I try to keep an open mind. This is the world of videogames, after all. Strange things happen. You can never predict what tomorrow will bring. But even though I’m jaded, wizened, and almost immune to surprise these days, this one caught me off guard. 27 years ago, in the same halcyon age that brought us the first Fallout, the original Age of Empires, and The Curse of Monkey Island, the bizarrely named Whoopee Camp launched Tomba. An action game with 2.5D graphics and evil pigs, despite a cult following, for almost three decades it’s been relegated to the dustiest shelves of the proverbial library of videogame history. Until now.
I feel like Oscar Isaacs in Star Wars: “Somehow, Tomba returned.” A side-scrolling Metroidvania game, you play the eponymous warrior as he explores his prehistoric home island to try and recover a golden bracelet that was stolen from him by some pigs. I’m sure you’ve heard of Ghosts ‘n’ Goblins, Bionic Commando, and Sweet Home, the game that inspired Resident Evil. Tomba was directed by their creator, Tokuro Fujiwara, after he left Capcom. The first game landed in 1997. A sequel followed in 1999. After that, despite a one-for-one re-release on the PlayStation Store, the series remained in obscurity.
But today, Thursday August 1, marks Tomba’s valiant return. Available right now, Tomba: Special Edition includes a remastered soundtrack, adds the option to save anywhere, lets you rewind, Prince of Persia style, if you die, and also includes an in-game museum of concept art and an interview with Fujiwara himself.
If you played this back in the day, the new edition is the perfect excuse to revisit a past favorite. If this is your first time, Tomba is a hard-to-put-down platformer with a distinctive art style and some good jokes. You can get it for $19.99 / £16.75 right here.
Or maybe you want to try some different old games that you can still get on your PC. Alternatively, look to the future with all the best upcoming PC games on their way to you.
You can also follow us on Google News for daily PC games news, reviews, and guides, or grab our PCGN deals tracker to net yourself some bargains.