Back in 2024, Limited Run Games brought back Whoopee Camp’s classic PlayStation Metroidvania Tomba! with a new special edition. Now Limited Run Games has worked to bring the sequel, Tomba! 2: The Evil Swine Return with its own Special Edition. But is this sequel worth coming back to, or should you just stick with the first game?
Tomba! was an extremely fun game that provided a different take on the Metroidvania genre and saw the pink haired wild man Tomba defeat the evil pigs that had taken over his island. Its blend of 2D and 3D perspectives showed there was a lot of innovation to be had with the Metroidvania formula, and offered new twists that could not be done before. Tomba! 2: The Evil Swine Return does not feel so much like an evolution, as much as a weird sideways tangent.
The evil pigs are back and have taken over another area and what is worse is that his friend Tabby was kidnapped. The plot is simplistic even with the character interactions throughout the game, but that was always part of Tomba!’s charm. These games were more about gameplay innovation than story, and were generally just family friendly lighthearted games with a charming world.
Like the first game, Tomba! 2: The Evil Swine Return features 2.5D platforming with a blend of 2D and 3D perspective by having you move in a 2D space, and then changing direction at certain points or heading into the background from different angles in ways that cannot be done in most side-scrolling games. That being said, there are a number of 3D environments to explore with a number of characters to interact with, but your options for what to do are different here, so you cannot just jump or use weapons whenever you want.
As Tomba, you can jump and grab objects and enemies when landing on top of them, but this can be a little awkward to get used to even after playing the first game, as the physics just seem a bit off. This is not an issue for the re-release mind you, but was present in the original release. Of course, you can also use a variety of weapons and items as the game goes on, and knowing when to quip the right weapon will help you get through the experience, both in terms of defeating enemies and just being able to traverse the world and get past certain obstacles.
The Tomba! games are more than just platforming adventures though, as a major part of the game is interacting with NPCs, and doing quests. Many of the quests tie into each other, and some can only be solved once another is done first. Still, the quest system offers a lot of side content and does add a lot of additional gameplay time that can be fun.
But here is the issue, while Tomba! 2: The Evil Swine Return seems to be more of what made Tomba! great, there are problems that hold it back. Exploration can get rather confusing and things are not as clear as in the first game, with the quest system feeling less satisfactory.
The instant deaths are also more of a nuisance this time around, although Limited Run Games did add a feature to help with that aspect. The music is much less welcome than in the first game and can be rather gratin, and that is without getting to the voice acting, but that part can be forgiven due to the nature of voice acting in games at the time. Tomba! 2: The Evil Swine Return feels like it wanted to be more than the first game, but did not quite pull it off, especially with the awkward physics engine that can make the platforming and combat a bit frustrating compared to the first Tomba!
Still, there is a lot to enjoy with Tomba! 2: The Evil Swine Return and Limited Run Games did add some new features for Tomba! 2: The Evil Swine Return Special Edition, that while not drastic. due help a little such as adding save states, and a rewind feature which helps a great deal with the instant death issues and other awkward sections. You can also adjust the screen size, add a CRT filter and some borders, but that just feels like an extra.
Speaking of extras, Tomba! 2: The Evil Swine Return Special Edition offers some nice bonuses such as a Museum section for artwork and various bits of historical documents about the game, as well as a look at things like calendar art, renders and more. There is also a music player as well that lets you enjoy the various tunes, if you find any of them to your liking. These are nice additions, and welcome for fans of Tomba! who wants something more.
Tomba! 2: The Evil Swine Return Special Edition is ultimately a nice re-release of an ambitious but flawed game. It does not blow you away with a ton of extra content, but aims to emulate the game as best as possible, while giving quality of life updates and some small extras. I think Limited Run Games did as well as could be expected with this release, and managed to make the experience less frustrating than it was back then. Tomba! 2: The Evil Swine Return may not be a perfect sequel but Tomba! 2: The Evil Swine Return Special Edition is ultimately a release worth checking out for fans of the original, even if only to see where the developer went from there. There is still fun to be had and that is all we can ask for.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided
