Toe Jame and Earl Back in the Groove Ost
One of the Mega Drive's most bizarre games returns to Earth with a sequel/remake that is dripping in '90s charm.
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This week on Games You Would've Bet Would Never Get Another Sequel we have ToeJam & Earl, the Mega Drive cult favourite that's so '90s we're surprised the original cartridges didn't spontaneously combust the second it hit the year 2000. Once viewed as important Sega mascots, even if they were never on the same level as Sonic the Hedgehog, the titular aliens had seemed like they were lost to history, but the power of Kickstarter has brought them back and they're just as weird as ever.
To be fair to Sega they don't actually own the ToeJam & Earl IP, so you can understand why it quickly stopped being a priority for them. Instead the franchise is still owned by series creator Greg Johnson, who's overseen this new game and ensured it sticks as closely as possible to the tone and design of the original. So close, in fact, that it often seems like a straight remake, although we don't imagine that's something fans will be too upset about.
The original ToeJam & Earl was… very odd. The set-up was that the alien duo have crash-landed on Earth and need to find all the parts of their spaceship to return home to the planet Funkotron, which seems straightforward enough. Except the aliens talk in '90s American slang and seem to be a gentle parody of Californian culture of the time. The attempts at satire would've gone over most younger players' heads though and instead the surrealist humour and memorable soundtrack were what endeared it to most fans.
What we didn't realise until now is that Johnson's primary video game inspiration was Rogue, the ancient dungeon crawler whose influence is now so prevalent in modern indie games. But even with the option for randomly-generated levels – unlocked after you reach a certain point in the game – we wouldn't classify this as a roguelike. But we also have no idea how else to describe it, given the game's extremely laidback gameplay.
Just as in the original, Back In The Groove portrays Earth as a series of isometric islands floating in space, populated by a bizarre range of characters including rampaging groups of nerds, pitch fork-wielding devils, and a man in a carrot suit. Since all you're doing is wandering around each floating island looking for a piece of your spaceship, or simply the lift that will take you to the next level, a less sympathetic observer might claim the game barely has any gameplay at all.
Money also comes in handy, if you can pick it up, as it's used to activate parking meter style devices that in turn reveal additional switches, enemies, or allies. But what you're really after are presents which contain various power-ups such as angel-like wings, an inner tube to float across water, or occasionally a negative effect. You don't initially know what's inside each present, although each similar looking one contains the same thing.
One of the power-ups is the ability to throw tomatoes at enemies, which is the closest the game ever gets to any kind of traditional action. Most of the time though you have to either run away from unfriendly characters, hide amongst a clump of sunflowers, or use an ally – such as a Ghandi-like figure and a female opera singer – to protect you or chase the nasty humans away.
While the original's first sequel was commercially successful many fans didn't like the fact that it was a much more conventional 2D platformer but there are a few influences from it in Back In The Groove (although few obvious ones from the obscure third game released on the original Xbox). These mostly take the form of brief mini-games, such as a simplistic rhythm action game and a brief 2D platformer.
Also present is the much-loved split-screen co-op mode, which allows you and a friend to play as both ToeJam and Earl (or their girlfriends) at the same time – with a four-player online option if you can't get a local friend to help. As uncomplicated, to put it generously, as the gameplay is things can get very difficult towards the end, especially given the rather imprecise controls that combined with the isometric view make it hard to judge exactly where you're moving to and whether you can interact with nearby objects or characters.
If you remember ToeJam & Earl from the first time round then there's no question you'll love Back In The Groove. Whether you regard it as a sequel, remake, or reboot it replicates the original game perfectly, while adding just a little extra variety to the gameplay and enemies. Some might be upset that the art style isn't closer to the original, and that the soundtrack isn't more memorable, but in a modern context it would've been difficult to make either seem as distinctive as they once were.
As to whether this holds any interest for those that are new to the franchise we'd have to say… probably not. Its weirdness is endearing but without nostalgia to forgive the shallow gameplay and lack of variety we don't see it holding many people's attention for long. Unlike most Kickstarters we imagine backers will be very satisfied with the end result, but newcomers are likely to view it as considerably less funky.
ToeJam & Earl: Back In The Groove!
In Short: As loving a recreation of the Mega Drive original as fans could ever hope for, but without any major evolution of the concept it has far less to offer anyone else.
Pros: Recreates all the most beloved aspects of the original perfectly, with gentle humour, surreal visuals, and enjoyable co-op options. Nicely updated soundtrack.
Cons: Extremely shallow and repetitive gameplay, that can get very frustrating by the end thanks to the imprecise controls.
Score: 6/10
Formats: Nintendo Switch (reviewed), Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC
Price: £15.79
Publisher: HumaNature Studios
Developer: HumaNature Studios
Release Date: 1st March 2019
Age Rating: 7
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Toe Jame and Earl Back in the Groove Ost
Source: https://metro.co.uk/2019/03/01/toejam-earl-back-in-the-groove-review-return-of-the-funk-8787073/
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