But you know what? I really enjoyed it. In fact, I'd even go so far as to say that the music is one of the best things about the game. It's catchy, it's fun, it's upbeat. I could see myself adding a ton of this game's music to my video game music playlist. A few of my favorites are the spooky underground themes that sound like Midsummer Murders, the title theme, and the theme that plays when you hit the gong to end a level.
Sound effects are great, too. I like the sound it makes when you pick up a gem, a Gobbo, or pretty much anything. The noises Croc makes are great. Kersplat (or as I say, Kershpack!) is iconic, as are his other little noises. Yizzo! My son for some reason really likes the noises the bosses make when they die. All in all, this game has some really memorable music and sound effects. And I can't even say which version of the game is better, because they are completely identical across both versions of the game.
Overall:
I didn't expect to enjoy this game as much as I did. In fact, I was dreading having to play it. But the PS4 Platinum Edition truly takes everything bad about the original Croc and its jank controls, and fixes it. It made the game a true joy to play through. I loved exploring the levels and getting 100% of the secret gems and Gobbos for the very first time.
My six year old son really loved the game, too. That's another reason the PS4 version is far superior. It is very easy to pick up and play. If I had put the original Croc in front of him, he probably would not have enjoyed it nearly as much as he did. In fact, he likely would have given up on it very quickly. All because of those crappy controls.
The PS4 version also offers better graphics. And some extra things like Trophies (I got a platinum, heyyyyy look at me!) and speed run challenges. So clearly the PS4 version is better. This is not in question. BUT what surprised me was that I actually did enjoy coming back to the PS1 version with the tank controls. I thought I would hate it, or that I would find the game to be unplayable. But no. It's perfectly fine. The level layouts are still the same. The collectibles, the enemies, all of it. It's still pretty much the exact same game. The controls definitely suffer, though. Especially when you get to the end of the game with all the rotating platform levels. Ugh.
But anyway, I had a surprisingly fun time with both versions of Croc. The PS4 version is ultimately the more playable version. When you aren't having to struggle with the controls, you have more time to notice the clever level design and awesome music. Plus, you'll be able to explore without the constant threat of some freak control/camera related death screwing you over. The PS1 version is still fun, though. It's literally the same game, but with crappier controls, which makes the game a thousand times more difficult. If you have the choice of playing both, the PS4 game is the one you want to pick.
And I do suggest playing this game. It is very fun to explore. The gameplay is simple and has a very classic charm to it. Maybe it is the nostalgia speaking, but I love it. It comes from a very explorative time of game development. There weren't a lot of great 3D platformers when this came out. The fact that it holds up so well is fairly impressive. Play it if you can. And if you can't? Well, I guess you'll probably survive. But if you're a fan of the genre, I consider this a must-play.
THE GRADES:
PS1 original: B-
PS4 Platinum Edition: B+
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