PICKS OF
THE MONTHDARRAN
Panzer Dragoon Saga
I’ve not played any new
games at all but I have
managed to get to the
third disc of Sega’s
magnificent RPG. Go me.DREW
Final Fantasy IX
‘But Drew, didn’t FFIX
come out in 20 0 0? ’ Yes.
Yes it did. But this 2019
por t has remastered
character models, so...INFORMATION
F EATURED SYSTEM:
SWITCH
AL SO ON:
PS4, XBOX ONE, PC
RELEASED:
OUT NOW
PR ICE:
£16.99
DEVELOPER:
HUMANATURE STUDIOS
PUBLISHER:
INHOUSE
PLAYERS:
14BRIEF HISTORY
Toejam & Earl is an odd series;
the games were cult hits rather
than runaway successes, but the
series has at tracted passionate
fans. The latest game was
crowdfunded in February 2015,
raising $ 508,637 from 8,873
backers. It returns to the formula
of the ver y first game, drawing
small elements from the sequels.of those existing fans, is that the game
should fulfil your wishes and delight you.
The design of Toejam & Earl: Back
In The Groove follows the Roguelike
template of the original game, rather
than either of the sequels, and tasks
players with retrieving ten spaceship
pieces after an unfortunate incident
involving the spaceship, Earth and a
black hole generator. This takes place
across 25 fixed levels or, after you unlock
the option, randomised stages with
an optional hardcore mode. Along the
way you’ll gain experience by exploring,
be accosted by enemy earthlings, and
collect presents with a variety of both
positive and negative effects. These
range from negative effects to positive
power-ups – you might get wings
with which to fly, you might get
a slingshot to fire tomatoes at
the baddies, or you might get an
instant rank demotion. Once you’ve
identified a present, it’ll be known until
a randomiser hits.
There’s a fair bit more variety to
proceedings, when compared to the
original game. Levels are a lot less barren- as well as featuring various types of
terrain, they’re now filled with bushes,
trees and houses which can be searched
for items, as well as sunflowers to hide
behind. The Hyperfunk Zone bonus
stage returns from the second game
and grants experience and presents,
Playing ToeJam
& Earl: Back In
The Groove in the
office has been
an interesting
experience. The original
game was a cult classic rather than a
runaway hit, but we were surprised by
the number of people that walked by and
said, “I remember ToeJam & Earl from
the Mega Drive!” What’s less surprising
is that usually, the very next thing out
of their mouths was, “I didn’t really get
it,” – the original game was always odd.
If you’re one of those people and you’re
hoping that this series revival might be
a bit more accessible, then you’re out
of luck – this game was crowdfunded
and has been built with existing fans in
mind first and foremost, so it’s as weird
as ever. The good news, if you are one» [Switch] The split-screen
mode enables players to
explore independently,
covering ground more quickly.“GET UP OUT YOUR SEAT, THE GRAND GROOVE IS BACK”
ToeJam & E ar l:
Back In The Groove
>> Aer a
rather lengthy
Kickstarter
campaign,
ToeJam and
Earl return for
a brand-new
adventure.
We also go
dungeon
crawling with
the latest
Etrian game
and find out
why Nick has
disappeared
online every
evening» [Switch] The Hyperfunk Zone is trippy to look
at and requires some pretty good reactions.98 | RETRO GAMER
of the very first game, dra
y exploring, small elements from the s
lings, and
y of both. These
topositive
wings
get
at
t an
you’ve
nown until