Tomba Review (PlayStation 3)

by Jim Smale · Published October 14, 2012 · Updated January 16, 2023

For this Tomba Review, Monkey Paw finally gives us Tomba, or Tombi if you’re reading from PAL regions. An adventure platform game starring a bizarrely dressed pink-haired kid, who must hunt down the 7 evil pigs who stole his grandfather’s ring. The game is best played on the Vita but still works and plays well on the PS3. Oh, and for the record, the game does support analog controls.

Tomba Review

Tomba Review Pros:

PlayStation One game with backward compatibility.
Works on The PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita.
Cartoon FMV clips that are high quality with big bright screens and great voice acting.
Graphics are cutesy and really make you feel like you’re in a weird cartoon-style RPG, 2D/3D platformer.
A 2D platformer with 3D aspects, see something you want in the background? No problem find a ledge and climb on over!
New items to find and buy to change your weapons, attack style, and the way your character plays in general.
The humor-injected story, never a dull moment with an excellently written script.
Controls are easy to learn.
Very accessible.
A full inventory and map screen give it an RPG feel.
Kill enemies either with a weapon or by jumping on them and then throwing them.
Varied levels incorporate a lot of different scenarios, from strong winds to slippery hills to seesaws. The game has so many ways in which to challenge you.
Exploring villages puts you in a 3D isometric view allowing you to explore freely.
Frequent save points so you never feel you’re gonna lose a load of progress.
The levels themselves have enough signposts to keep it subtle but at the same time handy to have.
Your life has bars so it gives you a chance to stay alive longer and heal yourself.
Multiple routes on some levels allow you to try and find all the hidden loot.
Great soundtrack with a few nice cuts.

Tomba Review Cons:

Jumping on enemies is done with an arc system, so if an enemy is in front of you, jumping will just make you jump over him instead of on him. This can get quite annoying, you can get used to it but first-timers will get annoyed by it.
No enhancements.
While some music is good, the other tunes are really droney and almost put you to sleep.
When hit by an enemy you get knocked back aswel, this is especially annoying when near an insta-death pit or drop.
A few levels like the windy mountain in particular can really push you to the edge, with it constantly pushing you sideways, judging jumps is hard as you would expect, but chuck in some plants that can transport you back out the level and you have your self a possible pad smashing realization.

Summary

In summary, it is a good solid game. Yes, there will be bits that bug the hell out of you and you will suffer a few cheap deaths, but what game doesn’t do that? Persevere and you will be rewarded with a really well-done 2D platformer with a lot of 3D interaction and execution. The loot, upgrades, and shops will keep you coming back for more. The cartoon FMV clips do a really good job of keeping you involved and are a feature I would like to see used more in games. Gives me a feeling of back in the day watching kids’ cartoons on Saturday morning TV. If you hate pigs as well this could scratch your itch in a more legal way. So please check the game out and have a lot of fun in the progress.