Croc: Legend of the Gobbos Review

In 1996, Nintendo released Super Mario 64 along with their Nintendo 64. It was an instant classic that would forever change the way we would play platformers. Super Mario 64 set the standard that is still followed today. In 1997, Fox Interactive and the now defunct developer Argonaut set out on making a 3D platformer for the Sega Saturn, PlayStation and PC. The result was a game that fell well short of the remarkable progress that was made with Super Mario 64.

If there is any two games that show the gulf between the Saturn and Nintendo 64, it would be Croc and Super Mario 64. The limited 3D world in Croc is now amazingly small. Where each world in Super Mario 64 was vast, leaving plenty of room for exploration and secrets, Croc is rather linear in action. There is a little room for exploring, but not much. Most of it is relegated to searching for gems that will open a bonus level. There are few enemies to fight and even fewer bosses.

Probably the worst part of Croc are the controls. One would think that an analog stick would give the most intuitive experience, but it proves to be over-sensitive. The d-pad is not much better either, but it works. Unfortunately, running, jumping and attacking are not made easy by either of the control setups. You will often find yourself missing platforms unnecessarily, being hit by enemies and just generally maneuvering about as well as a crocodile would.

Croc’s gameplay is a mix of Mario and Sonic. While the levels are open world, Croc is damaged like Sonic. Where Sonic requires coins to stay alive, Croc needs orbs to keep him going. That’s really the only similarity it has to Sonic, but if you run out of orbs, you will die. The worlds take place in your standard platforming locations: desert, lava, green forest, etc. Nothing is overly innovative, but it wasn’t meant to be either.

If you want a standard platformer with poor controls, Croc: Legend of the Gobbos is the Saturn game for you. I have not played the PlayStation version, so I can not say if it is any better, but I have to believe that the controls would at least be an improvement. This is just a game that goes to show why the Nintendo 64 was a more successful system than the Saturn.