Developer: HumaNature Studios
Platforms: PlayStation 4 (Reviewed), Xbox One, Switch, PC
Genre: Adventure, Casual, Indie
Published by: HumaNature Studios
ToeJam & Earl: Back in the groove!, thanks to a Kickstart initiative we were able to have this nostalgic piece of art! For those who played the game back in the early ’90s will have a plateful of good memories! But this time in FULL HD hahaha the graphics are improved and the music is remastered as well! “Back in the Groove” is the Fourth game of ToeJam & Earl series, which started in 1991. So let´s get started with this TOTALLY BITCHIN review, be ready to hear the most DOPE slangs that the ’90s can give you!
The game history is quite simple, our homies “borrowed The RapMaster Rocketship” a ship that belongs to a guy named Lamont (That seems to be a dangerous guy), as a way to impress their girlfriends (Who among 9 characters, are available for playing too) Lewanda and Latisha, flying them to the wack planet earth, but due to a confusion of which button does what, our friends end up dragging the ship into a dark hole and blowing Lamont´s ship into pieces! So our mission is to walk through 25 levels to retrieve those ten pieces and reassemble the ship back in one piece before he notices that the ship is gone.
If you played the classic game before, you wouldn´t have any problems understanding the game but if you are new to it, don´t you worry! The game mechanics are very simple to get it, I could tell you exactly what each item (Known as Presents) in this game does, but honestly… that would just take a very fun part of the game hahaha however if you still want to know exactly what each present does (Well… not what it does but at least the name of it… That gives it away most of the time) you can talk to the sparkling giant carrot, btw… you can trust the “Shinning Humans” because they always have something different for you! Including Mini-games (That are an additional feature to the game) like Jam with them and do your own funk beat or even Sushi hahaha.
The game has a lot of game modes for you to choose/combine, like; Single-Player, Multi-Player (Co-op Online), Local Multi-Player (Local Co-op with a Shared Split Screen). You also have different types of worlds to choose; Tutorial World (Shorter & Easier with hints), Fixed World, Random World and Random World HARDCORE. To be honest… even the hardcore mode is not that hard but still funny to play it. One of the best thing for me was the fact that the game allows you to use the “old skool” skins! That´s right! The Classic skins are already available for you to use on the first run! (TIP: Pay attention to the Attributes and Special Abilities of each character/skin).
The presents (or Items) do several different things like walk faster, jump over enemies to other platforms, rocket shoes etc, beside the old Items (or resents hahaha) we now have a bunch of new ones and all of them are very self-explainable so ENJOY hahaha.
The elevator takes you to the next level, so just get inside after making sure you did everything that is to be done on that level, ESPECIALLY the ship parts!
Oooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh maannn the soundtrack since the first game back in 1991 the soundtrack was what really got me! It´s simply AMAZING!!!!!!!! With the HUGE influence that the composer John Baker had from Herbie Hancock, the music has elements from both jazz-funk and hip-hop, and my friends… that mix is done perfectly. Keep in mind that are new songs performed by the composer Cody Wright that also fits really well on the game.
I still find myself listening to the classic OST on YouTube nowadays, as a background sound for when I´m working or just to stop and enjoy it only, now I have some new songs to add to my list.
ToeJam & Earl: Back in the groove is by far the most enjoyable review I have ever done! As a HUGE fan of the classic game, I could find everything I was expecting from the game on its right place, with some bonuses like the mini-games that were a joyful surprise for me. I understand that the new generation could find the game slow or not challenging… But I can say with priority, that the game is 110% loyal to its original and that the game delivers exactly what was promised. The nostalgia that the game gives you on the small things like playing co-op with a person beside you and the screen split in two is unbailable.
So! To wrap it up, it is a very simple game with very simple objectives but very relaxing and enjoyable to play by yourself or with your friends.
Curiosity: You can see every person who supported the game´s kickstart on the “Credits & Music” option on the main menu.Please leave on the comments below what do you think about the game after playing!
Let´s bounce!
Groovy point: 10 out of 10
Writer
Photography enthusiastic and a diehard games fan (Thanks to FF7 )! And I´m from Brazil btw \o ahhahaha
