Official Review Computer Updated

ToeJam & Earl Back In The Groove (Computer)
Official GBAtemp Review

Name: ToeJam & Earl Back In The Groove
Item: ToeJam & Earl Back In The Groove
Rating: 8
Author: Sonic Angel Knight

Product Information:

Release Date (NA): March 1, 2019
Release Date (EU): March 1, 2019
Publisher: HumaNature Studios
Developer: HumaNature Studios
Also For: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

Game Features:

Single player

Local Multiplayer

Online Multiplayer

Co-operative

Review Approach:

When I first saw this game announced, I was instantly reminded of the classic game it was based on. A rogue-like co-op game starring two aliens and their influence of funk (mostly hip-hop and rap) guiding them across space until they crash landed on Earth and needed to find the parts of their space ship to fix it and return home. The original game followed up with games that played vastly different than the first due to pressure from publishers at the time. Now working solo and hoping to finally make a true follow up, how could I resist the return to roots.

It's time to get back into the groove with the video game duo that know how to use the power of funk to the fullest.

Introduction

ToeJam & Earl was originally developed by Greg Johnson & Mark Voorsanger and published by Sega of America for the Sega Megadrive in 1991. It was a very successful game for its time, receiving high praise and can even be considered essential to the system's software library. It's even on the Sega Classics Collection for this current generations of consoles if you wanted to try it. There was no question that a sequel should come of it, and it did. While one was produced, it wasn't what fans of the original expected. It was vastly different, taking on a 2D platforming approach due to pressure from Sega to follow trends of the genre at the time. A third game also released for the Xbox in 2002, once again changing up the gameplay, which left fans disappointed

When I first saw this game announced, I was instantly reminded of the classic game it was based on. A rogue-like co-op game starring two aliens and their influence of funk (mostly hip-hop, rap, & urban culture) guiding them across space until they crash landed on Earth and needed to find the parts of their space ship to fix it and return home. With Greg Johnson now working as a independent developer at his own HumaNature Studios, will this game finally be a true true follow up that would make fans happy? Is this a game people who had never even heard of this series should try? Well that's why I'm sharing my opinion here and now.

Presentation

I should note that if you are new to this game, you are probably going to be a bit confused about some things. Of course, if you have played previous games, you should know what to expect from this. It can best be described as a surreal humor and comic satire, and you will notice it as soon as you watch the opening cutscene. ToeJam & Earl are two aliens from planet Funkotron. They decided to bring their two female friends, Lewanda and Latisha on a ride in the "Rap Master Rocketship" to planet Earth... again. Why are they revisiting Earth? Because ToeJam wanted to impress Lewanda by taking her there as she hasn't seen it yet. Everything seems to be going well until ToeJam wanted to crank up the tunes for the ride. He asked Earl to boost the bass with a button that he is incorrectly instructed to press and then everything goes wrong.

A black hole appears and swallows up the travelers and planet Earth, giving them a rinse cycle through the washing machine before spitting the world into broken islands and several floors along with their space ship. Now it's time to collect the parts again, and rebuild it to get home safely. Clearly it's a excuse to recreate the original game play scenario, but it's funny so I enjoy it. That's basically what I meant by humor and satire. Obviously it's silly nonsense but it's the kind that is fun to watch over and over like a good Saturday morning cartoon.

Graphics

To the game's credit, the graphics are very nice. From what I feel, it seems like a natural evolution of the original game into modern times. They look hand drawn and animated and properly reflect the colorful and crazy world the game is presenting. Smooth animated characters and objects are constant throughout the game. Something cool I like is how you can view lower level floors as you travel up the elevator further into the game. Another thing I did notice is the background seems to be just a static image of space with the dark void and stars. It doesn't use any parallax scrolling at all which is odd since it's something common since the very first game. It would be nice to even have the stars twinkle and animate or scroll with your movement, but nothing seems bad about the graphics. I like how everything looks.

Sound

One of the greatest contributing factors of the original game was the music. For a game inspired by funk genre of music, it sounds just as much like hip-hop or even jazz at times. John Baker was the composer for the first two games and both are really done well. This game features remixes of his work on top of new songs. The music is catchy and even at times distracting. I can't help but pause just to listen to the song when I get to levels I like.

If there was a few things to point out, it one would be how the music doesn't loop; songs come to a complete stop before playing from the beginning. I hope that would be something to get fixed. Some may be even more critical about the music feeling is probably not as good as the Megadrive versions, maybe perhaps less charming or even would desire to have the original compositions available as a choice. Still having the option are always a good thing, it's still a good listen that could get stuck in your head.

Gameplay

One of the defining features of this game is the "Rogue-like" game play that it's designed after. Your goal as mentioned in the opening cinematic, is to collect ten pieces of the broken space ship to rebuild it and return home. Seem simple right? Well, no, is not. You can pick one of the available characters to do it with and then it's off to work. In each level or floor as referred to in this game, you must find the elevator to reach the next one. Some floors may have a ship piece and some may not, but the real problems are from the plethora of Earthlings you will encounter. Most of them are bad and will cause problems for you like damage to your life bar or just frustrations. That is to say there is also good Earthlings that will help you in various ways, so is a matter of knowing the good and how to deal with the bad. You can check the game's manual for info on each type of Earthling, rated from helpful to unhelpful.

So how do you deal with the bad Earthlings? With the power of presents! You can shake bushes and trees and even houses around the world in search of presents that contains power ups. In true Rogue-like fashion, you won't know what's inside first time. You could always just open it and find out, so next time you will know what it is already. Unless you accidentally open the randomizer, then all power ups shuffle presents and you have to identify them all over again. Yes, just like good and bad Earthlings, there is also good and bad presents. You can also visit the wise man who is inside of a carrot suit for some reason. If you pay him money, he will identify a present for you. It's a safe way to avoid bad ones, or you can use the present that identifies other presents.

Difficulties

One of the other features you need to get used to is the experience and rank system. Every time you open a present, you gain some exp. You can also gain exp by uncovering tiles on the map, just remember some area has invisible paths that will be uncovered when you get close to them. Each character starts with their own unique set of power ups and talents as well as stats. Increasing them helps improve things a lot, such as faster movement speed, holding more presents, or more life. They help a lot more especially if you don't want to rely on presents. How this works is something I do not see appeal in; once you have enough exp, you have to visit the guy in the carrot suit to promote you to a higher rank. This presents a problem for me since the original game instantly promoted your rank as soon as you had enough. It also would be nice to choose your stat bonus, giving more customization to the player's preferred play style.

Going out of your way to find him for a promotion may not be such a big deal. Promotions are useful, but sometimes the levels get too big to move around and you wouldn't know if he is on the one you are on. You can go levels without finding him and have to deal with tougher Earthlings without promotions if you feel confident. Guess you can just call it a pet peeve or a biased opinion. Other things like some levels being dark and slipping on ice is new. Another new thing is "Amped" power ups, these just mean the power up has a boosted effect. Last are the unlockable hats. After clearing specific conditions, you can unlock more presents and hats. If you have some, they are chosen at random when you reach a new floor. They can give you a edge when you least expect it which is good and last longer than presents do.

To be honest, I can't really say anything negative about the game's challenge. There is various ways to play that can comfort many players. A tutorial mode that teaches new players how the game works. A fixed world that is the standard way to play the game. Random world which is the true Rogue-Like fashion of never being the same every time you play. Two new features that was added is a new harder random world with much tougher Earthlings that will truly challenge a veteran player. If that's not enough, you can select a difficulty mode that gives you a big enough edge to almost make certain you can't lose. You have to play on normal to unlock extra content, but each player can choose the desired difficulty modes. This allows each player to enjoy at their own comfort. If you need a break, you can always save and resume later. A big improvement over the original which had no such feature especially for being long.

Verdict

After playing this game, I can say that the game is basically what I expected. Not to sound negative because I am happy about this game, it just has everything that I thought could have been done to make a game based on a classic and bring it into a modern time. It managed to improve the level of presentation. Update the graphics to High Definition format while making everything recognizable. Soundtrack that arranges the old music into something more fitting for the way the game is portrayed. Game play that finally can resemble what people wanted in a sequel of this series for so long as well as adding more of it. It's a good throwback to something that I think the developers and fans wish they had done a long time ago.

One thing I should mention is that some additional parts of the game was added from the original game's sequel. ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron. Stuff like the Hyper Funk Zone and Jammin' out is here too. So you also have bonuses like running through a funky dimension or meeting their old friends and playing a rhythm mini game. Seeing this instantly reminded me of the fun I had with that game as well. It wasn't a bad game at all and I'm hoping that gets some attention too. If you like Rogue-Like style games and want something to play with up to four players locally or online, this isn't a bad choice. It's more than just a nostalgia trip for fans. Remember, random made worlds means high replay value which can get pretty addicting. So to the programmers and backers who supported this through Kickstarter, hope you like how this turned out.

Verdict

What We Liked ...

Rogue-Like = high replay value!
SAVE FEATURE INCLUDED!
Accessible to new players of the series
Four player local/online co-op
Macaulay Culkin???

What We Didn't Like ...

No optional retro tunes
Wise Man required for promotional rank up
Stat increases at random from promotion

Gameplay

If you enjoy Rogue-Like games, this one is a good choice. You can play with friends or strangers with the new online function that should help make things more fun. Games like this do get repetitive, but you can always come back knowing that each play through won't be the same especially if you choose the random world modes.

Presentation

It's just my opinion, but I feel it's the natural way the game turned out for a modern day title based on a retro game. Updated graphics, music, and game play that makes me happy about it. I can't say I'm disappointed because it's what I expected. It remains a unique identity from others of the same type because of the humorous story, characters and game play. There is some voiced dialog, but I can only wish there was more to increase the charm of the presentation.

Lasting Appeal

Having the option to choose the random world mode increases the replay value that could always be addicting. It means you could come back for more knowing it won't be the exact same thing every time. Since is all random, it's just a matter of if you feel lucky and who will you bring along for the ride.

out of 10

Overall

I had a fun time playing this game, I still think there is some improvements to be made. Some good decisions was done such as making it a four player game and adding online mode. It also expands the original by a huge margin like you would expect and none of it feels out of place. My only question is what can come next, I do hope they try the platforming idea again like they did before.

Reactions: oofio, DarthDub, eyeliner and 1 other person

i like it it's a good retake on the original and the later levels you are pretty much just running for the elevator and ship parts as fast as possible while trying to survive

one thing i noticed in some of the screehsots you can see the level below you instead of stars...i've never seen this in any of my games?

Reactions: Sonic Angel Knight

Bladexdsl said:
i like it it's a good retake on the original and the later levels you are pretty much just running for the elevator and ship parts as fast as possible while trying to survive

one thing i noticed in some of the screehsots you can see the level below you instead of stars...i've never seen this in any of my games?

That's called improvements. Also there is no stairs in this game.

This looks so fun! I love this style of animation and that its a revamp on the original.

Avanders0125 said:
This looks so fun! I love this style of animation and that its a revamp on the original.

You should give the game a try then.

Reactions: Avanders0125

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