By Marty Mulrooney
Croc 2: Kingdom of the Gobbos is a remaster of the beloved sequel to the multi-million-selling 3D platformer Croc: Legend of the Gobbos (1997), which was itself remastered last year and described in AMO’s review as ‘a charming throwback to a time when games were simpler, with a focus on personality and fun.’ Launching today on digital storefronts for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, XBOX Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and Windows PC on Steam and GOG.com (with a Nintendo Switch 2 version to follow at a later date), it features enhanced visuals and a range of quality-of-life improvements.
Originally released on Sony PlayStation in summer 1999 as Croc 2, this remaster restores the title Croc 2: Kingdom of the Gobbos, the name used during development. It’s almost like a statement of intent from developer Argonaut Games: this is the Croc 2 fans already know and love, with a wealth of improvements that make it more accessible and fun.
This is a much more ambitious game than its predecessor, with an open hub world spread across four Gobbo villages that allow players to tackle each set of levels in the order they choose. There is even a shop selling a few different items, such as coloured ‘Jump Jellies’ to reach high or hidden areas – or ‘Gummi Savers’ in the US version, which can be toggled in the settings – and ‘Clockwork Gobbos’ to access secret or bonus areas. You can also stop to have a chat with the various Gobbo villagers.
It may all sound rather quaint in 2026, but in the ’90s these were ideas and concepts that would continue to be built upon in video games for decades to come. However, it must be noted that Croc 2 didn’t pioneer these advancements; the developers were clearly reacting to the competition, and by 1999, they were already behind the curve.
Yet history has been kind to the series. Croc may have trailed behind other 3D platformer mascots such as Crash Bandicoot and Spyro, but it’s easy to see why these colourful, family-friendly games found a captive audience – and continue to do so today. My four-year-old daughter can certainly vouch for this, as she happily watched me 100% complete last year’s Croc 1 remaster and watched me do the same with Croc 2.
The ambitious nature of Croc 2 extends to the gameplay too, with variety being the spice of life. The core gameplay loop still involves running and jumping to rescue Gobbos and collect crystals, but alongside the new triple-jump move there are a variety of vehicle stages. Whether it’s boat or kart racing against the evil Dantinis, hang-gliding down a narrow valley to rescue Gobbos or dropping giant ice cubes from a hot air balloon during a boss fight, these levels control well and are always a welcome change of pace.
The core platforming is improved too, with the much larger levels offering branching paths and little narrative flourishes that were missing from the first game. Memorable highlights include chasing down a runaway train with a bomb strapped to it, collecting water to put out fires and chasing a bird thief who keeps wiggling his bum at the camera. One of my favourite levels involved rescuing Gobbo babies from Dantinis and returning them to their playpens, while trying to make sure they don’t start crying.
The story is still really basic, with Croc now trying to find his long-lost birth parents after receiving a message in a bottle from them that washes ashore. It’s little more than an excuse to propel Croc on another exciting adventure, but the Gobbos are full of personality, the Dantinis make great tail-whipping fodder, the boss fights are basic but well-designed, and Baron Dante is a suitably intimidating villain.
There is also proper haptic feedback, making hits feel impactful where they didn’t in the first game. It’s a subtle improvement that makes a massive difference; you can even feel Croc’s footsteps through the controller when he runs across rickety wooden bridges. The controls are tighter too, which makes the gameplay feel more fair and less frustrating.
By far the biggest improvement is the ‘Remastered’ gameplay mode, which modernises the experience with automatic checkpoints and saved progress towards bonus objectives when replaying levels. You can still choose ‘Classic 1999’, which preserves the gameplay from when Croc 2 first launched on console, or ‘Classic 2000’, which adds a range of tweaks introduced in the PC version the following year, but I honestly can’t imagine getting near the end of a 10-minute level, dying and losing all my progress and crystals.
There are a variety of visual customisation options too, with an in-game button press switching between the old graphics and the new on the fly. You can even mix and match, meaning players who prefer the old textures and models can still enjoy improved lighting and draw distances. The latter option is a literal game-changer, with a particularly glaring example found in the final Gobbo village. With the original draw distance enabled, there is a massive stone temple that only pops into view when you’re right next to it; with the remastered draw distance enabled, it can be seen at all times from anywhere in the village.
The Crocopedia from the first remaster makes a welcome return, this time appropriately named the Croc2pedia, and again it’s chock-full of behind-the-scenes goodies. Video interviews with the developers, design documents, unused characters, objects and levels, soundtracks, a playable minigame cut during development, marketing art, TV adverts… the list goes on.
It’s a digital treasure trove that fans and newcomers alike will undoubtedly love (along with aspiring game developers), and it once again sets the standard for how bonus content should be presented in a modern remaster. The folks at Argonaut Games clearly love this series, and it’s exciting to imagine what they would do if given the opportunity to complete the trilogy with Croc 3.
Croc 2: Kingdom of the Gobbos takes the ambitious 1999 sequel and makes it more palatable for a modern audience. I imagine I’d have liked it less than the original if I’d played it upon release in the late ’90s, simply because the more expansive levels would have made dying a continually frustrating setback. However, the ‘Remastered’ gameplay mode completely fixes this issue, allowing the increased level variety and improved gameplay to truly shine.
When comparing the remasters (rather than the original releases), Croc 2 has a slight edge; the cute, snaggletoothed hero controls better, and the world around him has more surprises. Games were simpler in the ’90s, and it’s nice to be reminded that this wasn’t always a bad thing. Grand Theft Auto VI might be just around the corner, but there’s still a simple joy to be found in running and jumping, rescuing Gobbos and tail-whipping Dantinis. If Croc 3 does happen, my daughter and I will be first in line.
8 OUT OF 10
Martin Mulrooney
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