The swine hath returned
There are certain games that instantly transport you back to a very specific era, and Tomba! 2 is one of them. It makes me feel like I am back in the 90s, eating trash food, and sleeping hardly at all. The pink-haired, feral platformer was always a weird blend of side-scrolling chaos, light RPG mechanics, and an almost aggressive amount of personality. Playing the remastered version on in the year of our lord 2025 feels like opening a time capsule, one that’s been carefully dusted off, polished up, and mostly left alone for better or worse.
At its core, this is still Tomba! 2. The semi-open levels, the mission-based progression, and the constant backtracking are all intact. You’re still bouncing between towns, helping out oddball NPCs, and stumbling into objectives in the most accidental ways possible. That design hasn’t aged perfectly, but it has aged for better or worse. This was never a game about precision platforming, instead it’s about momentum, discovery, and controlled chaos, and that’s all still here.
MSRP: $19.99
Platforms: PlayStation (reviewed), Switch, PC
Price I’d Pay: $14.99
The remaster does what you’d expect in 2025 cleaner visuals, sharper character models, and a presentation that finally looks the way your memory insists it always did. Load times are practically nonexistent, which helps a lot given how often you’re hopping between areas. The game runs smoothly, and the vibrant color palette pops without losing the hand-drawn charm that made the original stand out in the first place.
That said, some rough edges remain. The camera can still be a nuisance, especially during vertical sections or busy combat moments. The mission structure—while charming—can be frustrating when objectives are vague or poorly tracked. These were issues back in the PlayStation era, and the remaster didn’t completely smooth them over. Quality of life improvements help, but this is not a full redesign, and longtime fans will recognize that immediately.
Combat is simple but effective, relying more on movement and positioning than complexity. Tossing enemies, chaining jumps, and using the environment still feel good, even if it never reaches the depth of more modern platformers. The soundtrack, meanwhile, remains an absolute highlight. It’s catchy, energetic, and weird in exactly the way Tomba! needs to be.
So, what is new in this package? First up we have mentioned quality of life stuff such as saving anywhere and rewind functions, which are essential. It also comes with the standard visual modes, complete with CRT filters and pixel perfect modes. One of the coolest features is the restoration of the Japanese audio track. I will never use it, but it is still cool. There is also a museum included which features a ton of extras such as manuals, artwork, and design documents. I love when collections include this stuff as it gives me more insight into how the original game came to be.
Tomba! 2 Remaster isn’t trying to reinvent itself, and that’s both its strength and its limitation. For fans, this is the best way to revisit a cult classic without fighting outdated hardware or muddy visuals. For newcomers, it’s a fascinating snapshot of a time when developers weren’t afraid to make games this strange and unapologetically playful.
It may not convert everyone, but for those who missed it or loved it the first time around, this remaster proves that Tomba! 2 is still as loud, bizarre, and lovable as ever.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
