Tomba! Special Edition is an enhanced version of the 1997 2.5D action-adventure platformer developed by Whoopee Camp. While this is by no means considered a remake or remaster, it does provide some quality of life improvements to the game and a couple of additional features.

Positives

+ You are now able to save anywhere in the game (which are basically save states) and not only at the signposts located throughout the world. This includes during cutscenes.

+ Rewind is a handy feature which allows the player to turn back time so you can essentially erase any mistakes or dodgy jumps that you make. You can enable this by pressing and holding down the left trigger.

+ There are three screen modes you can choose from. These include full screen, 4:3, which is how the title would have looked during the PS1 era and 16:9, which stretches the art a bit but this is personally what I went for and the game still looked great. There are also a few different borders you can select so you don't have to settle for the nasty black bars on the side.

+ The new museum mode allows you to view an early development cutscene, various box art, manuals, character designs, level designs, adverts, promo videos and interviews with creator Tokuro Fujiwara and composer Harumi Fujita, which give further insight into how Tomba was made. I found these interesting to watch.

+ There is the option of playing with either the original soundtrack or a brand new remastered soundtrack. I highly recommend the latter even though I have a lot of love for the original and, in my opinion, it is the better version but it was still fun going through the game with a fresh audio perspective and Harumi Fujita has done a wonderful job on rearranging her original work. The music player in the main menu allows you to listen to the entire soundtrack and you can switch between the remastered and original versions as you wish.

+ Achievements are now present for those who consider themselves completionists (like me).

Negatives

- The original game isn't truly enhanced apart from a few quality of life additions.

- Navigating The Haunted Mansion can still be frustrating and it's an area you will have to revisit often.

- I thought it was a shame that you couldn't switch between the remastered and original soundtracks in-game at will. You have to start a new game and stick with one or the other the whole way through.

- The interviews with the developers are brief.

- Some players might feel that save states and the rewind feature take away the original difficulty of the game but then you are not forced to use these and they are simply optional.

Conclusion

I can tell you that as a child, I was enamored with this game. I watched my cousin first play it on the PS1 and I fell in love with it instantly. The bright and colourful world, the wacky characters, an unforgettable soundtrack, filled to the brim with charm and a premise for a game like no other. Tomba! Special Edition perfectly maintains the 1997 classic and further builds on it with quality of life features and extras. Whether you are experiencing it for the very first time or you're a veteran returning after many years away, this game is unique and stands out and I hope it gains more exposure with this release and gains the admiration it so richly deserves. This is without a shadow of a doubt one of my greatest video games of all-time. Massive thank you to Limited Run Games and Whoopee Camp for making this happen and I can't wait for Tomba! 2 Special Edition which is arriving in the near future. If we're super lucky, maybe there's even a chance for Tomba! 3 to happen!

[h1]Bringing home the bacon[/h1] Tomba! Special Edition is an enhanced version of the 1997 2.5D action-adventure platformer developed by Whoopee Camp. While this is by no means considered a remake or remaster, it does provide some quality of life improvements to the game and a couple of additional features. [u][b]Positives[/b][/u] + You are now able to save anywhere in the game (which are basically save states) and not only at the signposts located throughout the world. This includes during cutscenes. + Rewind is a handy feature which allows the player to turn back time so you can essentially erase any mistakes or dodgy jumps that you make. You can enable this by pressing and holding down the left trigger. + There are three screen modes you can choose from. These include full screen, 4:3, which is how the title would have looked during the PS1 era and 16:9, which stretches the art a bit but this is personally what I went for and the game still looked great. There are also a few different borders you can select so you don't have to settle for the nasty black bars on the side. + The new museum mode allows you to view an early development cutscene, various box art, manuals, character designs, level designs, adverts, promo videos and interviews with creator Tokuro Fujiwara and composer Harumi Fujita, which give further insight into how Tomba was made. I found these interesting to watch. + There is the option of playing with either the original soundtrack or a brand new remastered soundtrack. I highly recommend the latter even though I have a lot of love for the original and, in my opinion, it is the better version but it was still fun going through the game with a fresh audio perspective and Harumi Fujita has done a wonderful job on rearranging her original work. The music player in the main menu allows you to listen to the entire soundtrack and you can switch between the remastered and original versions as you wish. + Achievements are now present for those who consider themselves completionists (like me). [u][b]Negatives[/b][/u] - The original game isn't truly enhanced apart from a few quality of life additions. - Navigating The Haunted Mansion can still be frustrating and it's an area you will have to revisit often. - I thought it was a shame that you couldn't switch between the remastered and original soundtracks in-game at will. You have to start a new game and stick with one or the other the whole way through. - The interviews with the developers are brief. - Some players might feel that save states and the rewind feature take away the original difficulty of the game but then you are not forced to use these and they are simply optional. [u][b]Conclusion[/b][/u] I can tell you that as a child, I was enamored with this game. I watched my cousin first play it on the PS1 and I fell in love with it instantly. The bright and colourful world, the wacky characters, an unforgettable soundtrack, filled to the brim with charm and a premise for a game like no other. Tomba! Special Edition perfectly maintains the 1997 classic and further builds on it with quality of life features and extras. Whether you are experiencing it for the very first time or you're a veteran returning after many years away, this game is unique and stands out and I hope it gains more exposure with this release and gains the admiration it so richly deserves. This is without a shadow of a doubt one of my greatest video games of all-time. Massive thank you to Limited Run Games and Whoopee Camp for making this happen and I can't wait for Tomba! 2 Special Edition which is arriving in the near future. If we're super lucky, maybe there's even a chance for Tomba! 3 to happen!