A year after Tomba! got a wonderful port to modern consoles, its sequel is now getting the deluxe treatment. The recently released Tomba! 2: The Evil Swine Return Special Edition is a great way to experience the classic PS1 platformer. Featuring bonus content and some quality of life tweaks, this is an easy recommendation for fans of Whoopee Camp’s iconic sequel.
Released two years after the original, Tomba! 2 was an ambitious sequel. Not only did the game now feature fully 3D environments — a look that is charming but hasn’t aged great like most early 3D — but it also added in collectible suits that gave Tomba new abilities. These suits add a lot of variety to the platformer, as you can glide like a flying squirrel and even communicate with pigs if you’ve got the right suit on.
There are some issues, though, as the sequel has the player performing a lot of tedious tasks to gain adventure points, such as finding lost items. Boss fights also aren’t a strong point, as they’re often repetitive. However, the charm and variety ultimately win out as this is a flawed yet fun retro platformer that is worth playing if you enjoyed the original Tomba.
One of the biggest advantages of the Tomba! 2: The Evil Swine Return Special Edition is that it features some key quality of life changes. For example, players can now save the game anywhere, and they can easily rewind time if they miss a jump or die. While it’s not an overly difficult game, some of the optional events can be quite finicky, and some jumps can be awkward, so these are quite useful inclusions.
Just like the previous Special Edition release, the new port of Tomba! 2 features a lot of excellent bonus features. A wonderful museum has been included, which allows you to look at everything from the original manuals to merchandise and advertisements. They’ve even tracked down several game design documents that have never been seen before, which is a really exciting addition. This really helps the rerelease seem extra special.
Tomba! 2: The Evil Swine Return Special Edition Review: Final Verdict
Tomba! 2 Special Edition lives up to its billing and is a great way to play The Evil Swine Return. While I do prefer the original game, the sequel is still plenty fun and has aged well with the new quality of life additions.
SCORE: 8/10
As ComingSoon’s review policy explains, a score of 8 equates to “Great.” While there are a few minor issues, this score means that the art succeeds at its goal and leaves a memorable impact.
Disclosure: The publisher provided a digital copy for our Tomba! 2: The Evil Swine Return Special Edition review. Reviewed on version 1.300.100.
