Tomba! Special Edition review: That's a whole lot of pink

It’s hard to describe Tomba! in a way that feels sufficient. It’s a non-linear action-platformer starring a chirpy, pink-haired jungle boy who does whatever menial or bizarre task he stumbles across while managing a blood feud with a gang of evil pigs. Tomba interacts with his world in two ways: Stuffing random objects into his pockets (or mouth) or biting things and/or people. It’s an early example of a commercially released indie game with a lot of ideas we’d see develop into modern gaming conventions over time. It’s weird, it’s wacky, and it’s one of those cult classics people out there absolutely adore.

From Capcom to Whoopee Camp

Directed by Tokuro Fujiwara after a 13-year career at Capcom, Tomba! Was developed under indie studio Whoopee Camp for the PlayStation. The game was published by Sony in North America, which ended up being a hurdle for re-releasing down the line. Tomba! wasn’t a big success, so it doesn’t get the same historical recognition as other, more financially impactful Sony releases of that era. Still, this quirky title and its sequel eventually made it to the PSOne Classics lineup thanks to efforts from the now-defunct Monkey Paw Games. That was in 2011, by the way. Time is a cruel force.

Somehow, 25 years after its original release, Tomba! Is back. And this time Limited Run Games is the publisher somehow? It’s great news, though. Not only is the game getting a fun, little limited physical release (and merch!), it’s been ported using the Carbon Engine, a rock-solid emulation tool LRG uses for many of its classic reissues. Tomba! looks and runs as great as any 1997 2.5D PlayStation adventure, and with bells and whistles like a CRT filter, rewind, save states, and more, Tomba! Special Edition is definitely a step above the old PSP emulator Sony used ten years ago.

A truly Special Edition

But there’s a lot more that makes this truly a Special Edition. It’s not just the new emulation features that make for a quality playing experience. There’s also a ton of awesome museum materials, making this LRG release on par with some of Digital Eclipse’s excellent retro compilations. But this is just for one game! There’s high-res box art from multiple regions, full instruction manual scans, a surprisingly dense collection of art and level design documents, and even an old TV commercial.

Perhaps best of all, LRG also got a hold of Fujiwara and composer Harumi Fujita for some brand-new interview footage. There’s some cool insight about the thinking behind Tomba! and its quirky design elements, independent game development in the 90s, and enough pink set dressing to make your Switch OLED screen start bleeding. It’s great stuff. And speaking of Fujita, the soundtrack is fully remastered, and there are even some contributions from Tee Lopes of Sonic Mania and TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge fame. In sum, this isn’t just a cool port of a weird game; it’s crammed full of the kind of star treatment you’d usually expect for retro A-listers like Mega Man or Castlevania.

Tomba good, pigs bad

To be perfectly honest, Tomba! isn’t a game for everyone. It’s silly, often feels directionless and random, poorly-explained, and looks a little wonky in that old PS1 game way you love or hate. And the controls can feel fumbly, not just with Tomba’s comically huge jump but with the game and emulator itself. I still find myself forgetting which button to press to do which action, and there isn’t an in-game controller menu aside from the scanned manual (which has the controller glyphs blanked out for maximum legal efficiency). You also can't pause the videos! for some reason! But where Tomba! lacks polish and clarity it more than makes up for in charm, humor, and the fun of discovery. And this Special Edition release treats it with a level of admiration that’s long-past due.

Tomba! Special Edition is available on August 1, 2024 for the Nintendo Switch, PS5, and PC. A Nintendo Switch code was provided by the publisher for review.

Lucas White

Contributing Editor

Lucas plays a lot of videogames. Sometimes he enjoys one. His favorites include Dragon Quest, SaGa, and Mystery Dungeon. He's far too rattled with ADHD to care about world-building lore but will get lost for days in essays about themes and characters. Holds a journalism degree, which makes conversations about Oxford Commas awkward to say the least. Not a trophy hunter but platinumed Sifu out of sheer spite and got 100 percent in Rondo of Blood because it rules. You can find him on Twitter @HokutoNoLucas being curmudgeonly about Square Enix discourse and occasionally saying positive things about Konami.