Screenshots from Game Spot

Year released: 1997 (Playstation)

Number of Players: 1

Croc has to rescue all of his furball friends from their prisons while venturing forth through platform elements.

Graphics: Not bad. The elements are colorful and cartoony, and not overly blocky. My only complaint is that sometimes the floor seems to move like there is a heart thumping underneath it.

Play control: Awkward. With the analog joysticks, moving is as you would expect; just push the left joystick where you want to go. Movement is natural, if not touchy. The right joystick adjusts the camera. Without the joysticks, walking by the four directional buttons to the left of the controller is awkward, but more controllable when you need precision. Press left and right to turn Croc around in that direction, back to move Croc away from what he's facing, and forward to move Croc towards what he's facing. You can combine forward or back with left or right for more natural movement, but it's still awkward. Since you have less variability in what direction Croc will go (only four buttons, as opposed to innumerable directions that the joystick can be pushed in) crucial jumps are easier to make.
X button is to jump (Croc can jump on enemies to attack them). Press it again before the peak of Croc's jump to stop all horizontal movement and slam him straight down into the ground, killing enemies and breaking boxes. Press the square button to whip around his tail, also killing enemies, but not dealing with boxes. You will need to utilize both of these in different fashions to defeat bosses.

Sound: Cartoony, but not overdoing it. Really, what Crash Bandicoot music should have been. Croc's spurts of voice acting ("Waa-aa-aah!" as he is whisked away and and "ker-splat!" as he whips his tail around) are disarming and give the game even more of a friendly edge. And I can't get over how the option/saving music consists of cheezy game show music...!

Challenge: Urgh. Very dry challenge. Basically, Croc tests how well you can jump from platform to platform without falling. That's about it. Bosses don't even provide help; just wait for them to wear out (hold the joystick so that Croc runs in a circle), then attack them with one of Croc's attacking methods. Three hits, and they're out.
However, finding Gobbos provides a different challenge. You will need to keep your eyes peeled for suspicious locales and any keys or multicolored jewels. Basically, while you deal with jumping all around, you need to keep in mind that there is exploring to be done. Six Gobbos inhabit a stage. If you find all the Gobbos in the same area, you get another stage. Find all the Gobbos in the game (along with a puzzle piece from every extra stage) and Croc gets to explore a whole new level at the game's end.

Gameplay: Croc must collect these little white gems. If he gets attacked or touches something bad, he drops them all. If he has no white gems, he dies. He can pick up gems he's lost: basically, a ripoff of Sonic's ring engine. It works well, considering the game's focus is on facing environmental challenges.
And that brings me to the real gameplay... Croc's game is, at heart, a string of difficult jumps. There are variations... climbing on monkey bars to platforms and jumping around corners (having to adjust the camera so that you can do it right along the way) to name two. However, even with that, the game is just really, really plain. There is a good side, though: you have to explore to find those Gobbos. Exploring for side stuff like that doesn't make a game, though.

Bottom line: Not enough gameplay variation! Finding Gobbos is nice, but as I said, it's not real sustenance.

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