When I was nine years old, I found a Tomba (although it was called Tombi here in Europe) demo disc in my box of cereals. I played that demo to smithereens, I loved it so much. I went to the local game store weekly, asking if they had Tombi, and was told weekly that they wouldn't even order it because it would not be popular over here and the copies would never sell. Disheartened, I kept playing my demo, and I kept asking the man from the game store every time I went there to browse.

UIntil one day, I walked in there and he excitedly greeted me holding a little PS1 game box that would soon be my most prized possession. He could apparently not see me sad one more time so he had paid a little extra to order just one copy, for me. I don't think I've ever run as fast as I ran back home to start playing Tombi, and I don't think I've ever run as fast ever since.

That's how much I love this game. It genuinely is my favourite childhood game, it holds a dear place in my heart and I have been looking forward to playing this again for SO long, I can't even express how much it means to me to see other adults hype over this game and love this game. I had never met anyone else irl who even knew about it, let alone shared my excitement.

If you were a fan of the original Tomba, then this is just one big nostalgia trip for you. Buy it. Play it. Relive your childhood. Notice you have become much, much worse at platforming because you've been getting older, slower, less focused. Weep.

Be informed that this is an emulator port, not a remaster. The game is 100% the same graphics- and gameplay-wise as the PS1 game, with a remastered soundtrack (that is on by default but can be toggled of in the settings for that full nostalgic experience) but it surprisingly still looks quite good.

And to put your concerns to rest: I, too, was miffed it was "just a port" and not a full remaster, at first. I thought about how well done the Day of the Tentacle remaster was and I wanted something similar for Tombi. But now that I'm playing it... nah. The game *really* holds up. I'm not even listening to the remastered soundtrack, because the og is so great. This *definitely* was enough, and potentially even better than a real remaster.

Keyboard controls are hardcoded on arrow keys and x and z which is... not ideal, if you're used to playing WASD, and they can't be remapped, so I recommend using a controller. Like it was intended to be played, one could argue.

Not sure how the game would hold up with a new player who isn't riding the nostalgia, but if you like platformer games and the retro feel, and you lower your expectations to a 1997 frame of reference, it's definitely probably a good game for you, maybe. Yes.

Looking forward to Tomba 2, Limited Run. Get on it!