Full Transcript for The PS1 Wildchild | Tomba! / Tombi! (Ep. 176)

back in the halcyon days of one up that 72 00:04:04.120 --> 00:04:07.520 metroid Vania actually came out between him and Sharky. Sharky 73 00:04:08.039 --> 00:04:10.319 is the one who should be credited, because Jeremy wanted 74 00:04:10.360 --> 00:04:12.280 to go with Castle Royds. And it's just so funny 75 00:04:12.319 --> 00:04:14.800 that fucking term really took off. 76 00:04:15.680 --> 00:04:18.680 That actually segues pretty nicely into our personal histories. I 77 00:04:18.680 --> 00:04:21.959 don't I'm not a big Metroidvania guy myself, so I 78 00:04:21.959 --> 00:04:26.000 know a lot of folks have strong opinions on that nomenclature. 79 00:04:26.680 --> 00:04:30.279 I you know, sober Quet by any other name still 80 00:04:30.319 --> 00:04:32.680 sounds as pretentious whatever you want to call it. Metroid 81 00:04:32.680 --> 00:04:36.000 Brainia adventure game. I don't care. I don't I'm not 82 00:04:36.240 --> 00:04:39.959 really huge on those. Outer Wilds is the closest I 83 00:04:40.000 --> 00:04:42.079 think that I've gotten to one of those that really 84 00:04:42.079 --> 00:04:44.879 hooked me. But as far as personal histories and overall 85 00:04:44.920 --> 00:04:47.439 thoughts on the game, I had Tomba two as a kid, 86 00:04:48.000 --> 00:04:50.240 tons of nostalgia for that game, tons of love. But 87 00:04:50.279 --> 00:04:53.839 I've never played Tomba one, so I wanted to program it. 88 00:04:54.199 --> 00:04:56.560 That's part of the reason. Of course, I knew that 89 00:04:56.600 --> 00:04:58.279 you were into that game as well, so I wanted 90 00:04:58.279 --> 00:05:01.240 to ask you on. So tell me a little bit 91 00:05:01.240 --> 00:05:04.639 about your history with Tomba. When did you first encounter it, 92 00:05:04.759 --> 00:05:06.639 if you want to talk about the sequel a little bit, 93 00:05:06.680 --> 00:05:08.439 if you want to talk about your feelings about the 94 00:05:08.439 --> 00:05:09.439 PlayStation one. 95 00:05:10.000 --> 00:05:14.839 By all means, so, I was a Saturn kid, but 96 00:05:15.160 --> 00:05:18.560 at some point, hell yeah, but at some point I 97 00:05:18.759 --> 00:05:23.120 was able to get my hands on a PlayStation, mainly 98 00:05:23.759 --> 00:05:26.519 through the aid of my step brother. And if there 99 00:05:26.720 --> 00:05:28.920 was around the time that we got it, if there 100 00:05:28.959 --> 00:05:31.800 was one game that really just caught her eye. And 101 00:05:32.480 --> 00:05:36.399 it's funny, I always laugh when people say that they 102 00:05:36.439 --> 00:05:40.199 don't recall Tamba, or like it's something that slipped past 103 00:05:40.199 --> 00:05:43.800 their radar because like from what I remember, and this 104 00:05:43.920 --> 00:05:48.000 is just a kid in California with a game magazine subscription, 105 00:05:48.120 --> 00:05:49.839 which is a big crux of it, but also with 106 00:05:49.959 --> 00:05:54.839 cable television, this game was heavily marketed, like super pushed, 107 00:05:54.920 --> 00:05:57.920 like it had its own series of play stash on 108 00:05:58.319 --> 00:06:02.759 commercials that just I remember having a bunch of like 109 00:06:02.920 --> 00:06:06.800 seniors or elderly folk in a neighborhood with fucking doled 110 00:06:06.800 --> 00:06:09.279 out pink hair, and the whole gimmick behind the commercial 111 00:06:09.319 --> 00:06:11.759 is that they like they just got hooked on Tomba 112 00:06:12.680 --> 00:06:15.480 a bunch of game magazine adverts saying bacon isn't just 113 00:06:15.560 --> 00:06:21.839 for breakfast anymore. Like Tamba was heavily advertised, so like 114 00:06:22.000 --> 00:06:24.920 it of course when you see gameplay of it and 115 00:06:25.560 --> 00:06:29.439 like two point five D traversal, like just quick snaps 116 00:06:29.439 --> 00:06:32.279 of the commercial. Yeah we wanted it. We ended up 117 00:06:32.480 --> 00:06:35.720 renting it quite a bit through Blockbuster before finally securing 118 00:06:35.879 --> 00:06:38.000 like a copy, So I still have my childhood copies 119 00:06:38.399 --> 00:06:39.600 of both one and two. 120 00:06:39.839 --> 00:06:42.560 And yeah, nice, those are worth a pretty penny right now, 121 00:06:42.639 --> 00:06:45.040 civ Last I checked, they were just north of one 122 00:06:45.079 --> 00:06:45.800 hundred bucks. 123 00:06:46.000 --> 00:06:51.519 Oh yeah, they used to be way more thankfully. The 124 00:06:51.639 --> 00:06:57.639 redistribution of the game digitally and most recently new updated 125 00:06:58.120 --> 00:07:01.759 enhanced versions with physical release is through the boutique publisher 126 00:07:01.800 --> 00:07:05.639 Limited Run, have greatly diminished some of the original value 127 00:07:05.720 --> 00:07:09.480 that the original copies for PlayStation held. And that's a 128 00:07:09.480 --> 00:07:12.360 good thing. We remember. It's a good thing. These aren't 129 00:07:12.360 --> 00:07:15.879 investments you fucking chose. These are video games. 130 00:07:16.240 --> 00:07:19.079 Yeah, we've got a strong We have a small but 131 00:07:19.160 --> 00:07:22.160 strong camaraderie of folks in the discord who are very 132 00:07:22.160 --> 00:07:24.920 passionate about collecting, of which I used to be a member. 133 00:07:25.040 --> 00:07:27.279 I don't I don't really do that a whole lot anymore. 134 00:07:28.000 --> 00:07:29.720 How I played this, I guess that gets into how 135 00:07:29.720 --> 00:07:33.519 we played this. I played this well on my CRT, 136 00:07:33.720 --> 00:07:38.360 on my PlayStation through x station. I have not had 137 00:07:38.480 --> 00:07:40.839 much experience. Well, I have not had any experience with 138 00:07:40.879 --> 00:07:44.639 the remaster. I watched some gameplay online. I have more 139 00:07:44.639 --> 00:07:46.360 to say about that when we talk about the music, 140 00:07:46.399 --> 00:07:49.720 that's the biggest thing that I noticed personally. What about you? 141 00:07:49.759 -->

00:07:52.959 Did you play this on original hardware as well? Yes? 142 00:07:53.720 --> 00:07:54.439 Not only so. 143 00:07:54.639 --> 00:07:57.480 I actually play this game at least once every couple 144 00:07:57.480 --> 00:08:00.480 of years, along with Shenmu, which is another like diehard 145 00:08:00.480 --> 00:08:01.079 favorite of mine. 146 00:08:01.279 --> 00:08:03.959 I'm doueling and most. 147 00:08:03.720 --> 00:08:07.360 Recently, my most recent playthrough was the Special Edition and 148 00:08:07.839 --> 00:08:08.920 I really enjoyed it. 149 00:08:08.959 --> 00:08:11.079 However, there I. 150 00:08:11.040 --> 00:08:14.040 Got my copy for the PlayStation five, and there were 151 00:08:14.120 --> 00:08:18.279 of course some unfortunate bugs that snuck pasture. The switch 152 00:08:18.399 --> 00:08:23.040 version was the most ill optimized of the sort, so 153 00:08:23.439 --> 00:08:25.480 I would really bum for the folks that got that, 154 00:08:25.600 --> 00:08:28.040 but I believe some post patches were to address that. 155 00:08:28.120 --> 00:08:34.320 The most egregious issue was a trophy issue. Tamba like 156 00:08:34.639 --> 00:08:38.200 the meat and potatoes, and very heart of Tamba is 157 00:08:38.200 --> 00:08:40.759 making sure that you round all of your corners, dot 158 00:08:40.799 --> 00:08:45.519 your eyes, and cross your t's in completing and collecting 159 00:08:45.919 --> 00:08:49.960 or just finishing all the various tasks and objectives in 160 00:08:50.000 --> 00:08:53.159 the game. And of course you would expect trophies to 161 00:08:53.240 --> 00:08:56.639 reward you for that effort. However, despite you doing it 162 00:08:56.679 --> 00:09:00.600 in game, the trophies wouldn't prop So it was a 163 00:09:00.639 --> 00:09:04.799 couple of months where Limited Run have to work with 164 00:09:04.879 --> 00:09:09.840 Sony R and D to prove another patch to send 165 00:09:09.879 --> 00:09:12.720 out and patch games that did complete the necessary objectives 166 00:09:12.720 --> 00:09:15.080 that would then reward the trophies. So I had a 167 00:09:15.120 --> 00:09:18.320 completed ass game with no platinum and that really ruffled 168 00:09:18.320 --> 00:09:23.200 my gillies. So, man, that is such a bummer. It's 169 00:09:23.240 --> 00:09:26.679 fixed now, so now it's there. It's just you know, sure. 170 00:09:37.240 --> 00:09:40.039 So we do have a couple of community forum correspondents 171 00:09:40.120 --> 00:09:42.919 for today before we get into that. If I add 172 00:09:42.960 --> 00:09:45.759 anything in post, if I find any new interesting information, 173 00:09:45.799 --> 00:09:47.720 if I want to chime in with anything else, you'll 174 00:09:47.720 --> 00:09:51.559 hear this sound that'll signify that future me is talking. 175 00:09:52.039 --> 00:09:55.000 Just so we don't get our wires crossed. And while 176 00:09:55.000 --> 00:09:57.840 I have the floor a couple of things. This episode 177 00:09:57.840 --> 00:10:00.320 won't be a beat by beat sort of deal. It 178 00:10:00.519 --> 00:10:02.679 just isn't that kind of game. I knew it would 179 00:10:02.679 --> 00:10:05.840 be a good one, though, because so much conversation about 180 00:10:05.960 --> 00:10:10.320 gaming and gaming design in general could bloom forth from it, 181 00:10:11.039 --> 00:10:13.720 and boy did it. Ever, we may have gotten a 182 00:10:13.879 --> 00:10:17.159 bit long in the tooth. Also throughout the episode, I'm 183 00:10:17.159 --> 00:10:20.480 gonna sprinkle in some of the music from the remaster 184 00:10:21.039 --> 00:10:25.039 that is the special Edition. I think both OSTs have 185 00:10:25.200 --> 00:10:28.440 their pros and cons. We talk all about that later. 186 00:10:29.000 --> 00:10:31.639 We also talk about, and you're gonna hear it how 187 00:10:31.679 --> 00:10:35.279 the soundtrack is a lot of looping, short, little forty 188 00:10:35.320 --> 00:10:39.000 five to seventy five second cells of sound you'll hear it. 189 00:10:39.039 --> 00:10:41.879 You'll hear it. It'll be great now to take us 190 00:10:41.879 --> 00:10:44.600 back into the show proper. Here is another one of 191 00:10:44.600 --> 00:10:46.679 the sounds you might hear as I exit and hand 192 00:10:46.720 --> 00:10:48.879 it back to past me, a sound I collected from 193 00:10:48.919 --> 00:10:52.440 the full sound library of the game Tomba, found on 194 00:10:52.679 --> 00:10:58.039 internet website YouTube dot com. Now, speaking of the community forum, 195 00:10:58.039 --> 00:11:00.240 if you're new to the show, the community forum is 196 00:11:00.320 --> 00:11:02.519 a channel in the discord where I post what we're 197 00:11:02.559 --> 00:11:04.879 talking about games, maybe a topic every now and then, 198 00:11:05.440 --> 00:11:08.159 and the good community members can give their thoughts. We 199 00:11:08.240 --> 00:11:10.279 read them on air. You write them, I read them 200 00:11:10.600 --> 00:11:13.519 with great responsibility, you know how it goes. Shout out 201 00:11:13.519 --> 00:11:16.279 to these two as well, because my forgetfu Last didn't 202 00:11:16.279 --> 00:11:19.519 post this until the morning of recording, five hours beforehand, 203 00:11:20.039 --> 00:11:22.559 and we had two folks come in really clutch, one 204 00:11:22.600 --> 00:11:26.879 of them being Poppy, the Keaton Discord regular quiz master Extraordinary. 205 00:11:27.000 --> 00:11:32.080 Here's what Keaton has to say. Whimsy such whimsy. Loved 206 00:11:32.120 --> 00:11:34.159 the look of this one, only rented at once, but 207 00:11:34.200 --> 00:11:37.000 really enjoyed it. I think whimsy is a pretty good 208 00:11:38.000 --> 00:11:39.879 adjective to describe this one. It's pretty apt. 209 00:11:40.440 --> 00:11:43.399 Yeah, And like I know, I'll get more into it 210 00:11:43.440 --> 00:11:46.720 as we start talking out and hashing out like the 211 00:11:47.039 --> 00:11:50.200 crux of the game. But as I've gotten

older, I 212 00:11:50.320 --> 00:11:55.759 really believe that the main inspiration behind Tamba in Fujiwara's eyes, 213 00:11:55.799 --> 00:11:59.519 because he was the director, lead designer, Like the dude 214 00:11:59.600 --> 00:12:02.480 was the boss Hog all puns intended for this game. 215 00:12:03.440 --> 00:12:07.200 The main inspiration I hold to my heart true for 216 00:12:07.399 --> 00:12:11.279 Tamba is the original dragon Ball. Like everything about Tamba 217 00:12:11.519 --> 00:12:15.679 screams Goku. The objectives, the various towns and worlds that 218 00:12:15.720 --> 00:12:18.480 you visit and how you impact and interact with them 219 00:12:18.919 --> 00:12:22.679 just screams early serializations of dragon Ball. 220 00:12:22.759 --> 00:12:22.840 Like. 221 00:12:22.879 --> 00:12:25.919 The only thing that's genuinely missing to really make that 222 00:12:26.039 --> 00:12:30.159 comparison apt is the lack of a Boma analog. But 223 00:12:31.000 --> 00:12:33.720 I believe that there's some other support characters that kind 224 00:12:33.720 --> 00:12:34.720 of fill in that gap. 225 00:12:35.320 --> 00:12:39.480 Oh yeah, you can really see it in different art elements, primarily, 226 00:12:39.480 --> 00:12:43.120 at least for me, the proportions of the facial features obviously, 227 00:12:43.159 --> 00:12:46.200 the way they draw the hair on Tomba, the way 228 00:12:46.200 --> 00:12:49.360 that they draw the reptiles, like the like there's a 229 00:12:49.399 --> 00:12:51.440 pterodactyl on this, I'm pretty sure, and oh yeah, like 230 00:12:51.879 --> 00:12:55.159 those in general, not so much the eyes, but it 231 00:12:55.200 --> 00:13:01.440 is the proportions very very a Curatriyama inspired most definitely. 232 00:13:01.759 --> 00:13:06.080 And I would say new Wakira Toriyama because fucking Tamba 233 00:13:06.159 --> 00:13:08.480 be shredded. If you look at some of that original 234 00:13:08.639 --> 00:13:12.000 like official Mangeka art, like motherfucker, you can. You can 235 00:13:12.039 --> 00:13:16.080 shred some chi some fucking straight Gouda across the maps, 236 00:13:16.159 --> 00:13:19.039 like boy, howdy do some belly shots off of that? 237 00:13:19.080 --> 00:13:19.679 Motherfucker. 238 00:13:20.039 --> 00:13:21.919 Yeah. A lot of a lot of people don't know this, 239 00:13:22.080 --> 00:13:24.360 but that was cut content. I know you had mentioned 240 00:13:24.399 --> 00:13:26.039 you have some cut content to talk about a little 241 00:13:26.080 --> 00:13:28.639 bit later, but they were going to have a eighteen 242 00:13:28.679 --> 00:13:32.679 plus DLC functionally first DLC back on the PS one. 243 00:13:32.799 --> 00:13:36.159 Can you believe it? Where you get some nsfw TLM. No, 244 00:13:36.320 --> 00:13:38.120 I don't know if I can make that joke. I 245 00:13:38.159 --> 00:13:39.480 don't know how old Tomba is. 246 00:13:40.159 --> 00:13:45.360 We're going to like he's ambiguously like early twenties. That 247 00:13:45.360 --> 00:13:47.480 that's that that I mean, that's how Japan gets away 248 00:13:47.480 --> 00:13:47.720 with it. 249 00:13:48.080 --> 00:13:53.639 So sure, and on that note, let's keep going. Uh 250 00:13:54.559 --> 00:13:59.679 we we have one more community correspondence from newer correspondent 251 00:13:59.720 --> 00:14:02.919 Genoe Child, who I have to shout Genova's child out 252 00:14:02.960 --> 00:14:05.919 because They turned me on to a drink that I 253 00:14:05.919 --> 00:14:08.639 am drinking right now on Mike. You're gonna hear me. 254 00:14:09.120 --> 00:14:13.279 M M, listen to that, the sugar free red Bull 255 00:14:13.639 --> 00:14:16.639 iced vanilla berry. It is so delicious. Thank you, Genova's Child. 256 00:14:17.159 --> 00:14:19.960 Here's what they have to say. As a former feral child, 257 00:14:20.039 --> 00:14:23.080 I loved playing Tomba, a strange nineties artifact of its 258 00:14:23.120 --> 00:14:25.799 time that yet again put pigs in the villain seat. 259 00:14:26.039 --> 00:14:28.440 See also Star Fox sixty four and Hogs of War. 260 00:14:28.879 --> 00:14:30.559 I can't tell you if it was a great game, 261 00:14:30.759 --> 00:14:33.679 especially by modern metrics, but I can say that it 262 00:14:33.759 --> 00:14:36.240 was an interesting one, and that's what kept me playing. 263 00:14:36.919 --> 00:14:39.799 Wait wait, wait, Angry Birds also made the bad guy's pigs. 264 00:14:40.080 --> 00:14:42.879 Is this like a subconscious bias that trickled down from 265 00:14:42.919 --> 00:14:47.919 Animal Farm? Possibly it's not editorializing. That's Genova's Child wondering that. 266 00:14:48.440 --> 00:14:51.720 You know, the nineties had a lot of different renditions 267 00:14:51.759 --> 00:14:56.159 of pigs and villainy. Do you remember fucking Barnyard Commandos? 268 00:14:56.720 --> 00:14:58.799 Uh No, Actually I have no idea what that is. 269 00:14:59.320 --> 00:15:05.879 So Barnyard Commandos was another toy Line cartoon property that 270 00:15:05.960 --> 00:15:08.240 was trying to capitalize on the popularity of teenage mutant 271 00:15:08.279 --> 00:15:11.240 Ninja Turtles. It had like a very short lived cartoon 272 00:15:11.399 --> 00:15:16.120 that was meant to vehicle the promotion of these really 273 00:15:16.360 --> 00:15:20.600 like advanced in not very well articulated, but like kind 274 00:15:20.600 --> 00:15:23.360 of like the same proportions of Street Sharks action figure. 275 00:15:23.360 --> 00:15:26.720 It's all done by playmates, and yeah, it's just pigs 276 00:15:26.840 --> 00:15:30.559 versus sheep. You know they're also wearing like Army fatigue 277 00:15:30.679 --> 00:15:31.399 and bandan as. 278 00:15:31.399 --> 00:15:31.919 It's crazy. 279 00:15:32.000 --> 00:15:35.080 Just YouTube Barnyard Commandos if you want to know why 280 00:15:35.320 --> 00:15:36.960 some of us in our age are the way we are. 281 00:15:38.360 --> 00:15:40.720 And also YouTube Street Sharks while you're there,

not because 282 00:15:40.759 --> 00:15:43.960 it's related, but because Georgie brought it up and I 283 00:15:44.120 --> 00:16:03.360 fucking love Street Sharks. Let's talk a little development of 284 00:16:03.399 --> 00:16:08.159 this game. Tomba or Tomby originally released in Japan first 285 00:16:08.200 --> 00:16:11.480 in December of ninety seven. Christmas Day, came to North 286 00:16:11.480 --> 00:16:14.879 America the following year in July, and the EU that 287 00:16:15.039 --> 00:16:18.559 next month in August. As always, full list of credits 288 00:16:18.559 --> 00:16:21.240 on the wiki, b IMDb, or in the game credits 289 00:16:21.279 --> 00:16:24.879 when you beat it, which just in full disclosure, I 290 00:16:24.919 --> 00:16:28.759 did not. I'm of note. You're going to see the 291 00:16:28.759 --> 00:16:32.320 following names. This was developed by Whoope Camp published by 292 00:16:32.320 --> 00:16:35.639 them as well in Japan. Sony handled the publishing in 293 00:16:35.639 --> 00:16:40.080 North America. The Whoopee camp logo screen is practically load 294 00:16:40.159 --> 00:16:42.759 bearing for my memory. It's been there for so long 295 00:16:43.399 --> 00:16:53.080 and just so it's stuck in your head too. One 296 00:16:53.159 --> 00:16:55.559 name you're going to see a whole lot associated with 297 00:16:55.639 --> 00:17:00.159 Tomba is Takuro Fujiwara, who is the creator, creator and 298 00:17:00.240 --> 00:17:03.320 also has credits as the director, the producer, the designer, 299 00:17:03.440 --> 00:17:07.480 and the artist. You might also know Fujiwara from Ghosts 300 00:17:07.519 --> 00:17:10.599 and Goblins and Ghouls and Ghosts as well as some 301 00:17:10.680 --> 00:17:13.720 others like Darkwing Duck and I believe he was the 302 00:17:13.720 --> 00:17:16.359 producer for Resident Evil. Is that right, Georgie. 303 00:17:16.640 --> 00:17:23.599 Yes, he was a major force alongside Hinjibakami, Kijinafune and 304 00:17:23.720 --> 00:17:27.160 all the other usual suspects over at Capcom. And yeah, 305 00:17:27.160 --> 00:17:31.200 his big seat at the table came from Ghosts and Goblins. 306 00:17:31.920 --> 00:17:37.200 After the words, however, he's been mainly he mainly worked 307 00:17:37.200 --> 00:17:40.160 in a more of a support for role. But yeah, 308 00:17:40.200 --> 00:17:43.440 his other big contribution was for the original Resident Evil. 309 00:17:44.200 --> 00:17:48.359 And then at some point he definitely left just because 310 00:17:48.400 --> 00:17:51.559 he felt creatively stifled and thought that he had the 311 00:17:51.640 --> 00:17:55.480 chops to kind of go alone and bring a vision 312 00:17:55.519 --> 00:17:57.839 that he had to mind with Tomba, like this was 313 00:17:58.119 --> 00:18:01.799 definitely like a passion project that was doing within him 314 00:18:01.880 --> 00:18:03.759 for years most definitely. 315 00:18:04.039 --> 00:18:06.000 Yeah, Yeah, that's what I had seen as well, that 316 00:18:06.079 --> 00:18:08.799 he just wanted to make his own ip, his own 317 00:18:09.200 --> 00:18:12.559 let me stop using corporate speak, his own creation, and 318 00:18:13.400 --> 00:18:16.359 didn't feel like he could do that. But no stranger 319 00:18:16.640 --> 00:18:19.480 to difficult games, especially in the retro scene what we 320 00:18:19.559 --> 00:18:21.920 now see as the retro scene. Somebody that worked with 321 00:18:22.000 --> 00:18:25.680 him quite a bit is the composer on Tombaharumi Fujita. 322 00:18:25.880 --> 00:18:30.160 She did a ton at Capcom throughout the eighties and nineties, 323 00:18:30.359 --> 00:18:32.720 just a few of them Ghosts and Goblins of course, 324 00:18:32.799 --> 00:18:37.680 Chippendale Rescue Rangers, Punky Skunk, Mega Man three. She also 325 00:18:37.799 --> 00:18:41.160 worked a ton with Yasuaki Fujita as well. 326 00:18:41.839 --> 00:18:44.640 Lots of star power here, and it also really goes 327 00:18:44.720 --> 00:18:49.000 to show that when he did make this departure, the 328 00:18:49.039 --> 00:18:53.960 man still did so absolutely under professional circumstances, like there 329 00:18:54.039 --> 00:18:57.960 was absolutely no animosity. And even then, like the most 330 00:18:58.000 --> 00:19:03.200 recent collaboration between what Becamp and Capcom came the form 331 00:19:03.279 --> 00:19:06.359 of Goals and Ghosts Resurrection, which a lot of people 332 00:19:06.400 --> 00:19:10.079 did not realize until the credits had leaked that like 333 00:19:10.200 --> 00:19:14.240 Fujuwara like was there and that it is the most 334 00:19:14.279 --> 00:19:17.000 recent example of what we can't branding. That kind of 335 00:19:17.000 --> 00:19:22.720 inspired a lot of folks to like go in terms 336 00:19:22.759 --> 00:19:25.599 of the potential return of Tamba, and I'm. 337 00:19:25.440 --> 00:19:30.319 Glad that it did. I don't know him. I'm gonna 338 00:19:30.359 --> 00:19:32.720 say this on Aaron. Folks listening in the future are 339 00:19:32.759 --> 00:19:34.319 just going to have to trust me that my opinion 340 00:19:34.359 --> 00:19:38.359 may have changed, but I do think that you know, 341 00:19:38.400 --> 00:19:42.240 this was reviewed at the time pretty favorably by critics. 342 00:19:42.240 --> 00:19:44.319 It wasn't a failure in any sense of the word, 343 00:19:45.240 --> 00:19:48.640 but fans like the sales that it did not sell 344 00:19:48.839 --> 00:19:52.000 nearly well. I was reading that a lot of folks 345 00:19:52.000 --> 00:19:54.720 were surprised that they announced the sequel given the sales 346 00:19:54.720 --> 00:19:57.279 of the first one, and the sequel Tomba two did 347 00:19:58.160 --> 00:20:02.079 by most metrics, outdo the first one, but neither performed 348 00:20:02.119 --> 00:20:05.599 excessively well, and that's you know, I can't imagine that 349 00:20:05.720 --> 00:20:08.720 wasn't a major contributor to woo Be Camp deciding to 350 00:20:09.400 --> 00:20:10.720 the

hang up their jackets. 351 00:20:11.160 --> 00:20:13.920 Well, Tom, but both of both of the original tombas 352 00:20:13.920 --> 00:20:17.839 were Sony published, and while they didn't necessarily have a 353 00:20:17.880 --> 00:20:22.920 commercial success to really bolster like an additional work or 354 00:20:22.920 --> 00:20:26.039 development on the property. As you had mentioned, it did 355 00:20:26.119 --> 00:20:29.880 definitely see critical success. I mean at the time Game 356 00:20:29.880 --> 00:20:33.400 Stages or what would later become IGN had awarded the 357 00:20:33.519 --> 00:20:36.440 game I believe in eight point seven, which was again 358 00:20:37.079 --> 00:20:42.480 pretty and I wouldn't say like remarkable, Like it's not 359 00:20:42.680 --> 00:20:45.119 that rare. They did give some high numbers, but for 360 00:20:45.200 --> 00:20:49.960 a brand new property that was as experimental as Tomba was, 361 00:20:51.000 --> 00:20:53.640 it was still something and like it had like a 362 00:20:53.799 --> 00:20:56.400 I believe a fairly high. I think I got a 363 00:20:56.519 --> 00:20:59.039 flat out eight from game Spot as well. So, like 364 00:20:59.480 --> 00:21:03.440 I believe alone and Sony's Eyes was enough to green 365 00:21:03.519 --> 00:21:05.559 light like work on the sequel. 366 00:21:05.799 --> 00:21:06.839 And of course. 367 00:21:08.240 --> 00:21:12.400 I don't recall if this was around the time that 368 00:21:12.440 --> 00:21:17.240 Bernie Stoleer kind of stepped into PlayStation management. I believe 369 00:21:17.680 --> 00:21:20.160 kind of the impetus on what would later shift and 370 00:21:20.200 --> 00:21:24.599 transition the sequel Tomba two into a more three dimensional scape. 371 00:21:25.359 --> 00:21:28.799 Interesting and in that listeners, we're going to talk about 372 00:21:28.839 --> 00:21:31.039 that once we get to I think the presentation. 373 00:21:31.640 --> 00:21:35.279 Yeah, Bernie was super anti two D so and that's 374 00:21:35.559 --> 00:21:39.880 primarily why the Saturn didn't get a lot of its bangers, 375 00:21:39.960 --> 00:21:43.559 is because dipshit did not consider it to be a 376 00:21:43.640 --> 00:21:47.880 worthwhile investment or of a you know, software that would 377 00:21:47.920 --> 00:21:51.920 accurately showcase or demonstrate like the superiority of the Saturn 378 00:21:52.279 --> 00:21:55.839 just by the visual presentation of things moving from a 379 00:21:55.960 --> 00:21:59.680 left and right to dimensional plane. So I'm fairly certain 380 00:21:59.720 --> 00:22:04.960 he that idiotic mindset over to Sony when he later 381 00:22:05.039 --> 00:22:06.079 started working with them. 382 00:22:06.680 --> 00:22:09.359 It is always so interesting to hear some of those 383 00:22:09.839 --> 00:22:12.400 radical takes, well, radicals may be a bit strong of 384 00:22:12.400 --> 00:22:15.680 a word, but some of those more contrarian takes, especially 385 00:22:16.279 --> 00:22:19.759 decades ahead in time to see how things actually played out. 386 00:22:20.000 --> 00:22:23.160 Like I can understand being in the moment and maybe 387 00:22:23.200 --> 00:22:26.839 feeling that way, but in a present lens Man, what 388 00:22:26.960 --> 00:22:30.720 a strange What a strange hill to die on? 389 00:22:31.799 --> 00:22:33.480 It's just a weird thing because it's I don't think 390 00:22:33.480 --> 00:22:38.920 it's a sensation or necessarily a concept that translates in 391 00:22:38.960 --> 00:22:42.759 the last twenty years of video games, Like you have 392 00:22:42.839 --> 00:22:47.640 to look at stuff like Mega Man X to Mega 393 00:22:47.640 --> 00:22:51.480 Man Legends and the years between that we're looking at 394 00:22:52.039 --> 00:22:54.920 ninety one to ninety five. That's a four year gap. 395 00:22:55.519 --> 00:23:01.160 So in terms of trying to really just pontificate the 396 00:23:01.720 --> 00:23:06.880 leap and the acceleration of video game tech and advancing 397 00:23:06.920 --> 00:23:11.920 that and then and then showcasing and demonstrating what's possible, 398 00:23:14.039 --> 00:23:19.559 kind of you know, sitting back and reinvent, reinvading, innovating 399 00:23:19.680 --> 00:23:24.680 or reinvigorating like older, like more tired concepts may not 400 00:23:24.920 --> 00:23:30.039 exactly sell across like just how fast video games are advancing, 401 00:23:30.400 --> 00:23:34.039 and yet now within the last twenty years, like in 402 00:23:34.519 --> 00:23:37.960 all regards nearly not just in concept, but like in 403 00:23:37.960 --> 00:23:43.640 in visual and just performance tech. You can argue there's 404 00:23:43.640 --> 00:23:46.119 almost a little bit of a sagnation to where like 405 00:23:46.279 --> 00:23:50.240 the last two generations all show marginal differences that are 406 00:23:50.240 --> 00:23:55.160 only really set apart by like frame rate, and I 407 00:23:55.400 --> 00:23:58.759 would say scope more than anything else, and that that 408 00:23:58.920 --> 00:24:02.359 wasn't the case back then. So that's the only thing 409 00:24:02.400 --> 00:24:04.319 I can think of as far as like trying to 410 00:24:04.519 --> 00:24:08.680 really capitalize on, like you're selling something as cutting edge, 411 00:24:08.799 --> 00:24:12.839 So why would you show off like things that people 412 00:24:12.920 --> 00:24:16.759 have already seen to some extent in just a lower fidelity. 413 00:24:17.160 --> 00:24:20.559 Sure it's in video games. They're an interesting medium, especially 414 00:24:20.599 --> 00:24:23.039 for folks our age. I mean, you're a tiny bit 415 00:24:23.079 --> 00:24:26.359 older than me, but even still both you and I. 416 00:24:26.440 --> 00:24:29.640 We were practically there for in when the medium was 417 00:24:29.680 --> 00:24:33.880 in its ncency, and like so many mediums that become 418 00:24:33.920 --> 00:24:41.519 successful artistic mediums, that is the beginnings, the exegesus of

them. 419 00:24:42.000 --> 00:24:44.799 That's when you see a lot of really rapid development. 420 00:24:44.880 --> 00:24:46.759 And like you said, yeah, now we're kind of in 421 00:24:46.799 --> 00:24:51.240 this artistic stagnation. Well no, we're in this technical stagnation. 422 00:24:51.400 --> 00:24:57.279 And man, that's a whole different conversation that I actually 423 00:24:57.319 --> 00:24:59.079 would love to program on the show at some point. 424 00:24:59.160 --> 00:25:02.240 So I appreciate knowing that you have thoughts on that. 425 00:25:02.400 --> 00:25:22.000 Actually, Oh yeah, me and my fucking wallet, Jesus. 426 00:25:29.079 --> 00:25:32.039 Before we jump into the art style and the visual 427 00:25:32.119 --> 00:25:34.279 presentation of this, I want to give a little teaser 428 00:25:34.319 --> 00:25:36.119 of something we're going to talk about in the mechanics. 429 00:25:36.359 --> 00:25:40.079 There are two really really nice well three, but two 430 00:25:40.119 --> 00:25:42.039 that I've linked in the show notes, really really nice 431 00:25:42.079 --> 00:25:46.920 interviews from Fujiwara, one from ninety seven when Tombo was contemporary, 432 00:25:47.319 --> 00:25:50.920 and one redone by the PlayStation Blog right around the 433 00:25:50.960 --> 00:25:56.079 time that the remaster released, which, by the way, just 434 00:25:56.319 --> 00:26:00.599 to keep everything on the level and honest. The special 435 00:26:00.720 --> 00:26:04.319 edition published by as you said, Georgie Limited run July 436 00:26:04.480 --> 00:26:07.960 of twenty twenty three. That was on all contemporary systems 437 00:26:08.000 --> 00:26:11.960 at the time. Oh except for Xbox of course, Sorry Xbox. 438 00:26:12.319 --> 00:26:18.920 That was done through limited runs Special Engine, which yeah, yeah, 439 00:26:18.960 --> 00:26:22.160 which I think is just basically a souped up emulator. 440 00:26:22.640 --> 00:26:25.319 Quick quote from Fujiwara. We're going to get into this 441 00:26:25.480 --> 00:26:27.880 with another quote a little bit later, but his passion 442 00:26:28.440 --> 00:26:31.000 comes from what he calls action games, and I think 443 00:26:31.000 --> 00:26:33.880 this is very fascinating. Here's a quote of what he said. 444 00:26:34.359 --> 00:26:36.799 He says, quote, if we'd only made this game feel 445 00:26:36.839 --> 00:26:39.960 good to people who have always been playing action games, 446 00:26:40.079 --> 00:26:43.160 then I think that those who haven't would be stuck thinking, yeah, 447 00:26:43.200 --> 00:26:45.880 action games are too difficult, or I can't do this. 448 00:26:46.400 --> 00:26:48.359 If the speed is too fast from the start, then 449 00:26:48.440 --> 00:26:50.680 just the idea of jumping from one point to another 450 00:26:50.759 --> 00:26:54.119 will be difficult. People tell me action games are too difficult, 451 00:26:54.319 --> 00:26:56.319 So it's starting to seem as though the number of 452 00:26:56.359 --> 00:26:59.160 people who are able to play them is getting smaller. 453 00:27:00.200 --> 00:27:04.759 Quote he conceives. Fujiwara does of Tomba as an action game, 454 00:27:04.799 --> 00:27:06.880 and he goes on to give his definition a little 455 00:27:06.880 --> 00:27:09.599 bit later. That's just a little teaser though, for when 456 00:27:09.599 --> 00:27:11.559 we get into the mechanics for now, I want to 457 00:27:11.640 --> 00:27:15.000 unpin that pin that we previously pinned testing my plos 458 00:27:15.200 --> 00:27:17.720 is real great there and talk art style and some 459 00:27:17.799 --> 00:27:21.200 visual presentation. This game is beautiful. I mean there's really 460 00:27:21.240 --> 00:27:24.160 no two ways about it. This is a beautiful. 461 00:27:23.640 --> 00:27:27.440 Game, absolutely, and I think it really showcases some of 462 00:27:27.480 --> 00:27:31.920 the technical performance of the PlayStation in terms of its 463 00:27:32.000 --> 00:27:38.640 texture wrapping, which you'll absolutely see once the cameras starts 464 00:27:38.680 --> 00:27:44.640 panning through a dioramic pan which again is mechanically digetic 465 00:27:44.680 --> 00:27:48.440 to the whole conceit of its two point five D setup. 466 00:27:49.000 --> 00:27:51.680 Because as far as I in term, like he's done 467 00:27:51.759 --> 00:27:55.279 multiple interviews and I want to believe there was one 468 00:27:55.319 --> 00:27:59.160 other point, I think maybe he revisited this thought process. 469 00:27:58.920 --> 00:28:01.160 Like at a more mod review. 470 00:28:03.039 --> 00:28:07.559 He wanted to kind of create a balance that yes, 471 00:28:07.799 --> 00:28:13.839 action is the main crux, but exploration would be something 472 00:28:14.279 --> 00:28:17.920 that would suddenly be forced upon a player. Like he 473 00:28:17.960 --> 00:28:22.640 purposely set up certain obstacles or problems to be cryptic 474 00:28:22.720 --> 00:28:25.799 enough to where players will hit a wall, will have 475 00:28:25.880 --> 00:28:30.079 to search within their inventory, and will have to bump 476 00:28:30.119 --> 00:28:32.359 and grind against every nook and cranny, And he wanted 477 00:28:32.359 --> 00:28:34.039 to challenge that space and where it wouldn't just be 478 00:28:34.119 --> 00:28:38.680 left and right, but also forward and backward and kind 479 00:28:38.720 --> 00:28:43.720 of making use of that concept within a two point 480 00:28:43.799 --> 00:28:48.599 five D style that is used solely through like rendered sprites, 481 00:28:48.680 --> 00:28:51.880 and like it's a weird rendering too, because it's not 482 00:28:52.039 --> 00:28:56.680 like some of the agi tech that we would see 483 00:28:56.920 --> 00:29:01.319 like initially pioneered by Rare with Donkey Kong Country and 484 00:29:01.400 --> 00:29:04.880 Killer Instinct. But it's got like a variation of because 485 00:29:04.920 --> 00:29:07.480 like I mean, we've seen other like fully rendered

games 486 00:29:07.559 --> 00:29:11.440 like even as from like several other developers like S 487 00:29:11.480 --> 00:29:15.759 and K with Prehistoric Isle two. I believe you mentioned 488 00:29:15.799 --> 00:29:18.839 Punky Skunk. There's like some rendering there. It's one of 489 00:29:18.880 --> 00:29:22.960 those things that I believed, especially within the display tech 490 00:29:23.000 --> 00:29:28.839 at the time through CRTTVS kind of gave developers more 491 00:29:29.519 --> 00:29:33.839 freedom to create the illusion of three dimensions, especially through 492 00:29:34.000 --> 00:29:37.920 round or spherical concepts and designs, and which you're going 493 00:29:37.960 --> 00:29:39.559 to see a lot of that in Tamba. 494 00:29:40.039 --> 00:29:41.960 And that's the crux of it. It is all an 495 00:29:42.000 --> 00:29:45.000 illusion through the presentation and through the use of depth, 496 00:29:45.480 --> 00:29:49.880 and I think in Tomba one especially this succeeds to 497 00:29:50.160 --> 00:29:54.119 varying degrees throughout the game. It's inconsistent in that way. 498 00:29:54.200 --> 00:29:57.200 I think it mostly succeeds. It's just very noticeable when 499 00:29:57.200 --> 00:29:59.839 it doesn't. To that end, to the idea of a 500 00:30:00.000 --> 00:30:01.960 two point five D I want to talk a little 501 00:30:02.000 --> 00:30:04.920 bit about that, but first here's another quote. This is 502 00:30:04.960 --> 00:30:09.039 from the great site Schmuppilations, from the nineteen ninety seven 503 00:30:09.079 --> 00:30:12.839 interview that Fujiwara gave. The question was put to him, 504 00:30:13.119 --> 00:30:15.400 it's hard not to get the feeling that you've given 505 00:30:15.440 --> 00:30:18.400 yourself a big challenge here, especially with a side scrolling 506 00:30:18.440 --> 00:30:21.039 action game like Tomba, which in today's market has the 507 00:30:21.039 --> 00:30:24.039 odds of becoming a big hit stacked against it. Fujuara 508 00:30:24.119 --> 00:30:27.680 responds thus, he says, quote, you're right. These days, there's 509 00:30:27.720 --> 00:30:30.119 an increasing number of games where you can move around 510 00:30:30.200 --> 00:30:33.960 in full three D. However, the TV in TV games 511 00:30:34.640 --> 00:30:36.880 is a part of the experience, and I think two 512 00:30:36.920 --> 00:30:40.359 D presentation is fundamental to that. I feel like two 513 00:30:40.440 --> 00:30:42.400 D is able to let players feel the fun and 514 00:30:42.480 --> 00:30:45.359 excitement in a straightforward way. If you want to call 515 00:30:45.400 --> 00:30:47.680 it a challenge, then sure it's a challenge. But rather 516 00:30:47.759 --> 00:30:50.680 than letting three D graphics determine what we were able 517 00:30:50.720 --> 00:30:53.200 to do, I guess you could say we decided to 518 00:30:53.240 --> 00:30:57.880 prioritize making something that's really genuinely fun. That's one reason 519 00:30:58.039 --> 00:31:01.400 we went

with two D. Quote there. He does go 520 00:31:01.519 --> 00:31:04.599 on to say in an interview about Tomba two just 521 00:31:04.599 --> 00:31:07.640 two years later in ninety nine, right before Y two K, 522 00:31:08.039 --> 00:31:11.400 that they weren't able to really do what they envisioned 523 00:31:11.599 --> 00:31:14.279 in Tomba one. They just didn't quite have it to 524 00:31:14.359 --> 00:31:17.599 that end. I do think Tomba two, if we're just 525 00:31:17.720 --> 00:31:21.680 strictly speaking of the way it uses depth and that 526 00:31:21.799 --> 00:31:24.920 sort of three D environment, I think most would call 527 00:31:24.960 --> 00:31:25.880 it more successful. 528 00:31:26.160 --> 00:31:26.319 I have. 529 00:31:26.519 --> 00:31:30.160 Frankly, I'm more partial to the art style in Tomba one, 530 00:31:30.599 --> 00:31:34.480 especially when it comes to Tomba himself. But your mileage 531 00:31:34.519 --> 00:31:35.799 may vary there. That's a taste thing. 532 00:31:36.519 --> 00:31:37.519 Yeah, And like this is. 533 00:31:37.480 --> 00:31:42.000 A really weird sort of era in experimenting with that 534 00:31:42.079 --> 00:31:45.440 and this around the time. Like the proximity of release 535 00:31:45.519 --> 00:31:49.880 between Tamba and Klonoa is fascinating because like they released 536 00:31:49.880 --> 00:31:53.039 within months of each other, yet they went in completely 537 00:31:53.039 --> 00:31:58.359 different directions yet there in terms of intersecting planes and 538 00:31:58.519 --> 00:32:03.279 how the background and foreground and basically interface for gameplay 539 00:32:03.720 --> 00:32:08.079 completely vary from that of Tamba, and where I believe, 540 00:32:08.319 --> 00:32:10.799 while fascinating in of itself because you still have to 541 00:32:10.839 --> 00:32:13.680 take everything in scope of what's seen in the foreground 542 00:32:13.680 --> 00:32:18.759 and background into consideration with Clinoa, it pales in comparison 543 00:32:18.799 --> 00:32:24.000 to how Tamba evolved that concept because at some point 544 00:32:24.319 --> 00:32:29.079 and like again, it is genuinely fun, but as far 545 00:32:29.240 --> 00:32:33.000 as experimentation and kind of just doing what you can 546 00:32:34.480 --> 00:32:38.680 the game direction and I believe Fujuwara just really really 547 00:32:38.720 --> 00:32:42.839 wanted to make things cryptic, almost sometimes to a fault 548 00:32:43.240 --> 00:32:46.440 is there's not a lot of carrot in the stick, 549 00:32:46.680 --> 00:32:50.400 Like there's like hints of a carrot and ideas that 550 00:32:50.519 --> 00:32:54.200 are presented to you, but then you really have to 551 00:32:54.240 --> 00:32:57.279 play around and familiarize yourself, which is why, like yes, 552 00:32:58.000 --> 00:33:02.720 I believe that the biggest thing that hurts Tamba is 553 00:33:02.839 --> 00:33:06.359 its low replayability. Like I just love it because it 554 00:33:06.400 --> 00:33:08.960 brings back the fuzzies and it's great and like there's 555 00:33:09.000 --> 00:33:11.720 still fun to be had and there's still things that 556 00:33:11.839 --> 00:33:16.920 can change or whatnot. But once you are familiar with 557 00:33:17.200 --> 00:33:20.880 the ebb and flow and and what to do and 558 00:33:22.240 --> 00:33:26.720 which event to prioritize, uh, it is a very streamlined 559 00:33:26.799 --> 00:33:29.440 venture that if anything, the only thing you can do 560 00:33:29.480 --> 00:33:32.119 from that point is challenge yourself to speed run it, 561 00:33:32.480 --> 00:33:37.720 which really goes back to the skill based acumen of Fujiwara. 562 00:33:37.960 --> 00:33:41.160 And like a lot of the arcade titles and Ghosts 563 00:33:41.160 --> 00:33:44.000 and Goblins included, that he you know, made his bread 564 00:33:44.000 --> 00:33:44.559 and butter on. 565 00:33:45.039 --> 00:33:48.240 The cryptic aspect is a big point of friction with 566 00:33:48.279 --> 00:33:52.240 a lot of people, myself included. I can appreciate it 567 00:33:52.279 --> 00:33:55.279 in theory, but in practice throughout the game there were 568 00:33:55.319 --> 00:34:00.160 points where it was just needlessly frustrating. And unfortunately that's 569 00:34:00.240 --> 00:34:03.519 kind of why Tomba and Tomba two sit in that 570 00:34:04.599 --> 00:34:08.039 in that bin in my mind that's full of games, music, 571 00:34:08.079 --> 00:34:12.920 TV shows, whatever that I do love, I just don't 572 00:34:12.960 --> 00:34:15.400 want to revisit, if that makes sense. I love the 573 00:34:15.400 --> 00:34:18.519 memories that I have with them, I love thinking about them, 574 00:34:18.880 --> 00:34:22.440 but going back to do it, especially with Tomba, can 575 00:34:22.519 --> 00:34:24.239 sometimes feel like a bit of a chore. And some 576 00:34:24.280 --> 00:34:26.519 of that for me with Tomba one did in fact 577 00:34:26.559 --> 00:34:29.039 come from the way that they use the two point 578 00:34:29.039 --> 00:34:31.599 five D environment, and I want to talk about that 579 00:34:31.719 --> 00:34:35.239 super quickly. So two point five D that can be 580 00:34:35.440 --> 00:34:38.559 defined differently by different people. It's a very vague and 581 00:34:38.599 --> 00:34:42.719 sort of nebulous term. The way that Tomba functions Tomba one, 582 00:34:42.880 --> 00:34:46.280 I should say that is kind of truly what I 583 00:34:46.320 --> 00:34:50.079 consider to be two point five D. It's largely two 584 00:34:50.199 --> 00:34:53.320 D in its presentation there you know, there are no 585 00:34:53.480 --> 00:34:56.320 three D models like in Tomba two, for example, or 586 00:34:56.400 --> 00:35:01.000 a Clockwork Night maybe as a maybe is another good example. Maybe. 587 00:35:01.559 --> 00:35:03.840 But it is absolutely a two point five D game 588 00:35:04.119 --> 00:35:05.360 mechanically and presentation. 589 00:35:05.760 --> 00:35:09.079 So it's largely two D in the

sense that Tomba 590 00:35:09.119 --> 00:35:11.000 is a two D platformer. You're going left to right, 591 00:35:11.039 --> 00:35:13.920 that sort of thing. But they utilize depth, so you 592 00:35:13.960 --> 00:35:17.000 can go into the background, you can jump into the foreground, 593 00:35:17.760 --> 00:35:20.639 and that creates, as you said earlier Georgia, as we 594 00:35:20.679 --> 00:35:23.880 had both alluded to, and as Fujiwara intended, you get 595 00:35:23.880 --> 00:35:27.840 this illusion of a larger three D world. That sort 596 00:35:27.880 --> 00:35:29.920 of creating those illusions was a big part of the 597 00:35:29.960 --> 00:35:33.159 creativity in these earlier days when folks still have the 598 00:35:33.280 --> 00:35:35.840 vision you know that they do today. It's not like 599 00:35:35.880 --> 00:35:38.679 people back then weren't as creative, but they were butting 600 00:35:38.800 --> 00:35:41.760 up against the constraints of what they were functionally able 601 00:35:41.760 --> 00:35:43.840 to do with technology. So you got a lot of 602 00:35:43.840 --> 00:35:49.840 these really clever workarounds and as as everybody has said, illusions. 603 00:35:50.360 --> 00:35:55.920 But however, with that ambition does come sometimes there's a 604 00:35:55.960 --> 00:35:59.079 feeling that they want They had so many plans that 605 00:35:59.159 --> 00:36:02.599 sometimes so they just couldn't execute on them so well. 606 00:36:02.880 --> 00:36:05.039 And the depth thing is a good example in Tomba 607 00:36:05.199 --> 00:36:07.639 it's and they fix this to their credit in Tomba 608 00:36:07.719 --> 00:36:12.320 to it's just not always clear when you should or 609 00:36:12.480 --> 00:36:17.840 can jump from background to foreground or foreground to four 610 00:36:18.119 --> 00:36:21.880 further ground. You know where you are to the back, 611 00:36:21.920 --> 00:36:24.079 where you are to the front, It's not always clear, 612 00:36:24.119 --> 00:36:28.800 and in fact sometimes it is really ambiguous. Strangely enough, 613 00:36:28.920 --> 00:36:34.400 the opening area has one of the less obvious examples 614 00:36:34.440 --> 00:36:36.320 of how to do it. Like you can clearly see 615 00:36:36.360 --> 00:36:39.360 pigs in the back, there is there's a fence separating 616 00:36:39.679 --> 00:36:43.920 the foreground from the background. That's obvious, but it isn't 617 00:36:44.400 --> 00:36:48.920 entirely obvious where exactly you jump over there. There are 618 00:36:49.159 --> 00:36:54.320 much clearer examples moving for moving further, moving farther into 619 00:36:54.360 --> 00:36:57.119 the game. And that's that's part of what I mean. 620 00:36:57.239 --> 00:37:00.239 That's that's not the most egregious by far. I mean, 621 00:37:00.280 --> 00:37:03.400 they're that opening area actually by and large serves as 622 00:37:03.400 --> 00:37:06.400 a really good tutorial telling you how to play the game, 623 00:37:06.960 --> 00:37:10.079 both through signs and PCs and kind of just letting 624 00:37:10.119 --> 00:37:13.000 you safely experiment in a low stakes environment. In that way, 625 00:37:13.039 --> 00:37:16.599 it's it's a very good opening. But that four ground 626 00:37:16.719 --> 00:37:20.480 background inclusion, that idea of depth that makes two point 627 00:37:20.519 --> 00:37:23.719 five D two point five D, if you ask me, 628 00:37:24.880 --> 00:37:31.320 wasn't handled necessarily. It was handled clumsily throughout. Sometimes it 629 00:37:31.400 --> 00:37:35.519 was great, sometimes it was very effective. Sometimes. Another area 630 00:37:35.519 --> 00:37:38.599 that I'm thinking of is that goddamn mansion, the Haunted Mansion. 631 00:37:39.199 --> 00:37:41.199 Sometimes not so much. I don't I don't know if 632 00:37:41.239 --> 00:37:43.840 I'm off base with that. You have so much more 633 00:37:43.880 --> 00:37:47.119 familiarity with this game and with these retro games, so. 634 00:37:47.719 --> 00:37:51.880 The mansion is unfortunately, like I believe, some of the 635 00:37:51.920 --> 00:37:55.840 more opt to so, especially when you progress in the 636 00:37:55.880 --> 00:37:57.960 game to the point where the curse is lifted, and 637 00:37:58.000 --> 00:38:02.679 that does affect various paths that can open and intersect 638 00:38:02.719 --> 00:38:06.800 within the mansion, as well as the various abilities that 639 00:38:06.840 --> 00:38:11.760 Tomba can obtain to progress further, such as swimming right. 640 00:38:11.840 --> 00:38:14.880 But to your point, and this is me putting on 641 00:38:14.960 --> 00:38:19.039 my tinfoil ass fucking Devil's Advocate, like I'd be cooking. 642 00:38:19.079 --> 00:38:22.119 I'd be cooking my fucking bubble goose here. So bear 643 00:38:22.159 --> 00:38:24.519 with me, all if it seems far fetched, All right, 644 00:38:25.000 --> 00:38:30.039 whatever to your point in regard to the ambiguity and 645 00:38:30.159 --> 00:38:35.239 in the cryptic nature of whether you can interface within 646 00:38:35.320 --> 00:38:41.480 the early setting of that starting area, I believe that 647 00:38:41.519 --> 00:38:46.760 there was some intention behind that ambiguity, only because a 648 00:38:46.840 --> 00:38:50.760 big part of Tomba in really emphasizing like the nature 649 00:38:50.800 --> 00:38:53.960 and breadth of his world, is that you would you'll 650 00:38:54.000 --> 00:38:54.719 need to backtrack. 651 00:38:54.800 --> 00:38:55.800 It's a metroidvania. 652 00:38:56.440 --> 00:39:01.159 So I believe that basically create eating a little bit 653 00:39:01.199 --> 00:39:04.639 of an artificial wall and then putting players in a 654 00:39:04.639 --> 00:39:09.880 position to where they understand, oh, this is what I do, 655 00:39:09.920 --> 00:39:13.159 because at some point when you reach that ending plane, 656 00:39:13.800 --> 00:39:17.199 you will come across a canyon that you can gradually 657 00:39:17.199 --> 00:39:20.119 climb

upwards because you are literally walled off from proceeding 658 00:39:20.159 --> 00:39:24.039 any further to the right. And then realizing that, oh, 659 00:39:24.199 --> 00:39:26.960 there is a small little camera pan that like just 660 00:39:27.440 --> 00:39:28.960 subtly hinted that I could do this. 661 00:39:29.559 --> 00:39:31.280 I vaguely remembered seeing. 662 00:39:31.000 --> 00:39:34.559 That at that initial house in the beginning, as well 663 00:39:34.599 --> 00:39:37.760 as I wonder if that piece of wall at the 664 00:39:37.880 --> 00:39:40.239 very start of the game by the mailbox would allow 665 00:39:40.320 --> 00:39:42.760 me to do so, and sure enough it does. I 666 00:39:42.880 --> 00:39:45.199 feel like a lot of the ebb and flow of 667 00:39:45.280 --> 00:39:49.119 the game is trying to recognize or hold on to 668 00:39:49.360 --> 00:39:54.440 various points and landmarks that you may have not figured 669 00:39:54.440 --> 00:39:57.760 out from the initial start, and then getting the contextual 670 00:39:57.800 --> 00:40:01.440 clue at a later point incentive that hey, I should 671 00:40:01.440 --> 00:40:04.119 revisit that, and a lot of time that's exactly what 672 00:40:04.159 --> 00:40:06.840 you need to do. So I believe that there's some 673 00:40:06.920 --> 00:40:11.519 intention behind that, and yep, well no, no, the only 674 00:40:11.519 --> 00:40:13.480 thing I just wanted to put is in terms of 675 00:40:13.639 --> 00:40:18.679 two point five D. I don't believe also that it 676 00:40:18.760 --> 00:40:23.880 was a direction that was done from It was not 677 00:40:24.039 --> 00:40:29.400 born from the concept of technical constraints like three dimensional 678 00:40:29.440 --> 00:40:33.440 games were absolutely possible and we're done. I just do 679 00:40:33.559 --> 00:40:38.840 not believe that in the public mindset. And again you 680 00:40:38.920 --> 00:40:42.239 have to really like zoom in around the time that, 681 00:40:42.360 --> 00:40:45.320 like aside from Super Mario sixty four and some other 682 00:40:45.440 --> 00:40:48.880 notable examples, like the concept you know in a public 683 00:40:48.920 --> 00:40:53.239 space was still very new and trying to do something 684 00:40:53.519 --> 00:40:58.679 that was driven like on an engine of uh doing, 685 00:40:58.960 --> 00:40:59.960 and I remember. 686 00:40:59.840 --> 00:41:00.920 Like, what was it. 687 00:41:00.960 --> 00:41:04.199 I believe Bill of G ANDC podcast kind of like 688 00:41:04.480 --> 00:41:08.119 made the term apparent was the FedEx Quest, because that's 689 00:41:08.159 --> 00:41:10.559 a lot of that in this game too. Doing that 690 00:41:10.639 --> 00:41:13.360 in a world that feels larger than it is, I 691 00:41:13.400 --> 00:41:19.800 think it's easier to translate into a dynamic where depth 692 00:41:20.000 --> 00:41:24.840 is more controlled and and something that's better able to 693 00:41:24.880 --> 00:41:28.199 translate to a public that's still

getting used to the 694 00:41:28.239 --> 00:41:32.119 fact that games are advancing to this. So I believe 695 00:41:32.159 --> 00:41:36.119 it was done with just accessibility in mind and kind 696 00:41:36.159 --> 00:41:39.519 of recognizing the times and where you know, we're We're 697 00:41:39.519 --> 00:41:43.400 not there yet in a public capacity for three D games, 698 00:41:43.440 --> 00:41:46.559 not entirely. So if I really want to deliver my vision, 699 00:41:46.599 --> 00:41:48.079 I should try it through this approach. 700 00:41:48.880 --> 00:41:53.960 Yeah, yeah, and I apologize I probably misspoke, as as 701 00:41:54.000 --> 00:41:56.760 I tend to do that. That's not what you what 702 00:41:56.800 --> 00:42:00.199 you had just said, that's not entirely off base from 703 00:42:00.239 --> 00:42:02.559 what I was trying to hint at. And then of 704 00:42:02.599 --> 00:42:06.719 course too, I mean Fujiwara said it himself. Where what 705 00:42:06.800 --> 00:42:08.800 are to say in this quote? That's one reason we 706 00:42:08.840 --> 00:42:12.079 went with two D. We've decided to prioritize making something 707 00:42:12.079 --> 00:42:14.519 that's really genuinely fun. It also sounded like that was 708 00:42:14.960 --> 00:42:18.159 sort of just his preference, you know, and that's there's 709 00:42:18.320 --> 00:42:21.559 there's something there too. I mean, you can't account for taste, 710 00:42:21.559 --> 00:42:27.159 et cetera, et cetera. But letting him slash, letting creatives 711 00:42:28.239 --> 00:42:32.440 work within the confines that they enjoy, rather than say, 712 00:42:32.480 --> 00:42:35.840 forcing him to make a three D game to quote 713 00:42:36.000 --> 00:42:39.599 determine what he what they were able to do. I 714 00:42:39.599 --> 00:42:43.119 think you're gonna get a better result. So my apologies. 715 00:42:43.119 --> 00:42:44.840 I definitely did misspeak there. 716 00:42:45.360 --> 00:42:47.159 Oh no, dude, that's my bad. 717 00:42:47.199 --> 00:42:51.159 I apologize, but me no, no, I don't apologize. No, 718 00:42:51.519 --> 00:42:55.239 in this semi fictionalized version of the podcast, and me 719 00:42:55.280 --> 00:42:57.840 as a character, and I have future knowledge because I 720 00:42:57.880 --> 00:43:00.679 am from the future, and like all people of the future, 721 00:43:01.119 --> 00:43:03.800 I am superior to the past and its peoples in 722 00:43:03.880 --> 00:43:05.280 every conceivable way. 723 00:43:06.239 --> 00:43:08.960 I just wanted to make sure that because like it. 724 00:43:09.079 --> 00:43:12.320 You know, there's a confluence of whether or not like 725 00:43:13.039 --> 00:43:17.719 games were designed for the sake of like technical limitations, 726 00:43:17.719 --> 00:43:21.119 and it's not always the case. Sometimes there's definitely a 727 00:43:21.159 --> 00:43:26.679 more creative reasoning behind it. We've seen plenty of examples, 728 00:43:26.719 --> 00:43:31.679 like as early as ninety four, of games expanding or 729 00:43:31.800 --> 00:43:36.920 experimenting with three dimensional space untethered like dude, as early 730 00:43:37.000 --> 00:43:42.079 as fucking Highlander for the Atari Jaguar CD like it 731 00:43:42.519 --> 00:43:47.920 was there, it wasn't necessarily done as well or as 732 00:43:47.960 --> 00:43:52.519 polished as later examples, which is like, that's that's the 733 00:43:52.559 --> 00:43:55.880 whole gist of it, like kind of working within a 734 00:43:55.920 --> 00:43:59.440 scheme that makes sense both, you know, from a development 735 00:43:59.519 --> 00:44:01.440 standpoint and a player standpoint. 736 00:44:02.000 --> 00:44:05.360 Most definitely, Yeah, I'll tell you how, I'll tell you 737 00:44:05.400 --> 00:44:08.400 the roadmap. My brain went to misspeak in the way 738 00:44:08.440 --> 00:44:11.559 that I did. First of all, I was just like, well, 739 00:44:11.840 --> 00:44:13.480 two point five d's in the middle of two D 740 00:44:13.559 --> 00:44:15.679 and three D, and I just chose not to think 741 00:44:15.719 --> 00:44:18.960 more about that. But also, you know, and I think 742 00:44:18.960 --> 00:44:21.559 we've both said this too, and I think Fuji are 743 00:44:21.599 --> 00:44:26.880 hinted at it honestly or doze in these interviews their vision, 744 00:44:27.239 --> 00:44:30.519 his vision, their vision. It was just I think they 745 00:44:30.559 --> 00:44:33.559 realized they just couldn't do it in the current environment 746 00:44:33.599 --> 00:44:36.159 of three D, and rather than making something you know, 747 00:44:36.360 --> 00:44:39.559 that they weren't proud of, They're like, well, let's let's 748 00:44:39.599 --> 00:44:42.360 do something closer that's maybe in two point five D 749 00:44:42.559 --> 00:45:01.519 and also very very cool, so cool. Before I forget too, 750 00:45:02.280 --> 00:45:05.159 this is kind of a pivot. I wanted to touch 751 00:45:05.199 --> 00:45:10.679 on you it use the adjective intention. There is an intentionality. 752 00:45:10.679 --> 00:45:13.000 This is something I argue with myself back and forth on. 753 00:45:13.360 --> 00:45:15.599 I agree. I think food you are and his team 754 00:45:16.199 --> 00:45:19.559 are asking a lot of players, or not asking a lot, 755 00:45:19.599 --> 00:45:21.679 excuse me, putting a lot of trust in the players 756 00:45:21.920 --> 00:45:25.119 to see those clues as they're moving forward, and then saying, 757 00:45:25.119 --> 00:45:26.880 oh yeah, I remember back in the beginning and I 758 00:45:26.920 --> 00:45:28.400 couldn't get up there. I wonder if I could do this, 759 00:45:29.000 --> 00:45:31.880 And oftentimes that's exactly what they're wanting you to do. 760 00:45:32.440 --> 00:45:35.480 I think one of the end I agree with that, 761 00:45:35.519 --> 00:45:37.159 by the way, like I think that is valid. I 762 00:45:37.159 --> 00:45:40.360 think that's a really cool I think that is a 763 00:45:40.400 --> 00:45:43.679

good thing to do to put trust in your players, viewers, readers, 764 00:45:44.079 --> 00:45:49.440 whatever your audience isn't dumb. You know, they're generally speaking, 765 00:45:49.440 --> 00:45:51.559 they're going to be on the same level, if not, 766 00:45:51.920 --> 00:45:54.400 you know, sometimes a little more a depth than you 767 00:45:54.519 --> 00:45:56.960 are whoever you happen to be in that creator sense. 768 00:45:58.199 --> 00:46:01.199 But part of me that argue with that is that 769 00:46:01.440 --> 00:46:05.079 a lot of that backtracking is pretty significant. Like you, 770 00:46:06.239 --> 00:46:09.639 you are going to be expected to catch something, whether 771 00:46:09.679 --> 00:46:11.719 it's an item like one of the evil Pig bags, 772 00:46:11.760 --> 00:46:14.519 to get one of the Evil Pigs or this, you know, 773 00:46:14.639 --> 00:46:17.039 scaling a cliff like you had mentioned, A lot of 774 00:46:17.039 --> 00:46:21.639 the times those revelations come and you're expected to sort of, 775 00:46:22.440 --> 00:46:24.079 I don't know, maybe that's a little too strong. You're 776 00:46:24.079 --> 00:46:27.719 expected to sort of backtrack across a pretty significant portion 777 00:46:27.960 --> 00:46:32.599 of the game to unlock these new areas, and I 778 00:46:32.639 --> 00:46:36.159 don't think that's inherent. Personally, I don't think that's a 779 00:46:36.199 --> 00:46:40.039 bad thing. I know some folks do. I think it's 780 00:46:40.039 --> 00:46:43.000 more of a taste thing and it's just not for me. 781 00:46:44.320 --> 00:46:46.400 But that's sort of how I argue with myself back 782 00:46:46.440 --> 00:46:48.000 and forth on this. I don't think it's bad game 783 00:46:48.039 --> 00:46:50.639 design in any sense of the word. I think what 784 00:46:50.679 --> 00:46:53.800 it comes down to is it's just not my favorite flavor. 785 00:46:54.360 --> 00:46:57.000 I think at its core, it's just, you know, you 786 00:46:57.079 --> 00:47:00.599 have to be cool with backtracking pretty significantly if you 787 00:47:00.599 --> 00:47:03.400 don't find bookoo uh, what what do you call it? 788 00:47:03.519 --> 00:47:05.719 Charity feathers, the the warp feathers. 789 00:47:06.199 --> 00:47:07.599 Well, there are charity feathers. 790 00:47:07.800 --> 00:47:11.119 Then there are also the old men bells and again 791 00:47:11.559 --> 00:47:16.679 plotting plotting points and then at some point through progression 792 00:47:16.840 --> 00:47:18.760 within the side quests, which again. 793 00:47:20.559 --> 00:47:21.719 It a lot of them. 794 00:47:21.800 --> 00:47:25.639 Yeah, are absolutely optional and and really have no crazy 795 00:47:25.719 --> 00:47:29.199 material impact on the game other than just completing a 796 00:47:29.239 --> 00:47:34.400 certain percentage, which you know, numbers make pewpew brain go upoo. 797 00:47:35.480 --> 00:47:40.360 Like there there is a satisfaction in you know, sometimes 798 00:47:40.360 --> 00:47:43.000 a journey over the destination. At least in my Hubble opinion, 799 00:47:43.480 --> 00:47:46.320 there there are quests that you can also fulfill that 800 00:47:47.199 --> 00:47:52.119 make fast travel through various checkpoints on the map even easier. 801 00:47:52.559 --> 00:47:54.519 And like I'm trying to, I don't know how much 802 00:47:54.559 --> 00:47:56.360 of the game we can really break down or discuss, 803 00:47:56.400 --> 00:48:00.360 because I do hope that the podcast inspires people to 804 00:48:00.519 --> 00:48:05.280 really check out the special edition. And like I would 805 00:48:05.320 --> 00:48:08.960 say that in terms of exploration, yeah, there are some 806 00:48:09.039 --> 00:48:12.440 annoying parts, but like again, I really feel like it's 807 00:48:12.480 --> 00:48:15.320 one of those things that's almost done by design. Like uh, 808 00:48:15.639 --> 00:48:18.320 I mean you can think of any open world literally, 809 00:48:18.400 --> 00:48:22.400 any like Citizen Kane ass game that comes to mind, 810 00:48:22.719 --> 00:48:26.280 any of them, They're all gonna come with their annoying 811 00:48:26.320 --> 00:48:31.440 section because again, like spectrum of feeling shouldn't always be 812 00:48:31.800 --> 00:48:35.320 good good good, Yeah, there should be annoyance, there should 813 00:48:35.360 --> 00:48:39.719 be friction. Uh. Operant of Time Water Temple, Banjo Kazuoi 814 00:48:40.360 --> 00:48:44.519 Clanker's Cavern or Rusty Bucket Bay, like and here in 815 00:48:44.599 --> 00:48:47.480 Tamba Haunted Mansion, like you can go on and like 816 00:48:47.519 --> 00:48:49.960 think of a think of your favorite game, there's always 817 00:48:50.000 --> 00:48:53.320 gonna be like a certain area or event of friction 818 00:48:53.400 --> 00:48:54.199 where you're just like. 819 00:48:54.159 --> 00:48:56.719 This shit sucks. God, I hate doing this. And that's 820 00:48:56.760 --> 00:48:57.159 the point. 821 00:48:58.760 --> 00:49:01.599 I agree with you in principle that friction is valuable 822 00:49:01.599 --> 00:49:04.960 and good. I just saw a thread yesterday in another 823 00:49:05.000 --> 00:49:08.719 discord that was very tedious to read of folks talking 824 00:49:08.719 --> 00:49:12.559 about friction in games, and man, I should have should 825 00:49:12.559 --> 00:49:14.920 have noted some down because it could have been good 826 00:49:14.920 --> 00:49:18.599 for this. But I do think friction can be very valuable. 827 00:49:18.599 --> 00:49:21.199 I think hostility can be very valuable. We just wrapped 828 00:49:21.280 --> 00:49:24.679 up an episode on Lisa the Painful, Lisa the Joyful 829 00:49:24.679 --> 00:49:29.000 Excuse Me, and that series is explicitly hostile towards the player. 830 00:49:30.000 --> 00:49:32.920 I don't think the friction here is intentional, though. I 831 00:49:32.960 --> 00:49:36.760 think the game. I think the design of backtracking, I 832 00:49:36.800 --> 00:49:40.400 think the

design of trusting the players to catch something 833 00:49:40.440 --> 00:49:43.280 the game is teaching you and remembering back, you know, 834 00:49:43.480 --> 00:49:47.559 an hour a day, back to what you were doing before. 835 00:49:47.639 --> 00:49:49.840 I think all of that's intentional. And I think that's good. 836 00:49:50.280 --> 00:49:54.320 I don't think the friction is intentional, and I think 837 00:49:54.320 --> 00:49:58.480 that's a very minor point, but I think it's worth articulating, 838 00:49:58.880 --> 00:50:01.800 especially because nowadays, and I don't know if you'll agree 839 00:50:01.840 --> 00:50:03.800 with me and join me in my old man yells 840 00:50:03.840 --> 00:50:09.920 at cloud rant, but I think a lot of I 841 00:50:09.920 --> 00:50:11.679 could phrase this in a way that makes me sound 842 00:50:11.719 --> 00:50:14.639 like a total asshole, like all gamers nowadays are soft, 843 00:50:15.480 --> 00:50:18.800 but I think there is such an aversion to feeling 844 00:50:19.440 --> 00:50:24.679 challenged in a way that isn't just strictly mechanical. I 845 00:50:24.679 --> 00:50:29.039 think there is, and this trends scends games too into 846 00:50:29.079 --> 00:50:32.719 like literature, especially in music. Oh my god, in music too. 847 00:50:33.519 --> 00:50:37.280 But I think modern audiences have a stronger aversion to 848 00:50:37.320 --> 00:50:41.119 friction and to working. I just cut it there. Make 849 00:50:41.159 --> 00:50:44.039 me sound like a crazy, fucking right winger. No one 850 00:50:44.079 --> 00:50:48.880 wants to work anymore. But I hope I'm trying to 851 00:50:48.880 --> 00:50:53.320 be too funny and too glib and I'm not articulating myself. Well, 852 00:50:53.559 --> 00:50:56.199 what I'm trying to say is that I think friction 853 00:50:57.199 --> 00:51:01.360 challenge and not that content and feel good, good good. Yeah, 854 00:51:01.440 --> 00:51:03.360 I think that is incredibly valuable. I'm with you one 855 00:51:03.440 --> 00:51:07.079 hundred percent if I'm understanding you correctly, and I think 856 00:51:07.159 --> 00:51:10.000 modern you know you are. I think modern audiences are 857 00:51:10.119 --> 00:51:12.519 are more averse to that than I think. 858 00:51:13.679 --> 00:51:16.880 In my opinion that I feel like that's why a 859 00:51:16.920 --> 00:51:20.679 lot of the games that are played, like there's an 860 00:51:20.719 --> 00:51:24.239 interesting point in where looking at some of the figures 861 00:51:24.320 --> 00:51:29.320 and data analytics for like how when is a game abandoned? 862 00:51:29.360 --> 00:51:32.559 At what point? Why is it abandoned, and then kind 863 00:51:32.559 --> 00:51:36.760 of examining the player journey from start to that point 864 00:51:36.760 --> 00:51:42.320 of abandonment, what sort of elements could have been involved 865 00:51:42.400 --> 00:51:46.719 or could have influenced that departure. You kind of got 866 00:51:46.719 --> 00:51:49.519 to look

at stuff like quality of life and like, yeah, 867 00:51:50.239 --> 00:51:53.760 Breadth of Fire for example, Like that's a game that 868 00:51:53.800 --> 00:51:56.480 could use quality of life in today's standards, there's I 869 00:51:56.480 --> 00:52:01.239 think we have now kind of acclimated ourselves to wanting 870 00:52:01.320 --> 00:52:06.079 to take advantage of gameplay that's that can work at 871 00:52:06.119 --> 00:52:08.559 a more efficient and more flexible pace, and some of 872 00:52:08.639 --> 00:52:12.159 us just don't necessarily have the time or energy to 873 00:52:12.239 --> 00:52:15.880 invest in it just because of like the increased toll 874 00:52:16.079 --> 00:52:18.599 on our day to day lives outside of video games. 875 00:52:19.719 --> 00:52:22.079 And you know that there could be discussion for that 876 00:52:22.119 --> 00:52:24.400 there because I mean, think of the player base that's 877 00:52:24.440 --> 00:52:28.000 sort of aged with the medium, and then you know, 878 00:52:28.239 --> 00:52:30.920 one thing that we never really look at is a 879 00:52:31.000 --> 00:52:35.880 younger generation and them revisiting older games and then them 880 00:52:35.920 --> 00:52:38.800 being able to parse, like there's a big point of 881 00:52:38.800 --> 00:52:41.440 contention on whether or not something's quote unquote aged well 882 00:52:41.639 --> 00:52:43.719 and the merits behind that, and that that could be 883 00:52:43.800 --> 00:52:46.000 like a whole different topic of discussion and of itself. 884 00:52:46.039 --> 00:52:51.599 But discussing like what quote unquote ages is just sometimes 885 00:52:51.639 --> 00:52:54.599 a little bit it's a bit pretentious because for all 886 00:52:54.639 --> 00:52:58.119 we know, in future generations and how play styles evolve, 887 00:52:58.639 --> 00:53:02.280 everything we could be doing could like feel like fucking 888 00:53:02.519 --> 00:53:07.199 spoiled milk to like generations beyond us. So kind of 889 00:53:07.199 --> 00:53:11.440 having that case of judgment on stuff prior in trying 890 00:53:11.440 --> 00:53:15.119 to reevaluate it from a present day lens versus the 891 00:53:15.199 --> 00:53:16.920 lens of what age. 892 00:53:16.559 --> 00:53:19.079 We were in mindset we were when we played it. 893 00:53:19.079 --> 00:53:22.320 It's difficult, which is why like discussions like this kind 894 00:53:22.360 --> 00:53:25.840 of parse and kind of just look at design for 895 00:53:25.880 --> 00:53:28.079 what it is and understand them. 896 00:53:27.880 --> 00:53:29.039 Like sometimes that's okay. 897 00:53:29.159 --> 00:53:32.360 It's like, yes, I believe you and I are on 898 00:53:32.400 --> 00:53:34.320 the same wavelength, and I think that a little bit 899 00:53:34.320 --> 00:53:37.239 of friction is okay, and being able to balance that 900 00:53:37.800 --> 00:53:43.280 to the quality of experience and how players feel by 901 00:53:43.280 --> 00:53:46.440 the end of their time with the game. Mileage may vary, 902 00:53:46.679 --> 00:53:48.920 but like it's important to kind of have that there 903 00:53:49.280 --> 00:53:52.679 in order to incentivize or encourage play, because you know, 904 00:53:52.800 --> 00:53:55.800 at the end of the day, video games started as 905 00:53:55.800 --> 00:53:58.559 a contest of skill. Not to say that that they're 906 00:53:58.559 --> 00:54:02.079 solely like that, but and then we all invent those 907 00:54:02.119 --> 00:54:05.519 little milestones. Even in a cozy game where there's literally 908 00:54:05.519 --> 00:54:10.280 no pressure, there's no shot clock, there's nothing other than 909 00:54:10.440 --> 00:54:17.960 like you putting upon yourself invisible metrics invisible I don't 910 00:54:17.960 --> 00:54:21.039 want to say obligate objectives, you're putting upon yourself like 911 00:54:21.679 --> 00:54:25.360 completely weightless objectives because you are challenging yourself at your 912 00:54:25.360 --> 00:54:29.079 own pace. That is going to be challenged on a 913 00:54:29.440 --> 00:54:32.519 spectrum skill entirely of your own. Choosing the game didn't 914 00:54:32.519 --> 00:54:36.239 even present that to you. So at the end of it, 915 00:54:36.239 --> 00:54:38.639 it's how we play and how we digest video games. 916 00:54:39.400 --> 00:54:41.519 I think some games definitely do it way better, some 917 00:54:41.880 --> 00:54:44.320 games don't, and some are broken in how they do it. 918 00:54:45.280 --> 00:54:48.159 And thankfully, you know, I don't think Tom was one 919 00:54:48.199 --> 00:54:51.679 of them and and like, that's why I don't want 920 00:54:51.679 --> 00:54:53.639 to try to get defensive. But I'm just like, I 921 00:54:54.039 --> 00:54:56.880 just want to make sure that criticisms lodge lodged at 922 00:54:56.920 --> 00:54:59.079 the merit of the game, because there is one big 923 00:54:59.159 --> 00:55:02.119 facet of the game that, as much as I love it, 924 00:55:02.199 --> 00:55:05.360 sucks and like is like one of the parts of 925 00:55:05.400 --> 00:55:08.320 the game that I believe is improved with the sequel. 926 00:55:08.920 --> 00:55:11.760 Oh, I and I hope I'm not making you feel 927 00:55:11.840 --> 00:55:13.360 defensive is the bigger thing. 928 00:55:13.400 --> 00:55:16.280 Oh no, no, you're not at all. I want to make 929 00:55:16.320 --> 00:55:17.719 sure that I don't come off that way. 930 00:55:18.199 --> 00:55:21.079 Oh sure, sure, no, I believe me. There are plenty 931 00:55:21.119 --> 00:55:23.559 of games that I like, books that I like, music 932 00:55:23.559 --> 00:55:26.800 that I like that aren't necessarily beloved. And I know 933 00:55:26.840 --> 00:55:28.679 what it feels like to get a little defensive, even 934 00:55:28.679 --> 00:55:30.639 if you don't want to, because you love something you know, 935 00:55:30.719 --> 00:55:33.039 and in some ways that is a reflection of who 936 00:55:33.079 --> 00:55:37.199 you are. Yeah, there

are so many good conversations to 937 00:55:37.360 --> 00:55:40.159 bloom out of this, and it's very exciting. I noted 938 00:55:40.159 --> 00:55:42.599 one down here at the top of our shared document, 939 00:55:43.400 --> 00:55:46.440 but this is awesome. I do want to say before 940 00:55:46.800 --> 00:55:49.480 I want to get into mechanics so as to not 941 00:55:49.639 --> 00:55:54.159 totally abandon Tomba and upset some listener base. But before 942 00:55:54.159 --> 00:55:56.800 we move from presentation, I do want to call out 943 00:55:56.920 --> 00:56:00.800 the colors, the color palette. It's very very pleasant. It 944 00:56:00.880 --> 00:56:05.599 works extraordinarily well on a nice CRT. I tried this 945 00:56:05.800 --> 00:56:08.840 on like a I don't know, like a twenty five 946 00:56:08.880 --> 00:56:12.440 inch RCA. I tried it on a thirteen inch PVM. 947 00:56:12.800 --> 00:56:16.639 It looks so good. It pops The colors well. Actually, 948 00:56:16.679 --> 00:56:20.320 I mean we're speaking about dragon Ball earlier. The colors 949 00:56:20.360 --> 00:56:23.960 aren't necessarily like super complex and blended all the time. 950 00:56:24.000 --> 00:56:29.679 They are very bright, simple patterns. Toba's hair bright, pink, 951 00:56:29.800 --> 00:56:33.239 his pants green, until you get different colored pants, pigs 952 00:56:33.480 --> 00:56:38.320 nice and pink, grass, beautiful green. It's it's pretty simple 953 00:56:38.360 --> 00:56:41.199 in that way, but it pops really well. It's something 954 00:56:41.239 --> 00:56:43.679 that kind of reminds me of like how arcade machines 955 00:56:43.719 --> 00:56:47.440 used to design their games just bright simple colors to 956 00:56:47.480 --> 00:56:49.280 grab the attention of folks that come over put the 957 00:56:49.320 --> 00:56:52.880 quarters in. Except you know, this isn't trying to attract 958 00:56:52.960 --> 00:56:55.239 you necessarily, but it still kind of does. When I 959 00:56:55.239 --> 00:56:57.320 see Tomba, I want to look at it, and there 960 00:56:57.360 --> 00:56:59.119 are there is some differences I don't know if you 961 00:56:59.360 --> 00:57:01.920 have experienced this, there are some shading differences that are 962 00:57:02.000 --> 00:57:06.039 very subtle in the Japanese and the Power North American 963 00:57:06.079 --> 00:57:09.119 releases that I can notice if they're side by side, 964 00:57:09.159 --> 00:57:11.599 But if you ask me to notice, like playing one 965 00:57:11.639 --> 00:57:13.400 today and the next tomorrow, I don't know that I 966 00:57:13.400 --> 00:57:16.800 wouldn't necessarily, you know, notice it too much, but they 967 00:57:16.840 --> 00:57:18.559 do exist. I saw it, I thought it was cool, 968 00:57:18.599 --> 00:57:19.719 so I thought i'd bring it up. 969 00:57:20.159 --> 00:57:23.320 Oh yeah, and like I think there again going back 970 00:57:23.360 --> 00:57:26.559 to the intentionality of the game that also, in my opinion, 971 00:57:26.639 --> 00:57:31.000 extends to the colors, because for all of the bright 972 00:57:31.119 --> 00:57:36.920 presentation in like the main cast or supporting cast of 973 00:57:37.679 --> 00:57:42.960 the world, there's a jextaposition in like what is a 974 00:57:43.119 --> 00:57:48.440 muted again for the diegetic purpose of drawing attention to 975 00:57:48.599 --> 00:57:52.639 something as a means to kind of drive a point 976 00:57:52.679 --> 00:57:56.360 of interest for exploration, and like, these are all things 977 00:57:56.360 --> 00:57:59.960 that again are are subtly done because there's no clear 978 00:58:00.199 --> 00:58:05.559 signpost that really just drives you to explore or examine 979 00:58:05.800 --> 00:58:09.119 like something initially it's it's all about kind of picking 980 00:58:09.119 --> 00:58:13.199 apart your environment, and a lot of that's done really 981 00:58:13.239 --> 00:58:16.840 well here I and you know, it's kind of also 982 00:58:16.960 --> 00:58:20.719 done in a sense where the game is entirely dependent 983 00:58:20.760 --> 00:58:25.639 on depth, Like I feel like this is something that 984 00:58:25.719 --> 00:58:29.719 I've seen or just examined from like Japanese art tastes 985 00:58:30.360 --> 00:58:34.400 for kind of presenting or showing a world, and like 986 00:58:35.119 --> 00:58:39.719 there there's a element of diorama like that's really put 987 00:58:39.760 --> 00:58:42.719 in and especially you see that, like, you know, referencing 988 00:58:43.280 --> 00:58:46.400 what you had just recently discussed with Bill in terms 989 00:58:46.440 --> 00:58:48.880 of three D dot game heroes, but even kind of 990 00:58:48.920 --> 00:58:53.159 going forward as more recent as a fantation. 991 00:58:53.400 --> 00:58:54.559 Have you ever played Fantasi? 992 00:58:55.000 --> 00:58:58.480 Oh man, goodness, gracious, it's been downloaded on my PC 993 00:58:58.599 --> 00:59:00.400 for ages. I just haven't had a chance. 994 00:59:01.079 --> 00:59:04.760 Yeah, but like being able to kind of showcase like 995 00:59:05.400 --> 00:59:09.760 something that has a visible entry point, in which case 996 00:59:09.880 --> 00:59:14.000 that being the front facing view and perspective that we're 997 00:59:14.039 --> 00:59:19.079 presented tamba in and then seeing layers upon layers, you know, 998 00:59:19.119 --> 00:59:24.800 the parallax colors make a really big difference in presenting 999 00:59:24.840 --> 00:59:28.960 the depth of something and being able to present something 1000 00:59:29.079 --> 00:59:33.719 front facing in front and center to kind of showcase 1001 00:59:33.880 --> 00:59:40.199 the distance that your brain kind of perceives, and being 1002 00:59:40.239 --> 00:59:45.320 able to then lead or otherwise provide areas of again 1003 00:59:45.920 --> 00:59:50.719 review access navigation and examination to kind of lead off 1004 00:59:50.719 --> 00:59:53.559 into more secret areas. Like again, going back to that

1005 00:59:53.679 --> 00:59:57.679 initial area near the end, there is a hidden path 1006 00:59:58.440 --> 01:00:01.800 that you wouldn't necessarily as sue at like cursory glance, 1007 01:00:01.880 --> 01:00:03.840 you kind of got to bump a little bit because 1008 01:00:03.840 --> 01:00:08.360 it shadowed off, But the presentation of the shadow does 1009 01:00:08.639 --> 01:00:11.079 kind of ellude that there's potentially more of a light 1010 01:00:11.159 --> 01:00:15.000 source that like is they kind of like it briefly 1011 01:00:15.039 --> 01:00:17.599 alludes that, hey, you know, I can keep going here, 1012 01:00:18.320 --> 01:00:21.880 and like a lot of that is absolutely carried by 1013 01:00:22.000 --> 01:00:25.679 the excellent palette that this game has used. And yeah, dude, 1014 01:00:25.880 --> 01:00:29.599 I have a JBC twenty seven inch D series, I've 1015 01:00:29.599 --> 01:00:32.480 got a Sony PVM twenty L five, I've got a 1016 01:00:32.519 --> 01:00:37.559 Sony eighty one Q, and I've actually is recently. It's 1017 01:00:37.559 --> 01:00:39.840 funny that you mentioned that I decided to boot up 1018 01:00:39.840 --> 01:00:44.920 the game on my PlayStation Classic through means that are 1019 01:00:45.119 --> 01:00:53.239 not necessarily savory on my Htmi Samsung CRTTV. And even then, 1020 01:00:53.400 --> 01:00:57.039 where like it's unevenly scaled because it's a fucking thirty 1021 01:00:57.079 --> 01:01:01.719 inch TV, it's still finds a way to like really 1022 01:01:01.760 --> 01:01:07.760 take advantage of its palette and really just renders like 1023 01:01:08.039 --> 01:01:08.840 so pleasantly. 1024 01:01:08.920 --> 01:01:11.920 So yeah, no at all the way. I couldn't agree 1025 01:01:11.960 --> 01:01:12.400 with you more. 1026 01:01:12.920 --> 01:01:16.599 And this is purely going off of very old memory. 1027 01:01:16.840 --> 01:01:20.440 But I don't remember Tomba two succeeding as well in 1028 01:01:20.480 --> 01:01:23.880 this regard. I could be misremembering completely. I could be 1029 01:01:23.960 --> 01:01:25.840 associating uh to. 1030 01:01:26.079 --> 01:01:30.519 It's definitely darker. Yeah, it's definitely darker. In like Tamba 1031 01:01:30.559 --> 01:01:33.639 two is far more polarizing because there are people that 1032 01:01:33.719 --> 01:01:35.519 some there's a lot of people that prefer it over 1033 01:01:35.559 --> 01:01:37.840 the original, and then there are some people that absolutely 1034 01:01:37.840 --> 01:01:42.079 detest it. And then some people just immediately wrote it 1035 01:01:42.119 --> 01:01:43.840 off because of like, oh, it's a three D game, Like, 1036 01:01:43.880 --> 01:01:45.639 it's not a three D game. It is still very 1037 01:01:45.719 --> 01:01:48.880 much a two point five D game. You're still moving 1038 01:01:49.039 --> 01:01:54.400 on two dimensional planes, except now everything is fully rendered 1039 01:01:54.440 --> 01:01:57.039 in a three D capacity or in a fully realized 1040

01:01:57.079 --> 01:01:59.679 three D world that if anything has been super limited 1041 01:01:59.719 --> 01:02:03.519 it it's kind of taken the concept of restraint for 1042 01:02:03.679 --> 01:02:07.639 challenge to a whole different level. And then like more 1043 01:02:07.639 --> 01:02:09.679 of the top down areas that are from the first 1044 01:02:09.679 --> 01:02:12.840 one are now fully realized in three D, so it's 1045 01:02:12.920 --> 01:02:15.719 again it's very much an evolution of the original but 1046 01:02:15.840 --> 01:02:19.639 still works to that same effect. And if anything, some 1047 01:02:19.679 --> 01:02:22.760 of the you know, points of experimentation have kind of 1048 01:02:22.760 --> 01:02:25.480 been removed because, as you mentioned, the areas of interest 1049 01:02:25.519 --> 01:02:28.000 to where you can interact with the foreground or background 1050 01:02:28.360 --> 01:02:32.480 are signposted. They're literally with floating arrows that give you 1051 01:02:32.519 --> 01:02:34.280 an idea. I'm like, okay, I can go this way 1052 01:02:34.360 --> 01:02:37.440 or that way, something that again the original Tamba did 1053 01:02:37.440 --> 01:02:40.119 not have. It's very much you kind of like, I 1054 01:02:40.159 --> 01:02:42.639 wonder if I can do Okay, I can, but I 1055 01:02:42.679 --> 01:02:45.639 like the arts. I like Tamba's design, I will say 1056 01:02:45.760 --> 01:02:49.760 in the second one because it does definitely recognize his 1057 01:02:50.119 --> 01:02:53.800 like fucking Toriyama ash shredded bod like that is very 1058 01:02:53.920 --> 01:03:00.320 much that his little goku ass son Gohan like you 1059 01:03:00.360 --> 01:03:21.079 can you can definitely sizzle some bacon on that Tourso so. 1060 01:03:21.159 --> 01:03:25.079 We talked around mechanics a little bit. There are some 1061 01:03:25.119 --> 01:03:27.920 more things to mention though. Fujiwara I had read that 1062 01:03:28.000 --> 01:03:30.119 quote earlier where he had mentioned action games, and he 1063 01:03:30.239 --> 01:03:34.320 kind of considers this an action game, and he expounds 1064 01:03:34.440 --> 01:03:39.239 upon that in the Schmuppilations Schmumplations interview. I always do 1065 01:03:39.280 --> 01:03:42.320 that because everybody does. Here's what Fujiwara says, and this 1066 01:03:42.400 --> 01:03:45.119 is a couple answers folded into one just for brevity. 1067 01:03:45.800 --> 01:03:48.880 He says, quote, it's the feeling of the action that's 1068 01:03:48.920 --> 01:03:50.760 really where it begins and ends for me. I mean, 1069 01:03:50.800 --> 01:03:53.199 there are lots of different types of action. For example, 1070 01:03:53.239 --> 01:03:54.880 you can think of side scroll where it's like Super 1071 01:03:54.920 --> 01:03:58.960 Mario Bros. As kind of being action games and fighting 1072 01:03:59.000 --> 01:04:01.679 games are by nature act games. Of all the different 1073 01:04:01.719 --> 01:04:04.800 games we have,

I think action is the most all encompassing. 1074 01:04:05.280 --> 01:04:08.159 In short, if you're required to move something on screen 1075 01:04:08.239 --> 01:04:10.760 in order to achieve a goal, that's an action game. 1076 01:04:11.679 --> 01:04:14.679 That's bold what the player wants to do. That was 1077 01:04:14.800 --> 01:04:17.639 editorialized by the way here, he continues, What the player 1078 01:04:17.679 --> 01:04:19.880 wants to do is reflect it in the character they 1079 01:04:19.920 --> 01:04:22.119 do what you want them to do. That kind of 1080 01:04:22.159 --> 01:04:24.519 situation of being able to perform the action the way 1081 01:04:24.519 --> 01:04:27.840 you want to is essentially what I wanted to achieve. 1082 01:04:28.559 --> 01:04:32.719 End quote. That's fascinating because I know, well, one, there 1083 01:04:32.800 --> 01:04:36.679 is the very obvious conversation here about how genres can 1084 01:04:36.719 --> 01:04:42.039 be very nebulously defined and sort of hazy, opaque and 1085 01:04:42.679 --> 01:04:45.199 et cetera. But I know a lot of folks have 1086 01:04:45.400 --> 01:04:48.880 problems with the physics in this game. I didn't necessarily 1087 01:04:48.920 --> 01:04:53.360 particularly the jump physics. I didn't necessarily I didn't think 1088 01:04:53.360 --> 01:04:55.280 it was that difficult to control at all. But I 1089 01:04:55.320 --> 01:04:58.440 have heard that as a critique that folks don't feel 1090 01:04:58.480 --> 01:05:04.039 like it control like a more precise platformer of the era. 1091 01:05:04.599 --> 01:05:06.280 I don't get that criticism personally. 1092 01:05:07.079 --> 01:05:10.199 I can see it a little bit. The momentum is tricky, 1093 01:05:10.400 --> 01:05:12.519 like it's definitely something that you have to acclimate to. 1094 01:05:13.400 --> 01:05:17.079 And while again I am fully used to it and 1095 01:05:17.159 --> 01:05:22.239 have mastered it objectively, I will say the clumsiest aspect 1096 01:05:22.559 --> 01:05:26.280 of its platforming in physics have to do with the 1097 01:05:26.360 --> 01:05:30.360 swinging action, because at any point that you are swinging 1098 01:05:30.440 --> 01:05:35.400 from posts that allow you to windmill towards other posts, 1099 01:05:36.239 --> 01:05:42.760 point of contact and trajectory and positioning is trickier than 1100 01:05:42.880 --> 01:05:45.599 hell if you don't know what you're doing. And often 1101 01:05:46.400 --> 01:05:50.000 again going back to the tutorial level or the early 1102 01:05:50.079 --> 01:05:55.280 area all stage and set over like precarious spikes that 1103 01:05:55.519 --> 01:05:59.119 will fucking take you out within touch of like I 1104 01:05:59.159 --> 01:06:03.760 believe it does, like two segments of damage like per contact, 1105 01:06:04.000 --> 01:06:07.000 like yeah, it's rough, Like I can see that even 1106 01:06:07.159 --> 01:06:10.079 killing like any desire for somebody to keep going, and 1107 01:06:10.559 --> 01:06:16.360 it only gets rougher when you go through Phoenix Mountain. Yeah, 1108 01:06:16.400 --> 01:06:21.239 but like once you have like a grasp on where 1109 01:06:21.280 --> 01:06:26.199 you can make contact and how you can aim and 1110 01:06:26.480 --> 01:06:31.320 sort of move because the secret is like other platforming 1111 01:06:31.360 --> 01:06:33.920 games that use similar mechanics, people are used to the 1112 01:06:33.920 --> 01:06:36.159 fact that, like the moment you make any sort of 1113 01:06:36.159 --> 01:06:39.119 physical contact, regardless of whether it be your torso, your feet, 1114 01:06:39.199 --> 01:06:43.280 et cetera, et cetera, that you would automatically magnetize to 1115 01:06:43.519 --> 01:06:47.400 that post rope, whatever the object may be, and then 1116 01:06:47.599 --> 01:06:51.519 move on. But Tamba is very matter of fact and 1117 01:06:51.599 --> 01:06:55.599 where you need to make the contact with his outreached arms. 1118 01:06:55.840 --> 01:06:58.199 They need to be the thing that touches the post 1119 01:06:58.280 --> 01:07:02.119 or rope. And when he jumps, I mean to, to 1120 01:07:02.159 --> 01:07:05.239 its credit, when he jumps, he fucking Superman's he goes. 1121 01:07:05.440 --> 01:07:06.880 Yeah, So like. 1122 01:07:06.880 --> 01:07:10.880 He it is very much something that you can kind 1123 01:07:10.920 --> 01:07:14.920 of attune your play around when you realize that, like 1124 01:07:15.000 --> 01:07:17.360 he jumps like that each and every time, so like 1125 01:07:17.519 --> 01:07:20.840 I know where to aim and steer that point of 1126 01:07:20.840 --> 01:07:24.559 contact that's needed to get that jump going. But aside 1127 01:07:24.559 --> 01:07:27.840 from that, no, it's it's that and then momentum there 1128 01:07:27.840 --> 01:07:31.159 are some wide gaps or areas where you need to 1129 01:07:31.440 --> 01:07:34.440 run and you don't get the run right away. That 1130 01:07:34.639 --> 01:07:37.039 is a skill that you need to learn, and the 1131 01:07:37.079 --> 01:07:41.559 modifiers involved with it can give you fucking full mastery 1132 01:07:41.599 --> 01:07:45.880 of the land and air, but also make you an unwieldy, 1133 01:07:46.079 --> 01:07:51.280 nascar ass fucking vehicle of destruction, mainly your own, because 1134 01:07:51.320 --> 01:07:54.679 you will steer around and move out of velocity that's 1135 01:07:54.800 --> 01:07:58.960 too hard to control, often throwing you right into enemies 1136 01:07:58.960 --> 01:08:04.000 who will make contact damage with you, hazards like fire 1137 01:08:04.360 --> 01:08:07.079 or whole bottomless pits, and before you know it, you're 1138 01:08:07.119 --> 01:08:09.000 fucking dead. So then you got to slow down and 1139 01:08:09.159 --> 01:08:11.519 kind of move with a little bit more planning and purpose. 1140 01:08:12.239 --> 01:08:15.199 Yeah, definitely not a Sonic style platformer where you can 1141 01:08:15.480 -->

01:08:17.680 just zip through and be mostly fine. 1142 01:08:18.039 --> 01:08:18.239 Yeah. 1143 01:08:18.239 --> 01:08:20.359 As oppose to the credit though, like you had mentioned, 1144 01:08:20.399 --> 01:08:24.399 the grappling onto ledges, which far and away was my 1145 01:08:24.439 --> 01:08:28.000 biggest point of frustration with movement. Unless you consider the 1146 01:08:28.239 --> 01:08:33.560 placement of enemies around, it's related to movement, But I 1147 01:08:33.600 --> 01:08:37.399 couldn't nail like jumping from ledge to ledge if you're 1148 01:08:37.439 --> 01:08:39.680 doing the windmilling like you had mentioned, I was not 1149 01:08:39.760 --> 01:08:42.279 able to consistently nail that unless I tried to land 1150 01:08:42.319 --> 01:08:44.479 on top of it and do like the video game 1151 01:08:44.560 --> 01:08:48.479 kind of free fall in super slow mode to either side. 1152 01:08:48.840 --> 01:08:52.039 I really couldn't get those unless I did that right. 1153 01:08:52.119 --> 01:08:54.640 And if you kind of like planko it like what 1154 01:08:54.680 --> 01:08:58.800 you mentioned and steer it to where you fall opposite 1155 01:08:58.960 --> 01:09:03.520 of your hand gradually like sliding into position to make contact, 1156 01:09:03.520 --> 01:09:05.960 you can do it that way too. It gets a 1157 01:09:06.000 --> 01:09:09.520 little bit more difficult when you get the grapple jack 1158 01:09:09.800 --> 01:09:13.800 item where you are then able to use that to 1159 01:09:13.960 --> 01:09:18.159 clip onto ledges points of interest like posts or even 1160 01:09:18.319 --> 01:09:22.279 flying enemies, and again kind of learning to maneuver that 1161 01:09:22.359 --> 01:09:26.960 and realizing that the it's super contact sensitive that you 1162 01:09:27.000 --> 01:09:29.439 make the point of contact with the grapple point of 1163 01:09:29.520 --> 01:09:33.520 the grapple jack. That's how you get around with platforming. 1164 01:09:33.560 --> 01:09:36.520 But that's the challenge of it because again other contemporary 1165 01:09:36.560 --> 01:09:40.319 games didn't necessarily demand like that much precision. 1166 01:09:40.920 --> 01:09:43.119 And to the design credit too, when it comes to 1167 01:09:43.439 --> 01:09:47.119 the flying through the air, the climbing, the jumping across stuff. 1168 01:09:47.399 --> 01:09:50.319 They I feel like they give you ample a number 1169 01:09:50.359 --> 01:09:55.159 of climbable, scalable surfaces like walls, you know, various parts 1170 01:09:55.199 --> 01:09:58.560 of I'm thinking of the like the flower seesaw plants 1171 01:09:58.600 --> 01:09:59.239 like in one. 1172 01:09:59.079 --> 01:10:00.920 Of the Earth, the mushroom forest. 1173 01:10:01.600 --> 01:10:04.560 Yeah, yeah, yeah, there, I mean, there is really no 1174 01:10:04.680 --> 01:10:07.159 shortage of those. There's actually there's really quite a bit 1175 01:10:07.199 --> 01:10:09.279 you can cling to, far more than I was expecting, 1176 01:10:10.359 --> 01:10:12.600 which is nice. Do not get me wrong, it is 1177 01:10:12.720 --> 01:10:16.279 it is very nice. What I do also appreciate and 1178 01:10:16.439 --> 01:10:19.920 also got a little frustrated by, if we're talking about 1179 01:10:20.680 --> 01:10:24.119 mechanics and so far as movement, is that the game. 1180 01:10:24.840 --> 01:10:28.399 The game gives you plenty of lives for the most part, 1181 01:10:28.560 --> 01:10:30.760 as long as you're not just trying to, like, you know, 1182 01:10:30.920 --> 01:10:34.399 beat the game quote unquote, you will pick up plenty 1183 01:10:34.439 --> 01:10:38.600 of lives. So death is not like falling down a 1184 01:10:38.840 --> 01:10:41.640 cliff or whatever chasm. It's not really the end of 1185 01:10:41.640 --> 01:10:44.880 the world for you as the player. Tomba's immortal. 1186 01:10:44.920 --> 01:10:47.119 In that way, you can game over pretty quickly. 1187 01:10:47.720 --> 01:10:50.000 That was That was The next point is that the 1188 01:10:50.079 --> 01:10:52.600 lives that I lost, the times that I lost the 1189 01:10:52.640 --> 01:10:56.520 most amount of lives were because I was trying to 1190 01:10:56.560 --> 01:10:59.439 do a jump and because I couldn't see where an 1191 01:10:59.520 --> 01:11:01.720 enemy would be and then suddenly, boom, there they are. 1192 01:11:02.079 --> 01:11:05.000 I get hit. Tomba has this knockback animation. When he 1193 01:11:05.039 --> 01:11:07.680 does get hit, that sends him back like a few 1194 01:11:07.720 --> 01:11:11.880 steps every time, and you cannot that just happens. And 1195 01:11:11.960 --> 01:11:15.600 those enemies, particularly in the Mushroom Forest, are just always 1196 01:11:15.960 --> 01:11:19.760 positioned exactly so they're gonna hit you. You're gonna do that 1197 01:11:19.840 --> 01:11:22.079 knockback animation, and it's gonna send you down into a 1198 01:11:22.279 --> 01:11:25.800 into a hole, into a cliff, and that's one life gone. 1199 01:11:26.119 --> 01:11:28.359 And yeah, you just start at the middle or not 1200 01:11:28.359 --> 01:11:30.640 the middle, you start at the beginning of that of 1201 01:11:30.640 --> 01:11:33.159 that screen. So it's not like you lost a ton 1202 01:11:33.199 --> 01:11:38.199 of progress, but that's gonna eat up a life, you know. 1203 01:11:38.920 --> 01:11:40.239 That was the frustration for me. 1204 01:11:40.920 --> 01:11:44.960 And unfortunately, like that, there are pain points because yes, 1205 01:11:45.000 --> 01:11:49.720 there's the Mushroom Forest, Phoenix Mountain, and those are more 1206 01:11:49.720 --> 01:11:52.960 of the skill challenges versus like the cerebral ones that 1207 01:11:53.000 --> 01:11:57.000 come later with like the hont Mansion and the jungle 1208 01:11:58.159 --> 01:12:01.640 and the Jungles. Honestly a mixture of both. I feel 1209 01:12:01.640 --> 01:12:05.319 like at this point, and again it doesn't clearly state this, 1210 01:12:05.560

--> 01:12:09.000 but this is where you kind of have to ask 1211 01:12:09.079 --> 01:12:12.479 yourself whether or not you want to like really go 1212 01:12:12.600 --> 01:12:15.560 raw dog it or if you want to take advantage 1213 01:12:15.640 --> 01:12:18.840 of the saving system that the game puts in place 1214 01:12:18.880 --> 01:12:22.239 through it signs and just save scum and where you 1215 01:12:22.359 --> 01:12:26.359 know that based on previous experience, all right, this area sucks. 1216 01:12:26.720 --> 01:12:30.560 So if I'm going to go through it, I'm gonna 1217 01:12:30.560 --> 01:12:33.079 need to save at the signpost here, and then that 1218 01:12:33.159 --> 01:12:36.000 way I can give it a few trial runs, and 1219 01:12:36.800 --> 01:12:38.600 once I get a better feel for it, I can 1220 01:12:38.600 --> 01:12:42.079 then load up from my previous save and then that's 1221 01:12:42.079 --> 01:12:45.159 also what makes special Edition really important. Special Edition offers 1222 01:12:45.199 --> 01:12:49.279 a flat out rewind, so it really mitigates a lot 1223 01:12:50.000 --> 01:12:54.159 of those incidences where you are sent to an untimely 1224 01:12:54.239 --> 01:12:57.039 death from knock back, or you didn't make contact with 1225 01:12:57.079 --> 01:13:00.000 a platform like you should have. That kind of really 1226 01:13:00.680 --> 01:13:05.079 make it far more accessible and far less tedious to navigate. 1227 01:13:05.279 --> 01:13:07.079 Tis is a great word. I want to if I'm 1228 01:13:07.079 --> 01:13:09.359 gonna die, I'm fine with it. I just wanted to 1229 01:13:09.399 --> 01:13:10.279 feel like my fault. 1230 01:13:10.760 --> 01:13:11.279 Yeah. 1231 01:13:11.520 --> 01:13:16.000 But again, these are very early growing pains, because when 1232 01:13:16.239 --> 01:13:22.199 you earn various new skills and items, platforming and maneuvering 1233 01:13:22.239 --> 01:13:26.279 becomes a whole heck of a lot easier. And you know, 1234 01:13:26.840 --> 01:13:29.960 Tamba still has like there's still things that you can 1235 01:13:30.039 --> 01:13:32.560 do to kind of mitigate that even from the early set, 1236 01:13:32.600 --> 01:13:34.479 like the Mushroom Force for example, I know exactly what 1237 01:13:34.479 --> 01:13:38.680 you're talking about, the miniature flower enemies that Tama's main 1238 01:13:39.439 --> 01:13:44.279 form of attack is to jump on top of an enemy. 1239 01:13:44.760 --> 01:13:47.520 And then once he jumps on top of an enemy 1240 01:13:47.520 --> 01:13:50.760 and fucking bites down, you then jump up and you 1241 01:13:50.920 --> 01:13:54.000 toss any me aside killing them in that throw. And 1242 01:13:54.039 --> 01:13:57.279 you even have control to aim that throw, so you 1243 01:13:57.319 --> 01:13:59.640 can use it as a way to take on like 1244 01:14:00.239 --> 01:14:03.680 enemy mobs and kind of mitigate crowd control. But you 1245 01:14:03.720 --> 01:14:06.720 can't necessarily do that with these flower enemies because they'll 1246 01:14:07.279 --> 01:14:10.840 unbloom their pedals to a sharp point and hurts you 1247 01:14:10.920 --> 01:14:13.800 on contact. So the only way around that is you 1248 01:14:13.840 --> 01:14:18.560 actually have another attack that you know, something I noticed, 1249 01:14:18.640 --> 01:14:20.399 especially if I watch long plays, a lot of people 1250 01:14:20.439 --> 01:14:23.239 don't really mess with all that much just because like 1251 01:14:23.640 --> 01:14:27.680 it doesn't kill, so people tend to forget that it's 1252 01:14:28.119 --> 01:14:30.640 like something that you can do. Tombad does have a 1253 01:14:30.720 --> 01:14:34.119 weapon known as the Blackjack. In fact, the evolution of 1254 01:14:34.159 --> 01:14:37.840 it I mentioned earlier the grapple Jack, makes it play 1255 01:14:37.920 --> 01:14:40.199 more of a vital role in gameplay because you're gonna 1256 01:14:40.279 --> 01:14:43.199 use it for platforming. That variation of it though, doesn't 1257 01:14:43.239 --> 01:14:47.000 really have attack capabilities, but your initial one, the Blackjack does. 1258 01:14:47.319 --> 01:14:48.239 It's a swing in mace. 1259 01:14:48.800 --> 01:14:51.279 It really puts it at a point where like you're 1260 01:14:51.279 --> 01:14:55.640 gonna have to stun these enemies and stun them to 1261 01:14:55.720 --> 01:14:58.079 a point where like you use that window of them 1262 01:14:58.159 --> 01:15:01.680 seeing stars to jump up, get some good footing, and 1263 01:15:01.800 --> 01:15:04.680 then dare yourself to like, you know, did I make 1264 01:15:04.760 --> 01:15:09.079 it in time to then plant another jump on top 1265 01:15:09.159 --> 01:15:11.840 of them before they you know, recover, and then go 1266 01:15:11.960 --> 01:15:15.359 into that stupid defensive spike thing that like fucking sends 1267 01:15:15.399 --> 01:15:19.840 me flying, but there are things around it. And I 1268 01:15:19.880 --> 01:15:22.279 think that goes right back to Fujiwara's roots of like 1269 01:15:22.800 --> 01:15:27.479 putting some bullshit skill test in the game and kind 1270 01:15:27.520 --> 01:15:29.359 of emphasizing like this is an action game. 1271 01:15:29.880 --> 01:15:30.840 H yeah. 1272 01:15:31.039 --> 01:15:33.399 I And like I said, I did not beat the game. 1273 01:15:33.439 --> 01:15:36.279 I don't think I got the grapple Jack, so I 1274 01:15:36.600 --> 01:15:39.840 can't speak to that. I noticed that too, Like I uh, 1275 01:15:40.159 --> 01:15:41.760 I forget if I told you this off MIC or 1276 01:15:41.760 --> 01:15:44.560 if I set it on air, because my memory is 1277 01:15:44.600 --> 01:15:47.720 Swiss cheese. But I did watch some of the what 1278 01:15:47.800 --> 01:15:50.119 do you call it? Special edition playthrough. I just wanted 1279 01:15:50.119 --> 01:15:52.039 to see what that was all about. And I did 1280 01:15:52.199 --> 01:15:54.960 notice that too. Folks forgot about that. I was kind 1281

01:15:54.960 --> 01:15:57.319 of the opposite, like I was using the heck out 1282 01:15:57.319 --> 01:15:59.960 of that thing. Because you can throw the black jack 1283 01:16:00.199 --> 01:16:02.479 and the boomerang and et cetera. You can throw that 1284 01:16:02.560 --> 01:16:05.960 stuff directionally and not just card Now you can go northwest, 1285 01:16:06.039 --> 01:16:09.000 you can go well, no, actually you can't jump and 1286 01:16:09.079 --> 01:16:11.800 throw down and at least in Tombo wine, but you 1287 01:16:11.920 --> 01:16:15.800 can throw at an upward angle, which is extremely useful 1288 01:16:15.840 --> 01:16:17.840 because if you've got a bird coming at you and 1289 01:16:18.520 --> 01:16:21.199 you want just to buy time, you can stun that 1290 01:16:21.319 --> 01:16:24.159 sucker with your blackjack by throwing it. Yep, the blackjack, 1291 01:16:24.239 --> 01:16:28.800 that is that's an extraordinarily useful tool. And I'm with you. 1292 01:16:28.920 --> 01:16:31.199 I saw folks, you know, just trying to jump because 1293 01:16:31.199 --> 01:16:33.359 like you said, it kills, and it's like, yeah, it kills, 1294 01:16:33.439 --> 01:16:35.520 but like you know, this is something more that you 1295 01:16:35.600 --> 01:16:35.840 can do. 1296 01:16:36.239 --> 01:16:39.119 Yeah, yeah, it's just weird because like it's I mean, 1297 01:16:39.199 --> 01:16:42.479 look at like Super Mario Brothers three. Mario's primary form 1298 01:16:42.520 --> 01:16:44.840 of offenses. He jumps on top of enemies. But then 1299 01:16:45.079 --> 01:16:50.640 when you get a power up like Fireflower or the 1300 01:16:50.760 --> 01:16:54.279 Tanuki leaf and you can like spin smash with your 1301 01:16:54.399 --> 01:16:58.119 raccoon tail or light some fucking goomba on fire. You'll 1302 01:16:58.119 --> 01:17:01.000 see players will start gravitating to words that as an 1303 01:17:01.039 --> 01:17:04.359 option of attack in addition to jumping, and so here 1304 01:17:05.039 --> 01:17:09.159 like that echotomy with a protagonist like Tamba who has 1305 01:17:09.520 --> 01:17:15.520 permanent access to both, yet because it doesn't automatically kill 1306 01:17:15.600 --> 01:17:18.039 on contact, they kind of just forget or just rule 1307 01:17:18.039 --> 01:17:18.640 it out of their mind. 1308 01:17:18.680 --> 01:17:20.079 I'm like, eh, whatever. 1309 01:17:36.680 --> 01:17:39.600 I had mentioned in an edit, I'm sure because I 1310 01:17:39.960 --> 01:17:42.600 forgot to mention this up top that you know, we're 1311 01:17:42.640 --> 01:17:44.000 not going to do a beat by beat for this 1312 01:17:44.239 --> 01:17:47.680 because it's just not that kind of a game. Before 1313 01:17:47.840 --> 01:17:52.119 we get to music and sound, there is something that 1314 01:17:52.239 --> 01:17:55.439 I think is mechanically relevant that we should talk about, 1315 01:17:55.520 --> 01:17:58.840 and that is a defining feature of what makes Tomba Tomba, 1316 01:17:59.239 --> 01:18:03.920 and that is the system, very much like the lifeblood 1317 01:18:04.079 --> 01:18:06.279 of this game, and there is a lot of them, 1318 01:18:06.600 --> 01:18:12.199 and the design philosophy behind it I really appreciate now 1319 01:18:12.840 --> 01:18:15.800 in the moment, I wasn't always having a grand time 1320 01:18:15.880 --> 01:18:18.239 with it, but that largely ties into the stuff we've 1321 01:18:18.239 --> 01:18:22.239 already talked about, like the ambiguity of or No we 1322 01:18:22.319 --> 01:18:24.880 didn't talk about that, the crypticness of what to do, 1323 01:18:25.600 --> 01:18:28.600 some of the ambiguity with looking in your event log 1324 01:18:28.920 --> 01:18:31.279 and the name of the event, like the name of 1325 01:18:31.359 --> 01:18:33.760 the quest is I can't swim, and it's like, okay, 1326 01:18:33.840 --> 01:18:35.560 that doesn't tell me what to do. You know, I 1327 01:18:35.640 --> 01:18:37.640 know what the goal is, but where do I go? 1328 01:18:37.880 --> 01:18:39.840 Or you know, stuff like that that was maybe not. 1329 01:18:39.880 --> 01:18:40.640 The best excitable. 1330 01:18:40.680 --> 01:18:44.600 But these goals, this is what these are what will 1331 01:18:45.039 --> 01:18:48.760 progress you through the story and give you all of 1332 01:18:48.880 --> 01:18:53.279 the side content. Fujiwara talks about these in that ninety 1333 01:18:53.319 --> 01:18:56.560 seven interview the questions posed to him. During the course 1334 01:18:56.600 --> 01:18:58.840 of play, multiple events will pop up at the same time, 1335 01:18:58.880 --> 01:19:01.439 and sometimes it's hard to know where start, and he 1336 01:19:01.520 --> 01:19:05.159 answers Fujiwara does, saying quote, Essentially, your big goal is 1337 01:19:05.199 --> 01:19:07.439 laid out for you, so you can focus on that, 1338 01:19:07.800 --> 01:19:09.760 but you can also start with any of the smaller 1339 01:19:09.800 --> 01:19:12.359 events that you think you're able to tackle. The decision 1340 01:19:12.439 --> 01:19:15.199 is completely dependent on the player, so you can start 1341 01:19:15.239 --> 01:19:17.359 with any event that pops up. You can start with 1342 01:19:17.439 --> 01:19:19.760 the easy ones and give up on the more challenging ones. 1343 01:19:20.159 --> 01:19:22.840 Of course, there are mandatory events which you must clear 1344 01:19:22.920 --> 01:19:25.000 in order to continue the story, so you can keep 1345 01:19:25.039 --> 01:19:27.279 progressing as far as you're able, and when you get stuck, 1346 01:19:27.479 --> 01:19:29.079 come back and see what else there is to do. 1347 01:19:29.800 --> 01:19:32.840 Ending that quote, and this is I'm just summarizing some 1348 01:19:32.920 --> 01:19:35.199 other stuff I read from him. One of the things 1349 01:19:35.239 --> 01:19:37.600 that he did that he was thinking about when he 1350 01:19:37.640 --> 01:19:41.680 designed it this way is player expression, and that's how

1351 01:19:41.760 --> 01:19:45.640 I'm describing it. How he described it is. You know, 1352 01:19:46.159 --> 01:19:50.560 you had mentioned replayability Georgie, and Fujiwara was thinking about 1353 01:19:50.600 --> 01:19:53.079 that too, And so far as you know, you don't 1354 01:19:53.119 --> 01:19:55.039 have to do most of these quests if you don't 1355 01:19:55.039 --> 01:19:56.720 want to, you can beat the game. But then if 1356 01:19:56.760 --> 01:19:58.760 you come back and you take the time to do them, 1357 01:19:59.039 --> 01:20:00.720 now you can beat the game a whole new way. 1358 01:20:01.039 --> 01:20:03.800 For example, you mentioned the running the animal dash. I 1359 01:20:03.840 --> 01:20:07.319 think it's called that is a missible upgrade. As far 1360 01:20:07.359 --> 01:20:10.319 as I know, you don't need it to finish the game, 1361 01:20:10.560 --> 01:20:12.079 or at least you didn't need it as far as 1362 01:20:12.119 --> 01:20:15.439 I got. And you get it one hundred feet from 1363 01:20:15.439 --> 01:20:17.439 where you start out. Technically, I mean you have to 1364 01:20:17.479 --> 01:20:20.119 get an item and then come back there, but it's 1365 01:20:20.159 --> 01:20:22.079 all done within that first area, and you can miss it, 1366 01:20:22.119 --> 01:20:24.520 and I did for a very long time, but I 1367 01:20:24.560 --> 01:20:27.680 went back and got it. What that does is it 1368 01:20:27.840 --> 01:20:30.479 gives the players greater expression on how they want to 1369 01:20:30.520 --> 01:20:32.359 beat the game. You can just go through and do 1370 01:20:32.479 --> 01:20:35.600 all the basics, or you can take the time to 1371 01:20:35.880 --> 01:20:38.520 go through these events do it, get the upgradeable stuff, 1372 01:20:38.520 --> 01:20:42.119 get new equipment, level up. There is technically a kind 1373 01:20:42.159 --> 01:20:45.720 of leveling system, and then suddenly you have new means 1374 01:20:45.960 --> 01:20:47.359 with which to get to the end of the game. 1375 01:20:48.439 --> 01:20:50.920 That's a player expression idea, and that's cool as hell. 1376 01:20:51.079 --> 01:20:52.079 I think that's awesome. 1377 01:20:52.520 --> 01:20:54.760 Oh yeah, that is awesome, And I'm sorry I just 1378 01:20:54.880 --> 01:20:58.560 wanted to kind of interject that I see what you 1379 01:20:58.680 --> 01:21:03.319 mean by missible, but miss because there there's about one 1380 01:21:03.399 --> 01:21:07.680 hundred and thirty seven quests overall, and there's actually two 1381 01:21:07.760 --> 01:21:11.119 of them, in my opinion, that fall under missible. And 1382 01:21:11.359 --> 01:21:14.399 when I think of missible, I think of you have 1383 01:21:15.159 --> 01:21:18.479 a invisible time frame in which you can complete it, 1384 01:21:18.800 --> 01:21:21.880 and if you move past that time frame, then you can't. 1385 01:21:22.079 --> 01:21:24.239 You can always get the animal Dash, you can get 1386 01:21:24.279 --> 01:21:27.359 the like before you even reach the end of the 1387 01:21:27.439 --> 01:21:30.840 game if you, for for whatever reason decide and and 1388 01:21:31.239 --> 01:21:34.680 actually at some point you may need to get it 1389 01:21:34.840 --> 01:21:37.439 at I want to say the animal dash is something 1390 01:21:37.520 --> 01:21:42.560 that like you're gently steered towards just because it works 1391 01:21:42.560 --> 01:21:45.880 as a catalyst with the character involved to do other 1392 01:21:46.079 --> 01:21:48.720 side quests that he gets involved with. But yes, no, 1393 01:21:48.760 --> 01:21:50.039 I know what you mean that there are events that 1394 01:21:50.119 --> 01:21:54.760 you can completely uh not even bothered with and reach 1395 01:21:54.880 --> 01:21:56.239 the end and hit the credits. 1396 01:21:57.000 --> 01:21:59.840 Yeah, I was using missible as a synonym for option. 1397 01:22:00.279 --> 01:22:04.600 You were using missible more appropriately, like with a timeframe. 1398 01:22:05.279 --> 01:22:09.680 There are two actually, and the weirdest thing is like 1399 01:22:10.159 --> 01:22:14.399 the parameters in which I've actually learned, you know, as 1400 01:22:14.439 --> 01:22:19.000 somebody who's very familiar, there is an invisible priority of 1401 01:22:19.520 --> 01:22:23.680 objectives to complete where if you accidentally complete certain objectives 1402 01:22:23.720 --> 01:22:27.239 ahead of this one, you'll even lock it out from accessibility. 1403 01:22:28.119 --> 01:22:32.800 That I'm referring to is the Yawn series of events 1404 01:22:33.000 --> 01:22:36.520 to where he is a character that you first run 1405 01:22:36.600 --> 01:22:39.479 into in the starting area because his main thing is 1406 01:22:39.560 --> 01:22:41.159 he's a ninja that hides. 1407 01:22:41.680 --> 01:22:42.039 Yeah, and. 1408 01:22:43.760 --> 01:22:46.239 At some point when you do find him, you then 1409 01:22:46.359 --> 01:22:51.039 run into his family through you know, curious means which 1410 01:22:51.079 --> 01:22:53.600 I won't specify, and where you need to deliver an 1411 01:22:53.680 --> 01:22:56.840 item to him in order to then open up other 1412 01:22:56.960 --> 01:22:59.600 series of objectives. So by missing out on that if 1413 01:22:59.600 --> 01:23:01.920 you don't get that opportunity, then you don't get the 1414 01:23:01.920 --> 01:23:05.039 opportunity to get the other items, and you are sool 1415 01:23:05.239 --> 01:23:10.159 you unless you load an initial save point of your playthrough, 1416 01:23:10.279 --> 01:23:12.960 you'll have to start over. So I found that interesting. 1417 01:23:13.039 --> 01:23:17.159 And what's even funnier about those series if you complete 1418 01:23:17.159 --> 01:23:21.680 them and everything's kosher, that's how you unlock them in 1419 01:23:21.880 --> 01:23:25.640 your subsequent playthrough into Tomba two. Tomba two will recognize 1420 01:23:25.640 --> 01:23:28.359 that you completed

those events and will only open up 1421 01:23:28.479 --> 01:23:32.239 continued events involving that character if you've done so. Otherwise, 1422 01:23:32.319 --> 01:23:34.439 those events and Tamba two are completely locked out and 1423 01:23:34.520 --> 01:23:37.800 again prevent you from getting one hundred percent. So if 1424 01:23:37.800 --> 01:23:40.199 you ever thought to yourself when you beat Tampa two, 1425 01:23:40.840 --> 01:23:43.359 what the fuck I did everything? Why do I have 1426 01:23:43.560 --> 01:23:46.199 like such a low that that's the reason you needed 1427 01:23:46.239 --> 01:23:50.079 to actually play Tomba one and finish it top to 1428 01:23:50.119 --> 01:23:53.119 bottom and get that full percentage, So that way you 1429 01:23:53.159 --> 01:23:55.720 would then get the opportunity to do other events in 1430 01:23:55.880 --> 01:24:00.520 Tomba two, which I find fucking fascinating. I love games 1431 01:24:00.600 --> 01:24:03.319 or concepts that like have carried that notion, like Banjo 1432 01:24:03.359 --> 01:24:06.199 Kazoo and Banjo tuy or the lock on tech of 1433 01:24:06.279 --> 01:24:10.479 Sonic three and Knuckles, like intersection of multiple titles to 1434 01:24:10.600 --> 01:24:15.640 create one wholesome experience is so fucking cool. But yeah, 1435 01:24:15.880 --> 01:24:18.920 I love the event system. I just I wish that 1436 01:24:19.000 --> 01:24:21.840 there was a little bit more, a little bit more 1437 01:24:21.880 --> 01:24:25.239 finesse around it, because for as flexible and is open 1438 01:24:25.520 --> 01:24:29.760 to player working as it is or you know, player 1439 01:24:29.840 --> 01:24:33.000 navigation and in player completion, when you have something as 1440 01:24:33.039 --> 01:24:35.119 glaring as that to the point where it does put 1441 01:24:35.199 --> 01:24:38.920 some caveats on how you go about things, you know, 1442 01:24:38.960 --> 01:24:42.199 I think that's a technical oversight that it didn't get fixed. 1443 01:24:42.199 --> 01:24:44.560 By the way, with special addition, it's still very much 1444 01:24:44.720 --> 01:24:44.960 like that. 1445 01:24:45.720 --> 01:24:47.920 I think, you know, I think desiring more finesse is 1446 01:24:47.920 --> 01:24:51.039 a fantastic way to put it, because this, I mean, 1447 01:24:51.119 --> 01:24:53.239 this complained for me. It's purely taste. Like I don't 1448 01:24:53.239 --> 01:24:56.000 think this is a poor game design decision necessarily, But 1449 01:24:56.560 --> 01:24:58.880 you know, I read some random Reddit comment and they 1450 01:24:58.920 --> 01:25:02.199 were like, yeah, you know, if you're ever lost, just 1451 01:25:02.439 --> 01:25:04.279 look at the description for the event, or look at 1452 01:25:04.319 --> 01:25:07.319 the description for the item. It'll give you a little hint. No, 1453 01:25:07.479 --> 01:25:10.479 it doesn't, what are you talking about. It's just like, oh, 1454 01:25:10.520 --> 01:25:12.680 I've got a dirty mirror. This is a mirror that 1455 01:25:12.720 --> 01:25:15.079 doesn't show a reflection question mark. That doesn't I mean, 1456 01:25:15.359 --> 01:25:17.239 that's a description of the item, but it doesn't help me, 1457 01:25:17.680 --> 01:25:21.039 you know, and the events are basically the same. That 1458 01:25:21.119 --> 01:25:23.479 comes down to a taste on your taste on whether 1459 01:25:23.600 --> 01:25:25.920 or not that level of cryptic is okay with you. 1460 01:25:26.319 --> 01:25:31.079 And that's fine. I would have loved it if I mean, 1461 01:25:31.119 --> 01:25:33.399 if we can continue using finesse, if that system was 1462 01:25:33.479 --> 01:25:36.840 just a little more fleshed out, and or oh, here's 1463 01:25:36.840 --> 01:25:39.920 a better one, and or the map worked a little better. 1464 01:25:40.359 --> 01:25:42.119 And I'm trying not to view this through a twenty 1465 01:25:42.199 --> 01:25:45.880 twenty six lens because that's completely unfair. But the map, 1466 01:25:46.520 --> 01:25:47.880 it's is not clear. 1467 01:25:48.039 --> 01:25:51.359 It works, I mean it's there, yeah, but like in 1468 01:25:51.520 --> 01:25:54.359 terms of like the pathfinding and where you're trying to 1469 01:25:54.479 --> 01:25:58.319 route along the especially around the Haunted Mansion area, and 1470 01:25:58.520 --> 01:26:01.520 when you later, like you you do a Dark Soul's 1471 01:26:01.600 --> 01:26:06.760 ass Miyazaki unlock of shortcuts that can make navigation a 1472 01:26:06.800 --> 01:26:10.239 little smoother, I feel it almost complicates it to the 1473 01:26:10.319 --> 01:26:12.840 point where like you'll even see like more veteran or 1474 01:26:12.880 --> 01:26:16.159 season players they'll they'll just stick with fast travel just 1475 01:26:16.239 --> 01:26:19.439 because at some point it's just easier to wrap your 1476 01:26:19.479 --> 01:26:23.159 head around and kind of plot your your next course 1477 01:26:23.199 --> 01:26:23.520 of action. 1478 01:26:24.439 --> 01:26:27.600 I don't think I found any of those, or wait, no, 1479 01:26:27.760 --> 01:26:30.439 I think is one of them, the do that takes 1480 01:26:30.479 --> 01:26:32.359 you on the boat all the way back to the beginning, 1481 01:26:32.760 --> 01:26:34.439 that doesn't give you a chance to say no and 1482 01:26:34.560 --> 01:26:36.319 made me extraordinarily angry. 1483 01:26:37.359 --> 01:26:40.560 So that is a shortcut, yes, But like so, there 1484 01:26:40.640 --> 01:26:43.199 is a shortcut in Bacchus Village that takes you straight 1485 01:26:43.279 --> 01:26:46.800 to the Mushroom Forest. So in the background, you know 1486 01:26:46.920 --> 01:26:49.399 that door that's just seemingly there. Yeah, that's a door 1487 01:26:49.439 --> 01:26:53.800 to Bacchus Village. So that's just Yeah, there's tons of 1488 01:26:53.840 --> 01:26:58.760 little there's another one Charity Fountain. It takes you to 1489 01:26:59.119 --> 01:27:01.000 another area of

Phoenix Mountain. 1490 01:27:03.479 --> 01:27:04.560 Yeah, and then there's. 1491 01:27:04.399 --> 01:27:08.439 Also the slide which takes you to where you're talking 1492 01:27:08.439 --> 01:27:12.479 about the boat trip, that gives you then access to well, no, 1493 01:27:12.600 --> 01:27:14.800 the boat trip is from Mushroom Forest to the left. 1494 01:27:14.840 --> 01:27:17.079 I'm trying to think of what the slide does. But yeah, 1495 01:27:17.119 --> 01:27:20.159 there's tons of little areas. There's a raft in the 1496 01:27:20.239 --> 01:27:24.439 jungle that also takes you back to the starting area's lake, 1497 01:27:25.359 --> 01:27:30.079 as well as the waterfall from the underwater city can 1498 01:27:30.159 --> 01:27:32.760 take you right back to the jungle. So there are 1499 01:27:32.840 --> 01:27:36.680 a bunch of little shortcuts once you unlock certain parameters 1500 01:27:36.840 --> 01:27:41.079 within the dwarf forest in where you can block the 1501 01:27:41.720 --> 01:27:46.640 underwater sewage plug, that can also route you back to 1502 01:27:47.079 --> 01:27:51.399 the jungle, I want to say somewhat, and that's the 1503 01:27:51.560 --> 01:27:55.159 entrance to Charity Fountain. There are little intersection points everywhere, 1504 01:27:55.319 --> 01:27:58.760 so again to your like, to the credit of what 1505 01:27:58.840 --> 01:28:01.600 you're trying to explain, the map can actually get way 1506 01:28:01.680 --> 01:28:04.880 more dense and way more complicated than you could ever imagined. 1507 01:28:04.960 --> 01:28:10.399 But thankfully that's why you are given an opportunity. And 1508 01:28:10.479 --> 01:28:12.479 I don't want to spoil too much, so I'll try 1509 01:28:12.520 --> 01:28:16.079 to be as optuse as possible. Did you complete the 1510 01:28:16.720 --> 01:28:17.600 missions with Baron? 1511 01:28:18.199 --> 01:28:18.479 I know? 1512 01:28:18.880 --> 01:28:20.119 Is that that's the dog right? 1513 01:28:20.640 --> 01:28:21.640 Yes, that is the doc. 1514 01:28:22.079 --> 01:28:24.279 I don't know how many there are. I got him 1515 01:28:24.319 --> 01:28:27.880 the help, the herbs, the medical herbs. I got him those. 1516 01:28:28.319 --> 01:28:31.079 But which by the way, I'm glad that you said that. 1517 01:28:31.119 --> 01:28:33.600 I did not want to forget this. There are NPCs 1518 01:28:33.640 --> 01:28:35.319 in this game that you can talk to, and you know, 1519 01:28:35.600 --> 01:28:38.960 they're funny npc ass things. You know, you come back 1520 01:28:39.000 --> 01:28:40.680 to the door village. Later on, you just talk to 1521 01:28:40.760 --> 01:28:43.760 this guy and he goes, you saved my son. We're 1522 01:28:43.800 --> 01:28:46.279 friends now, and that's it. That's funny to me. But 1523 01:28:46.359 --> 01:28:48.560 the first time you meet Baron, Baron is an injured dog. 1524 01:28:48.640 --> 01:28:50.199 You take him back to the door village. You give 1525 01:28:50.279 --> 01:28:52.720 him to the

local doctor. When you talk to her 1526 01:28:53.199 --> 01:28:55.880 as you're handing her off, she introduces herself and she says, yeah, 1527 01:28:55.920 --> 01:28:58.920 I'm a doctor, come back to me. Or actually, this 1528 01:28:59.039 --> 01:29:00.720 is before you give her the dog, I'm a doctor, 1529 01:29:00.800 --> 01:29:02.199 come back to me if you ever need to see 1530 01:29:02.279 --> 01:29:04.720 me for anything. And at the time, I had one 1531 01:29:04.800 --> 01:29:06.600 health so I was like, oh great, maybe she can 1532 01:29:06.640 --> 01:29:08.159 do like the old man does and she can heal me. 1533 01:29:08.439 --> 01:29:11.239 I talked to her the doctor mind you, and she goes, 1534 01:29:11.439 --> 01:29:14.760 I'm busy bother me another time. I'm like, you're the 1535 01:29:14.840 --> 01:29:19.319 doctor man. That was the time. But anyway, sorry that 1536 01:29:19.560 --> 01:29:20.000 I remember. 1537 01:29:20.079 --> 01:29:21.479 No, no, no, no, that's good. 1538 01:29:21.760 --> 01:29:24.359 It's so weird because like some NPC dialogue has such 1539 01:29:24.359 --> 01:29:26.760 an intent in others are just so lazy, like I 1540 01:29:27.239 --> 01:29:30.920 love that, like the old like farmer man who kind 1541 01:29:30.920 --> 01:29:32.479 of walks you through the whole time, just like what's 1542 01:29:32.520 --> 01:29:34.640 up in your pink hair? Dude, Yeah, like what is that? 1543 01:29:34.800 --> 01:29:35.239 Is it? Die? 1544 01:29:36.000 --> 01:29:36.039 Like? 1545 01:29:36.279 --> 01:29:36.720 What's up? 1546 01:29:37.199 --> 01:29:39.479 There are a lot of little video gamey flourishes like that, 1547 01:29:39.680 --> 01:29:42.920 like when you help the early early mission, you help 1548 01:29:43.000 --> 01:29:45.880 this one hundred year old man, the sprightliest of old 1549 01:29:45.960 --> 01:29:48.319 men that you find in this game. When you help them, 1550 01:29:48.479 --> 01:29:50.479 you gather his chicks and he's like, oh, thank you 1551 01:29:50.520 --> 01:29:52.239 for gathering my chicks, but where are they? And you 1552 01:29:52.439 --> 01:29:54.239 just barf them out of your mouth and he's like, 1553 01:29:54.600 --> 01:29:56.319 were you where were you keeping them in your stomach? 1554 01:29:56.399 --> 01:29:56.600 You know what? 1555 01:29:56.680 --> 01:29:58.600 Never mind? I don't want to know. And it's like, well, yeah, 1556 01:29:58.640 --> 01:30:01.439 it's a video game. Where else would he keep? It's 1557 01:30:01.479 --> 01:30:01.880 so good? 1558 01:30:02.119 --> 01:30:02.960 I do. 1559 01:30:03.159 --> 01:30:03.359 Yeah. 1560 01:30:03.439 --> 01:30:05.279 No, There are a ton of different moments like that. 1561 01:30:07.000 --> 01:30:09.720 But back to the point of Baron, and I won't 1562 01:30:09.720 --> 01:30:12.760 say much more. Completing Baron does reward you with a 1563 01:30:12.880 --> 01:30:15.119 much more accessible means of travel, and that's as much 1564 01:30:15.159 --> 01:30:18.159 as I'll say. Okay, but stuff like that, like you 1565 01:30:18.319 --> 01:30:21.439 do yield rewards. I will say that I think at 1566 01:30:21.479 --> 01:30:24.880 some point the ambitions of the event system kind of 1567 01:30:24.960 --> 01:30:29.279 got a little out of reach, and the like the 1568 01:30:29.439 --> 01:30:33.800 material gain from it didn't really go beyond like I said, 1569 01:30:33.920 --> 01:30:36.239 seeing a number go up because a lot of the 1570 01:30:36.359 --> 01:30:39.439 late game rewards, by the time that you get it 1571 01:30:39.840 --> 01:30:43.199 nearing the end, really have little to no effect on 1572 01:30:44.760 --> 01:30:50.760 your ability to get through the final end game then, 1573 01:30:51.199 --> 01:30:53.399 just like ignoring that they were there to begin with. 1574 01:30:54.439 --> 01:30:57.560 But yeah, I love the event system. I just believe, 1575 01:30:57.960 --> 01:31:00.479 and again kind of using the template of of Super 1576 01:31:00.560 --> 01:31:04.239 Mario sixty four to an extent in hinting or cluing 1577 01:31:04.359 --> 01:31:06.720 players on you know where to chase down the next 1578 01:31:06.760 --> 01:31:09.520 star when you choose the objective I think was the 1579 01:31:09.640 --> 01:31:12.840 kind of vibe that they were going for. But like 1580 01:31:13.000 --> 01:31:16.439 some of that shit was just asoteric as fuck, like 1581 01:31:16.720 --> 01:31:21.560 just flat out and it's not only just an action 1582 01:31:21.760 --> 01:31:25.239 of bumping and grinding against any potential point of interest, 1583 01:31:25.319 --> 01:31:29.800 it's talking to literally everyone, sometimes twice, sometimes three times. 1584 01:31:30.600 --> 01:31:33.960 Like another event involves you taking out monsters in the 1585 01:31:34.039 --> 01:31:38.039 mushroom forest, and it doesn't do the best job of 1586 01:31:38.159 --> 01:31:42.479 telegraphing that you're doing the right thing. Again, not to 1587 01:31:43.119 --> 01:31:45.199 I want to avoid playing, but I think I'd be 1588 01:31:45.239 --> 01:31:48.439 doing everybody a favor because this is this would require 1589 01:31:48.439 --> 01:31:51.079 anybody to go to fucking game facts. I'm sorry, but 1590 01:31:51.199 --> 01:31:54.479 there are two monsters. The only way to damage them again, 1591 01:31:54.520 --> 01:31:57.159 as we mentioned, the main form of tack jumping and hurling. 1592 01:31:58.000 --> 01:32:01.000 You have to throw the man into each other to 1593 01:32:01.199 --> 01:32:03.640 damage them both. And you'll kind of get that that's 1594 01:32:03.680 --> 01:32:06.439 the thing you have to do because the AI will 1595 01:32:06.439 --> 01:32:08.840 immediately kick in and be like, uh no you don't 1596 01:32:09.319 --> 01:32:12.840 and just fucking like dodge and swerve on the last 1597 01:32:12.920 --> 01:32:16.399 second and miss. So you have to get really really 1598 01:32:16.680 --> 01:32:19.600 tricky and and make

sure you can time your throws 1599 01:32:19.680 --> 01:32:22.800 and just the precise window. Uh but even when you 1600 01:32:22.880 --> 01:32:25.840 have the make contact once, they just sort of damage 1601 01:32:25.840 --> 01:32:30.159 and bubble about. There's no chime, there's no like Zelda, nothing, 1602 01:32:31.079 --> 01:32:33.399 So you don't know if that's the thing you have 1603 01:32:33.600 --> 01:32:35.880 to do. You have to do it three times, and 1604 01:32:36.039 --> 01:32:38.000 then that point you'll. 1605 01:32:37.840 --> 01:32:38.479 Hear the dun. 1606 01:32:42.119 --> 01:32:44.199 And the whole time you're just like the fuck, dude, 1607 01:32:44.239 --> 01:32:46.880 you nothing. You couldn't have even given me flavor text. 1608 01:32:47.800 --> 01:32:51.119 So again, there's moments like that that aren't great. 1609 01:32:51.800 --> 01:32:54.079 That's the that's the Monster Hunt quest. I think it's 1610 01:32:54.119 --> 01:32:56.319 titled right, yes, okay. 1611 01:32:56.079 --> 01:32:59.840 And which plays into several other quests. Again, if anything, 1612 01:32:59.880 --> 01:33:02.239 I I do love that everything is a spider graph. 1613 01:33:02.840 --> 01:33:06.159 Completing one quest sometimes just opens up. 1614 01:33:06.159 --> 01:33:25.720 Four more, all right, before we wrap it up, we 1615 01:33:25.760 --> 01:33:29.199 should talk music and sound, and I say sound because 1616 01:33:29.600 --> 01:33:31.239 this game you might not expect it, but it does 1617 01:33:31.319 --> 01:33:33.760 have voice acting. The voice acting is a little different 1618 01:33:33.920 --> 01:33:36.960 in the different variations. That's not the right word, the 1619 01:33:37.039 --> 01:33:41.600 different releases. I saw the US listed as quote full 1620 01:33:41.680 --> 01:33:44.319 voice acting. I don't know that that's the best descriptor, 1621 01:33:44.840 --> 01:33:46.920 but it does have the most of it, is that, 1622 01:33:47.159 --> 01:33:48.199 That's right, Georgie's right. 1623 01:33:48.680 --> 01:33:48.920 Yeah. 1624 01:33:49.359 --> 01:33:53.640 The voice acting is done primarily through the animation scenes, 1625 01:33:53.680 --> 01:33:57.079 which dude and I wish I knew more of the artists, 1626 01:33:57.119 --> 01:34:01.479 But again going back to like the moments that really evoke, 1627 01:34:01.720 --> 01:34:05.079 like this feeling of dragon Ball, it's definitely in these 1628 01:34:05.439 --> 01:34:08.359 animated scenes that kind of set the premise and tone 1629 01:34:08.439 --> 01:34:10.840 of why you're doing what you're doing in Tamba. 1630 01:34:11.960 --> 01:34:14.640 So my experience comes from Tomba two, which will factor 1631 01:34:14.720 --> 01:34:17.399 in into the music as well. Playing that game first, 1632 01:34:17.479 --> 01:34:22.039 that is, and Tomba two's voice acting is charmingly amateur, 1633 01:34:23.399 --> 01:34:29.119 very charmingly very amateur, and it's pretty similar here. Most noticeably. 1634

01:34:29.239 --> 01:34:30.920 So the first instance you're going to get of this 1635 01:34:30.960 --> 01:34:33.319 if you're playing the US version is when you meet 1636 01:34:33.319 --> 01:34:35.479 the one hundred year old man Tomba is going to 1637 01:34:35.560 --> 01:34:40.960 meet several increasingly older, strange men that have vast knowledge 1638 01:34:41.000 --> 01:34:43.039 and tell them what to do as one does. And 1639 01:34:43.119 --> 01:34:45.359 the one hundred year old man is the spriest of 1640 01:34:45.439 --> 01:34:47.279 them all. And when you meet him, he sort of 1641 01:34:47.399 --> 01:34:50.760 lays out what's going on with these pigs. The quote 1642 01:34:50.760 --> 01:34:52.520 is short, so I'm just going to read it. He says, 1643 01:34:53.159 --> 01:34:56.159 this was once a beautiful, peaceful land until seven evil 1644 01:34:56.199 --> 01:34:58.960 pigs came. They suddenly appeared and use their powers to 1645 01:34:59.119 --> 01:35:02.119 change this land to an ugly world. For some reason, 1646 01:35:02.359 --> 01:35:04.520 the evil pig seemed to be collecting gold. I bet 1647 01:35:04.560 --> 01:35:07.520 your grandpa's bracelet that was stolen by the evil pigs 1648 01:35:07.640 --> 01:35:10.079 was made out of gold too. The seven evil pigs 1649 01:35:10.119 --> 01:35:12.600 are hiding somewhere in this world. If you find them, 1650 01:35:12.800 --> 01:35:15.159 I'm sure you'll be able to find your bracelet as well. 1651 01:35:15.680 --> 01:35:19.760 Just remember be very careful. That's all. It is mixed 1652 01:35:19.920 --> 01:35:23.479 so low in compared to the music, and I think 1653 01:35:23.520 --> 01:35:26.000 it's also the way in which the voice actor speaks. 1654 01:35:26.079 --> 01:35:28.319 It is so hard to hear. I had to watch 1655 01:35:28.439 --> 01:35:32.640 this like three times in cut scene on YouTube after 1656 01:35:32.920 --> 01:35:35.000 I saw it in the game to even hear it. 1657 01:35:35.119 --> 01:35:38.439 So I want to insert that bit real quick. This 1658 01:35:38.880 --> 01:35:44.079 was once a beautiful, peaceful land until seven evil pigs came. 1659 01:35:44.600 --> 01:35:48.079 They suddenly appeared, and you need near powers to change 1660 01:35:48.119 --> 01:35:52.199 the land into a ugomular. For some reason, the evil 1661 01:35:52.279 --> 01:35:55.359 pig seemed to be collecting gold. I bet your grandpa's 1662 01:35:55.439 --> 01:35:57.760 bracelet that was stolen by the Komba pigs was made 1663 01:35:57.800 --> 01:36:01.199 out of gold too. The seven evil xhinding somewhere in 1664 01:36:01.319 --> 01:36:04.159 this world. If you's finding I'm sure you'll be able 1665 01:36:04.199 --> 01:36:06.680 to find your brace down as well. Just remember it 1666 01:36:06.840 --> 01:36:07.800 be very careful. 1667 01:36:09.000 --> 01:36:12.039 I will say that this was thankfully something that was 1668 01:36:12.079 --> 01:36:15.960 addressed in the special edition. So the sound balancing is 1669

01:36:16.119 --> 01:36:22.479 far more coherent. But yeah, I don't really understand, and 1670 01:36:22.560 --> 01:36:24.680 I wish I was a little bit more familiar with it, 1671 01:36:24.800 --> 01:36:27.119 and it's it's something that I kind of set to 1672 01:36:27.159 --> 01:36:29.000 the side. I'm like, I should learn more about it. 1673 01:36:29.720 --> 01:36:33.319 But just because this went on into the early odds, 1674 01:36:33.520 --> 01:36:37.279 even like Sonic Adventure too comes fresh. 1675 01:36:37.119 --> 01:36:40.279 To mind with like it's sound balancing so bad. 1676 01:36:40.680 --> 01:36:44.079 Yeah, the mixing, the active mixing especially, I think it 1677 01:36:44.159 --> 01:36:47.600 has a lot to do with it affecting the ability 1678 01:36:47.680 --> 01:36:52.279 to compress the the entirety of data. For the game 1679 01:36:52.359 --> 01:36:55.079 and like it like just that in and of itself 1680 01:36:55.159 --> 01:36:57.239 is also weird because I remember there was a lot 1681 01:36:57.239 --> 01:37:02.319 of controversy with like a specific Tiger Woods release from 1682 01:37:02.439 --> 01:37:07.199 EA not meeting the data quota uh for pressing the 1683 01:37:07.279 --> 01:37:10.359 game onto the discs, so they put dummy data, which 1684 01:37:10.560 --> 01:37:12.720 was a common practice, but the dummy data that they 1685 01:37:12.840 --> 01:37:15.680 put was the fucking pilot. 1686 01:37:15.399 --> 01:37:18.479 Episode of South Park, Oh my gosh. 1687 01:37:18.800 --> 01:37:21.199 Yeah, and it was accessible if you put the disk 1688 01:37:21.279 --> 01:37:24.319 in a computer, and it caused like a fucking big 1689 01:37:24.479 --> 01:37:28.319 old like controversy that required like the game to be 1690 01:37:28.439 --> 01:37:32.800 completely reissued redone. Uh, that's the only like conclusion I 1691 01:37:32.880 --> 01:37:34.960 can come up with when it comes to like sound 1692 01:37:35.079 --> 01:37:37.880 design and how that's done within the constraints of tech. 1693 01:37:38.640 --> 01:37:44.479 But yeah, thankfully there aren't a whole lot of instances 1694 01:37:44.560 --> 01:37:48.640 where you have to deal with poor sound mixing, like 1695 01:37:49.239 --> 01:37:52.720 and in the game sense, like within like the stage 1696 01:37:52.800 --> 01:37:56.079 themes and the sound effects, like that's all like very 1697 01:37:56.199 --> 01:37:58.920 well and done. But and yeah, there's there's no other 1698 01:37:59.039 --> 01:38:02.439 voice acting outside of these scenes, which I believe there's 1699 01:38:03.760 --> 01:38:08.039 really only three scenes. Well actually there's four scenes, but 1700 01:38:08.359 --> 01:38:11.479 there's only two of the four that have voice acting. Yeah, 1701 01:38:11.600 --> 01:38:12.800 it's not I want to say that. 1702 01:38:13.479 --> 01:38:16.760 Yeah, And you know when when we when we lovingly 1703 01:38:16.840 --> 01:38:20.159 bash on it for you know, being poorly mixed, amateur

1704 01:38:20.239 --> 01:38:23.560 voice actors, whatever, whatever, it's not. It doesn't detract from 1705 01:38:23.600 --> 01:38:25.239 the game one little bit. It's one of those things 1706 01:38:25.239 --> 01:38:27.079 where you hear it and you kind of laugh and 1707 01:38:27.520 --> 01:38:29.199 you're like, we were doing the best we could back then, 1708 01:38:29.840 --> 01:38:30.039 you know. 1709 01:38:30.319 --> 01:38:30.520 Yep. 1710 01:38:30.600 --> 01:38:33.600 But speaking of the best that we could, I genuinely 1711 01:38:33.640 --> 01:38:37.119 think the music is quite good. But this is interesting 1712 01:38:37.199 --> 01:38:41.039 to me because my first Toma experience was Tomba two 1713 01:38:41.439 --> 01:38:46.680 and being in the United States, Tomba two, the US version, 1714 01:38:47.159 --> 01:38:50.279 that is to say, the international version was done by 1715 01:38:50.319 --> 01:38:54.000 the composer Ashif Hakeek, who passed away a couple of 1716 01:38:54.079 --> 01:38:59.079 years ago now also did Crash Team Racing Nitro, among 1717 01:38:59.239 --> 01:39:03.880 among some others. Tomba two's soundtrack the international version is phenomenal. 1718 01:39:04.000 --> 01:39:07.520 It's one of my favorites on the PlayStation. It's extraordinarily good. 1719 01:39:08.279 --> 01:39:11.600 This and by the way, the Japanese version of Toba two, 1720 01:39:11.880 --> 01:39:16.640 shina Ozawa, this was done obviously by a different composer. 1721 01:39:16.680 --> 01:39:22.880 Even still, Harumi Fujita, I think she did a fantastic job. 1722 01:39:23.079 --> 01:39:27.479 I think this music has this sort of youthfulness to it, 1723 01:39:27.600 --> 01:39:31.319 like an excited youthfulness. It's playful, it's energetic. Something that 1724 01:39:31.359 --> 01:39:33.399 I wrote down that I was thinking as I was 1725 01:39:33.479 --> 01:39:36.720 just listening to the ost. I think, you know, back then, 1726 01:39:37.399 --> 01:39:41.199 especially like the mid to late nineties video games, back then, 1727 01:39:42.079 --> 01:39:46.560 the audience was mostly probably young boys, or you could 1728 01:39:46.560 --> 01:39:51.079 even just say young kids. And kids don't care about subtlety. 1729 01:39:51.319 --> 01:39:54.119 They don't care about refinement. They certainly don't care about 1730 01:39:54.199 --> 01:39:56.199 light motifs. They can't even pronounce that. They don't even 1731 01:39:56.239 --> 01:39:59.119 know which end of the sandbox to pen. They care about. Fun. 1732 01:40:00.079 --> 01:40:04.199 Music is fun. It's simple, it's singable, it's got life, 1733 01:40:04.439 --> 01:40:07.039 it's I mean, I'll read what I wrote. It's a hoot. 1734 01:40:08.720 --> 01:40:10.159 This is it's a blast man. 1735 01:40:10.520 --> 01:40:12.840 Oh yeah, absolutely funny enough. 1736 01:40:13.000 --> 01:40:17.039 Like my favorite theme out of all of the themes 1737 01:40:17.159 --> 01:40:19.800 in the game are the evil Pig themes when you're 1738 01:40:19.880 --> 01:40:22.760 in the boss fight, like just hearing like that cacophony 1739 01:40:22.800 --> 01:40:23.880 of horns and go. 1740 01:40:42.840 --> 01:40:44.720 There's a lot of and this is something they took 1741 01:40:44.760 --> 01:40:47.960 into Tomba two. I guess they took inspiration from Fujita. 1742 01:40:48.399 --> 01:40:50.800 A lot of pitch percussion in this you're gonna get 1743 01:40:50.800 --> 01:40:54.640 steel drums, you're gonna get in the rimbas xylophones. It's 1744 01:40:54.720 --> 01:40:57.640 that sort of it's celebration music. You know, this isn't 1745 01:40:58.199 --> 01:40:59.600 This isn't the kind of music you go to an 1746 01:40:59.640 --> 01:41:03.159 orchestra for. This is like everybody in town has gathered 1747 01:41:03.560 --> 01:41:05.880 and they're gonna play and have a good time. It's 1748 01:41:05.960 --> 01:41:06.520 really nice. 1749 01:41:07.279 --> 01:41:11.439 Yeah, I couldn't, I couldn't concur more. I again, there's 1750 01:41:11.600 --> 01:41:15.319 never like a bop that like kind of overstated's welcome. 1751 01:41:15.800 --> 01:41:19.920 There are standouts, like I will say that one of 1752 01:41:20.000 --> 01:41:24.880 the more Like epic is a little too strong, But 1753 01:41:25.039 --> 01:41:27.520 the one where a sense of adventure really sets in 1754 01:41:28.319 --> 01:41:31.800 is when you're first going through the stormy version of 1755 01:41:31.880 --> 01:41:37.319 Phoenix Mountain and just that that ascension that like effervescent 1756 01:41:39.359 --> 01:41:42.760 before it starts going into like the danger. Yeah, Like 1757 01:41:43.680 --> 01:41:48.560 there's definitely a whimsy in the composition of its music 1758 01:41:48.640 --> 01:41:53.800 and sound. And also I, if anything, always hold on 1759 01:41:53.880 --> 01:41:57.520 to the sound design of Tamba more than the music itself, 1760 01:41:57.680 --> 01:42:01.840 especially like all of the all the grunts and like 1761 01:42:01.920 --> 01:42:06.840 little yells at Tama does like he like it definitely 1762 01:42:07.119 --> 01:42:09.800 puts across like the belief that like this is just 1763 01:42:10.119 --> 01:42:13.119 this is some fair little boy just trying to make 1764 01:42:13.159 --> 01:42:15.960 the best of his situation. I definitely will say though, 1765 01:42:16.000 --> 01:42:19.760 that the presentation is all around great, and I think 1766 01:42:20.560 --> 01:42:23.439 even in terms of like revisiting it from the lens 1767 01:42:23.479 --> 01:42:26.800 of twenty twenty six as a thirty two bit game, 1768 01:42:27.119 --> 01:42:34.399 and like the blend of like old sixteen bit sensibilities 1769 01:42:34.439 --> 01:42:37.479 with thirty two bit tech. Again going back to the 1770 01:42:37.600 --> 01:42:41.119 use of texture wrapping, the use of polygnal against too 1771 01:42:41.199 --> 01:42:47.920 desprite rendering, and coupling that with a bubbly presentation both 1772 01:42:48.319 -->

01:42:55.119 visually and audibly. It definitely creates a balance, like you 1773 01:42:55.399 --> 01:42:58.279 will be able to perk your senses up when you 1774 01:42:58.479 --> 01:43:01.319 hear a certain track or or see a certain visual 1775 01:43:01.399 --> 01:43:06.319 or pan from the camera. That really does put across 1776 01:43:06.439 --> 01:43:09.039 like the wildness of thomas presentation. 1777 01:43:09.960 --> 01:43:13.159 Oh yeah, I totally agree with you. Going back to 1778 01:43:13.479 --> 01:43:16.560 you had said nothing overstays, it's welcome, and you also 1779 01:43:16.640 --> 01:43:19.279 mentioned the blend and thirty two bit I'm glad that 1780 01:43:19.279 --> 01:43:22.479 you mentioned those things altogether, because that's one of the 1781 01:43:22.560 --> 01:43:26.680 first things I noticed with the soundtrack. And by the way, yes, 1782 01:43:26.960 --> 01:43:31.199 the yells from Tomba are terrific. I love them. I 1783 01:43:31.319 --> 01:43:34.199 love hearing our little guy just screaming his head off 1784 01:43:34.319 --> 01:43:37.399 and yelling, having the time of his life while he 1785 01:43:37.600 --> 01:43:40.680 beats the shit out of pigs. I so this game 1786 01:43:40.800 --> 01:43:44.000 does with its soundtrack a classic video game thing. They 1787 01:43:44.079 --> 01:43:47.239 composed short loops. You know, every track on this album 1788 01:43:47.680 --> 01:43:51.199 is going to be like, I don't know, forty seconds 1789 01:43:51.319 --> 01:43:56.199 to seventy five seconds, ninety seconds absolute max. And the 1790 01:43:56.319 --> 01:43:59.199 idea is that they just loop, and that's fine. One 1791 01:43:59.279 --> 01:44:05.680 of the things is that not every track filled me 1792 01:44:05.800 --> 01:44:08.960 with happiness and joy and vigor and the idea of 1793 01:44:09.039 --> 01:44:13.920 communal merrymaking. Some of them were extraordinarily grading, and it 1794 01:44:14.039 --> 01:44:16.279 turns out they continue when you pause the game if 1795 01:44:16.319 --> 01:44:18.960 you're trying to take notes for a podcast. The chief 1796 01:44:19.039 --> 01:44:24.520 offender that drove me insane was the music that you're 1797 01:44:24.800 --> 01:44:27.840 hearing now, probably in the one hundred year old men's house. 1798 01:44:38.880 --> 01:44:42.720 It's a pleasant little melody. It's fine. But here's the thing. 1799 01:44:42.840 --> 01:44:44.800 One of the things that I love about this soundtrack too, 1800 01:44:45.119 --> 01:44:49.680 is that it's not overly refined and produced. This soundtrack, 1801 01:44:50.119 --> 01:44:54.920 this soundtrack, This track sounds like a middle school orchestra 1802 01:44:55.239 --> 01:45:00.000 playing this little theme. And overall, I think this sound 1803 01:45:00.159 --> 01:45:02.399 track benefits from that it benefits from the fact that 1804 01:45:02.520 --> 01:45:05.720 it doesn't sound like, you know, stodgy orchestra musicians sitting 1805 01:45:05.760 --> 01:45:09.039 down to play like arrangements of the Beatles. It no, 1806 01:45:09.199 --> 01:45:12.399 it sounds again, it sounds like regular people playing and raw. 1807 01:45:12.600 --> 01:45:16.079 It's the energy and the fun that matters. Killer love it. However, 1808 01:45:17.039 --> 01:45:20.359 when it loops to drive me specifically insane while taking 1809 01:45:20.439 --> 01:45:23.439 podcast notes, it's a special kind of hell to just 1810 01:45:23.560 --> 01:45:29.199 hear a repeated piscato string melody eight measures only repeated 1811 01:45:29.359 --> 01:45:35.840 ad nauseum by young, earnest little string players. It drove 1812 01:45:35.920 --> 01:45:36.439 me mad. 1813 01:45:37.199 --> 01:45:40.920 I'm really big on video game soundtracks. In fact, like 1814 01:45:41.119 --> 01:45:44.199 a whole other upset of my hobby involved with video 1815 01:45:44.279 --> 01:45:48.199 games is collecting soundtracks on vinyl. In terms of like 1816 01:45:48.359 --> 01:45:51.119 kind of looking at like, if I were presented an 1817 01:45:51.119 --> 01:45:56.560 opportunity to buy the soundtrack for Tomba, I would likely 1818 01:45:56.680 --> 01:46:00.199 get it just because I love Tomba, but it it 1819 01:46:00.319 --> 01:46:02.600 wouldn't be for the love of the music. If I 1820 01:46:02.680 --> 01:46:06.560 were to pick, you know which soundtrack I enjoy more, 1821 01:46:07.000 --> 01:46:09.680 it's definitely the second one. It's funny that you brought 1822 01:46:09.720 --> 01:46:12.279 that up too, because I thought you were kind of 1823 01:46:12.319 --> 01:46:16.079 transitioning into the drama that Limited Run ran into with 1824 01:46:16.720 --> 01:46:17.760 Tomatoo's release. 1825 01:46:18.439 --> 01:46:20.479 I was not aware that there was drama. 1826 01:46:20.960 --> 01:46:26.159 There was drama, So Tomatoo's release used the Japanese soundtrack. 1827 01:46:26.359 --> 01:46:28.760 Oh I do, yes, Yeah, but. 1828 01:46:28.920 --> 01:46:36.119 Like people were fucking mad and initially both Whoopee and 1829 01:46:38.039 --> 01:46:40.000 Limited Run We're trying to explain that, like this is 1830 01:46:40.159 --> 01:46:41.760 just due to licensing issues. 1831 01:46:41.800 --> 01:46:43.520 We're sorry, dude. 1832 01:46:44.640 --> 01:46:49.119 Everybody review bombed the game, like for user scores like 1833 01:46:49.239 --> 01:46:52.399 across Meta and Steam, to the point where I think 1834 01:46:52.399 --> 01:46:55.119 it was less than a week they patched in the 1835 01:46:55.479 --> 01:47:01.239 ashik soundtrack. So it is that beloved it. It immediately 1836 01:47:01.359 --> 01:47:06.840 instills like this, uh, this sense of wonder that like 1837 01:47:07.039 --> 01:47:10.960 really helped carry like the experience of Tama two. I 1838 01:47:11.000 --> 01:47:12.520 don't know if I can really say the same thing. 1839 01:47:12.600 --> 01:47:15.079 Like I like the song that plays in Village beginnings. 1840 01:47:15.199 --> 01:47:16.680 I like

the race track. 1841 01:47:16.840 --> 01:47:18.039 I do enjoy. 1842 01:47:19.319 --> 01:47:24.239 Like I mentioned Stormy Mountain variation and then also even 1843 01:47:24.279 --> 01:47:28.000 getting the wine and like the the like somber soliloquy there. 1844 01:47:28.600 --> 01:47:32.279 It's good music, but I think it's uh, it does 1845 01:47:32.399 --> 01:47:35.960 what it needs to do in complimenting. It doesn't stand 1846 01:47:36.039 --> 01:47:39.079 out Tamba two, it stands the fuck out and. 1847 01:47:39.159 --> 01:47:42.680 I wonder too. I'm just totally spitballing. I have not 1848 01:47:42.880 --> 01:47:45.399 thought about this. Please forgive me. This might be a 1849 01:47:45.560 --> 01:47:49.680 terrible take. But I wonder too if just thinking about 1850 01:47:49.680 --> 01:47:53.319 what I remember from Tomba two's soundtrack, and I hesitate 1851 01:47:53.399 --> 01:47:54.960 to say this, it does sound a little bit like 1852 01:47:55.199 --> 01:48:00.279 it maintains the energy and the like a phobic raucousness 1853 01:48:00.760 --> 01:48:03.880 of Tomba one, but it's just a little better composed. 1854 01:48:04.640 --> 01:48:08.640 And that's not a knock on Harumi Fujita. Composers, writers, 1855 01:48:08.800 --> 01:48:11.840 you know, artists of all stripes. I mean, this is 1856 01:48:12.000 --> 01:48:14.680 it's their job. Sometimes they have to put out work 1857 01:48:15.199 --> 01:48:17.119 for a paycheck, you know, and it's it's not that 1858 01:48:17.159 --> 01:48:18.720 they hate the work or that they're phoning it in, 1859 01:48:19.079 --> 01:48:21.399 but you know, you can't make everything your magnum opus. 1860 01:48:21.680 --> 01:48:24.600 And I imagine if they told Harumi Fujita, hey, like, 1861 01:48:25.000 --> 01:48:26.720 we need each of these to be no more than 1862 01:48:26.760 --> 01:48:31.079 a minute, maybe a minute fifteen seconds max, preferably loopable. 1863 01:48:31.600 --> 01:48:34.359 You know, this is for children. That's you know, that's 1864 01:48:34.479 --> 01:48:38.239 not gonna be like the Symphony Number nine, you know. 1865 01:48:39.039 --> 01:48:42.840 And I just wonder if they didn't give Tomba two's composer, 1866 01:48:43.359 --> 01:48:46.000 you know, the quite as much constraints. I don't know, 1867 01:48:46.079 --> 01:48:47.239 it just sounds like more freedom. 1868 01:48:47.840 --> 01:48:49.840 I you know, I really don't know. 1869 01:48:49.880 --> 01:48:52.920 And again it could just be a tech capacity because yes, 1870 01:48:53.119 --> 01:48:55.479 the fact that all the music does contain the trend 1871 01:48:55.560 --> 01:48:57.920 of seamless looping in short. 1872 01:48:59.359 --> 01:48:59.960 Short versus. 1873 01:49:01.279 --> 01:49:03.439 I don't know if that was done for technical reasons 1874 01:49:03.880 --> 01:49:07.880 or just because maybe it wasn't something that because I 1875 01:49:08.119 --> 01:49:11.479 will say the sound design definitely has more thought behind it, 1876 01:49:11.920 --> 01:49:17.239 and there I will dare say variability in like throughout 1877 01:49:17.319 --> 01:49:20.319 the playthrough start to finish than that of the music. 1878 01:49:20.399 --> 01:49:23.680 The music does definitely feel like an afterthought. But as 1879 01:49:23.760 --> 01:49:27.520 far as the reason behind that, who knows? Man, nobody 1880 01:49:27.600 --> 01:49:32.000 told fucking David whyse to like go ham on, like 1881 01:49:32.399 --> 01:49:36.479 the the revision of like an old Nintendo mascot being 1882 01:49:36.520 --> 01:49:40.680 a fucking gorilla on an island that's also named country. 1883 01:49:40.760 --> 01:49:45.119 But David Wise, he set fire on those sound chips 1884 01:49:45.199 --> 01:49:47.560 and like did so in such a way that is 1885 01:49:47.720 --> 01:49:50.800 still haunting people's tiktoks to this day. And they don't 1886 01:49:50.800 --> 01:49:55.239 even fucking know. They don't even know, So you know, 1887 01:49:55.640 --> 01:49:58.239 who's to say, like what the mindset of a composer is? 1888 01:49:58.359 --> 01:50:01.199 And like why they go about doing things the way 1889 01:50:01.239 --> 01:50:06.520 they do, but they can leave impressions. I will be 1890 01:50:06.600 --> 01:50:10.039 honest and say that, Like you know, the soundtrack is 1891 01:50:10.119 --> 01:50:12.199 one that doesn't leave the most, but I do still 1892 01:50:12.239 --> 01:50:14.840 have I still have some bops that I do enjoy. 1893 01:50:18.680 --> 01:50:34.479 I did. 1894 01:50:35.039 --> 01:50:36.960 Is it okay if I include one of the things 1895 01:50:37.000 --> 01:50:39.079 that I just don't like about the game, and I 1896 01:50:39.199 --> 01:50:41.680 promise I'll keep it brief because it's weird that we 1897 01:50:41.720 --> 01:50:43.359 didn't cover it in the gameplay section. 1898 01:50:43.680 --> 01:50:46.359 Before you do, I do just want to say real quick, 1899 01:50:47.039 --> 01:50:49.720 I do not subscribe to that opinion. I don't think 1900 01:50:49.720 --> 01:50:52.239 the music sounds like an afterthought. I do think it's 1901 01:50:52.520 --> 01:50:55.439 for what it is, for the constraints she was probably given. 1902 01:50:55.640 --> 01:50:58.239 I think it's pretty good. I also want to shout out, 1903 01:50:58.319 --> 01:51:01.199 if you don't mind among others, you had mentioned the 1904 01:51:01.239 --> 01:51:03.319 Evil Pig Boss music, which I also noted down to 1905 01:51:04.000 --> 01:51:07.640 also too using them both. Why not the Dwarf village 1906 01:51:08.039 --> 01:51:11.439 slashed the forest outside of that before the infection clears, 1907 01:51:29.680 --> 01:51:33.079 so terrific, especially the forest where there's like it's almost 1908 01:51:33.199 --> 01:51:38.319 like a like a Russian Polka kletzmer mash up kind 1909 01:51:38.359 --> 01:51:38.760 of deal. 1910 01:51:39.199 --> 01:51:39.359 Yeah. 1911 01:51:39.880 --> 01:51:43.520 Awesome, awesome, awesome, Bachus Village

also has great stuff clock tower. 1912 01:51:44.000 --> 01:51:46.399 Oh boy, there's some stuff that sounds almost like a 1913 01:51:46.439 --> 01:51:50.600 hoe down in here. Anyways. Yes, uh, that is all. Uh, 1914 01:51:51.119 --> 01:51:53.840 I just wanted to get that out there. Yes, what 1915 01:51:54.039 --> 01:51:55.760 did what did we gloss over? 1916 01:51:56.640 --> 01:51:58.640 I guess I'm gonna present in the form of question 1917 01:51:58.720 --> 01:52:01.960 And by the way, yeah maybe afterthought strong it just 1918 01:52:02.079 --> 01:52:02.920 it didn't stick out to me. 1919 01:52:02.960 --> 01:52:03.520 We'll leave it at that. 1920 01:52:04.319 --> 01:52:06.600 What did you think about the boss fights of Tamba? 1921 01:52:06.680 --> 01:52:08.359 Because in my opinion this is always a big point 1922 01:52:08.359 --> 01:52:09.840 of contention with anybody brings it up. 1923 01:52:11.079 --> 01:52:12.560 A little a bit of a letdown. 1924 01:52:13.119 --> 01:52:15.319 Yeah, it's poop from a butt, right. 1925 01:52:16.960 --> 01:52:19.439 It's they're just all the it's just all the same. 1926 01:52:19.520 --> 01:52:21.800 It's you just kind of grab them and throw them 1927 01:52:21.840 --> 01:52:23.720 and that's it's sort of it. It's not even like 1928 01:52:24.600 --> 01:52:27.560 I it does not feel I don't want to say 1929 01:52:27.600 --> 01:52:29.479 half baked, but I kind of do. 1930 01:52:29.560 --> 01:52:30.760 It doesn't feel satisfying. 1931 01:52:31.479 --> 01:52:34.439 Yeah, do you know why, like was that was that intentional? 1932 01:52:35.119 --> 01:52:37.279 And I'm trying to remember because I can't, like, I know, 1933 01:52:37.399 --> 01:52:40.039 we like to cite and so that's why this is 1934 01:52:40.239 --> 01:52:43.680 not something that I believe can be one sighted. But 1935 01:52:44.279 --> 01:52:49.560 in the various interviews or opportunities that Fujiwara had, like 1936 01:52:49.720 --> 01:52:52.760 interviewed about the game. I want to say, I remember 1937 01:52:52.840 --> 01:52:58.479 reading something that he felt that the process of locating 1938 01:52:58.640 --> 01:53:02.159 the pig bag and finding the pig door was like 1939 01:53:02.279 --> 01:53:04.880 an aspect of the boss fight itself, and that it 1940 01:53:05.199 --> 01:53:09.039 played into the challenge of said pig, and that's why, 1941 01:53:09.359 --> 01:53:12.079 like they all have there and even then, like not 1942 01:53:12.239 --> 01:53:14.399 all pigs fight the same or behave the same. Some 1943 01:53:14.720 --> 01:53:19.399 have like area of effect like screen attack, like screen 1944 01:53:19.479 --> 01:53:25.079 filling attacks, and some play then constrained arenas that make 1945 01:53:25.119 --> 01:53:27.520 it a little bit more annoying, but it's all the same, 1946 01:53:27.880 --> 01:53:30.199 grab them and toss them in a sack, and some 1947 01:53:30.479 --> 01:53:34.399 are definitely much easier than others. But it's very much 1948 01:53:34.479 --> 01:53:37.000 like I've noticed that when I did watch playthroughs of 1949 01:53:37.039 --> 01:53:41.119 the Special Edition, the rewind got abused, I think the 1950 01:53:41.239 --> 01:53:45.119 most during these fights, just because they people just wanted 1951 01:53:45.159 --> 01:53:49.159 to nail down the perfect throw and just kind of 1952 01:53:49.319 --> 01:53:51.560 end it before anything else, And I'm like, I find 1953 01:53:51.600 --> 01:53:53.680 that kind of sad. I'm like, dude, like this is 1954 01:53:53.680 --> 01:53:55.760 supposed to be like one of the more epic parts 1955 01:53:55.800 --> 01:53:58.279 of a video game, and like it's often like the 1956 01:53:58.359 --> 01:54:01.079 most like ugh, and I I can't, but you know, 1957 01:54:01.720 --> 01:54:06.800 not like I don't disagree. Yeah, even again, from start 1958 01:54:06.840 --> 01:54:10.119 to finish, from the very end, it's it's all the same. 1959 01:54:10.960 --> 01:54:13.199 I you know. I think that is a really bold 1960 01:54:13.319 --> 01:54:18.960 design strategy to say the process of finding the boss 1961 01:54:19.479 --> 01:54:21.600 is like a boss fight in and of itself. Like 1962 01:54:21.720 --> 01:54:24.479 the boss is the exploration. So I'm going to make 1963 01:54:24.560 --> 01:54:28.840 the boss, which is sort of colloquially known as the 1964 01:54:29.039 --> 01:54:30.920 challenging thing in a video game, I'm going to make 1965 01:54:30.960 --> 01:54:34.880 that less. So that's a very bold strategy and I 1966 01:54:35.000 --> 01:54:37.880 respect it. I just don't think it worked out the 1967 01:54:37.960 --> 01:54:40.000 way that he was hoping. 1968 01:54:40.399 --> 01:54:43.239 No, which is why the process is far more different 1969 01:54:43.399 --> 01:54:46.359 in Tomba tu and where like, oh these boss fights 1970 01:54:46.359 --> 01:54:47.520 actually feel like boss fights. 1971 01:54:48.079 --> 01:54:52.399 Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, that was a bit of a letdown. 1972 01:54:52.520 --> 01:54:55.199 You're right again, it's more about the journey than the 1973 01:54:55.239 --> 01:54:56.560 destination with this game sometimes. 1974 01:54:57.720 --> 01:54:59.920 Yeah. I think that's a really clever way to put it, 1975 01:55:00.640 --> 01:55:04.520 especially with Tomba. The journey of going through each of 1976 01:55:04.600 --> 01:55:07.640 these events, of going through each of these locales, finding 1977 01:55:07.720 --> 01:55:09.920 the events that you would like to do, finding the 1978 01:55:10.000 --> 01:55:12.800 ones that you do not want to sync the time into. 1979 01:55:13.720 --> 01:55:18.239 I think that is probably what Fujiwara was hoping for 1980 01:55:19.239 --> 01:55:21.279 along with you know the idea. You know, it's fun, 1981 01:55:21.520 --> 01:55:23.600 the characters do exactly what you tell them to do, 1982 01:55:24.720 --> 01:55:27.880 action game style, you know like that. I think he 1983 01:55:27.960 -->

01:55:30.319 would be pleased to know that that was a takeaway 1984 01:55:30.359 --> 01:55:32.439 that you found and that I agree with you. I 1985 01:55:32.520 --> 01:55:34.439 think that is a large part of it. That's also 1986 01:55:34.479 --> 01:55:36.039 why we're not doing a beat by beat with this, 1987 01:55:36.279 --> 01:55:38.560 because I mean, we told you the story setup, and 1988 01:55:38.680 --> 01:55:42.239 the story payoff is you know, you get your bracelet back. 1989 01:55:42.279 --> 01:55:46.199 I mean that's the story. The game is exploring, the 1990 01:55:46.319 --> 01:55:49.479 game is being in the universe. I yeah, I think 1991 01:55:49.520 --> 01:55:51.119 that's a really great way to say it, and I 1992 01:55:51.359 --> 01:55:53.399 agree with you. I hope this does inspire folks to 1993 01:55:53.439 --> 01:55:57.720 go out and play it, whether it's emulated, remaster, special edition, 1994 01:55:58.359 --> 01:56:00.520 original hardware, if you really want to throw it down 1995 01:56:00.520 --> 01:56:03.880 one hundred plus bones, that's cool too. If you don't 1996 01:56:03.880 --> 01:56:05.720 think it's a great game, I think you will think 1997 01:56:05.920 --> 01:56:09.399 it is at the very least worth a playthrough. I 1998 01:56:09.479 --> 01:56:11.560 think you will at the very least see it as 1999 01:56:11.800 --> 01:56:15.000 a competent game. Even if you don't like the design. 2000 01:56:15.560 --> 01:56:18.359 It's an interesting game that will absolutely leave it impression 2001 01:56:18.439 --> 01:56:21.399 upon you when you're done playing it. Regardless of whatever 2002 01:56:21.560 --> 01:56:25.640 time you put you boot it up, whether you boot 2003 01:56:25.640 --> 01:56:27.920 it up in its prime, you boot it up this 2004 01:56:28.159 --> 01:56:31.000 year or any of the years into the next, you 2005 01:56:31.159 --> 01:56:32.960 will not forget your time of the game. And if 2006 01:56:33.000 --> 01:56:34.520 a game can do that, if it can leave you 2007 01:56:34.640 --> 01:56:35.520 feeling like that, it. 2008 01:56:35.600 --> 01:56:40.520 Did its job excellently, said Georgie. Boy. I think that 2009 01:56:40.680 --> 01:56:43.319 is a great way to end the episode. I hope 2010 01:56:43.359 --> 01:56:46.199 folks have liked this discussion went a little bit abroad 2011 01:56:46.239 --> 01:56:48.399 of Tomba, but I had a feeling it might and 2012 01:56:48.479 --> 01:56:51.520 I think it was pretty productive, and I think it's 2013 01:56:51.560 --> 01:56:54.680 going to spawn some new episode, new topic episodes out 2014 01:56:54.720 --> 01:56:58.279 of it as well, which I am fairly excited to 2015 01:56:58.880 --> 01:57:03.199 consider and talk about. Tomba is very fun. You should 2016 01:57:03.239 --> 01:57:05.840 check it out on my recondmendation. You should check it 2017 01:57:05.880 --> 01:57:09.680 out on Georgie's recommendation. And speaking of Georgie, this is 2018 01:57:09.680 --> 01:57:11.680 where I would

like to give you the floor and 2019 01:57:11.920 --> 01:57:14.960 let you tell everybody about what you've got going on 2020 01:57:15.560 --> 01:57:18.920 on your show. Well, i'll let you introduce it. You 2021 01:57:19.000 --> 01:57:22.239 do the honors, tell us about yourself, a little bit 2022 01:57:22.239 --> 01:57:23.279 about your PPR. 2023 01:57:24.239 --> 01:57:27.079 So my PPRS press Poge Radio. We've been active since 2024 01:57:27.119 --> 01:57:28.960 two thousand and nine, and if you like a dumb 2025 01:57:29.079 --> 01:57:31.720 video game podcast filled with fart jokes and old men 2026 01:57:31.960 --> 01:57:37.239 and the occasional other spectrums of gender and color and 2027 01:57:37.359 --> 01:57:39.920 everyone else, that we want to welcome this wide world 2028 01:57:40.079 --> 01:57:44.600 of video game fanatics, enthusiasts and other dipshits who like 2029 01:57:44.720 --> 01:57:46.640 fucking pushing buttons and things going. 2030 01:57:46.800 --> 01:57:47.199 This is that. 2031 01:57:48.039 --> 01:57:50.600 That's what you'll find With our website. 2032 01:57:50.600 --> 01:57:53.239 You can find us at www dot presspogeradio dot com, 2033 01:57:53.800 --> 01:57:56.439 and you can find us on nearly every podcatcher. 2034 01:57:57.159 --> 01:57:59.560 We talk about what we've. 2035 01:57:59.399 --> 01:58:03.640 Been playing of mostly, but also we do do full 2036 01:58:03.680 --> 01:58:06.399 fledged feature topic discussions, like what we did with our 2037 01:58:06.439 --> 01:58:09.000 most recent episode regarding Capcom. 2038 01:58:09.039 --> 01:58:09.600 Over the years. 2039 01:58:10.239 --> 01:58:14.000 We also occasionally go into games clubs and we do 2040 01:58:14.159 --> 01:58:17.319 have a few cooking that I'm absolutely trying to organize 2041 01:58:17.720 --> 01:58:21.319 with listeners and peers alike. You can find us on 2042 01:58:21.840 --> 01:58:24.920 our YouTube, where we also do short lots plays. We 2043 01:58:25.000 --> 01:58:27.119 actually have one that's been in the production can a 2044 01:58:27.159 --> 01:58:29.319 little longer than I like to mint, but Rick here 2045 01:58:29.359 --> 01:58:32.840 and I played through Virtual Fighter three TV for the Dreamcast. 2046 01:58:33.720 --> 01:58:35.720 We sat down and really got the chance to do 2047 01:58:35.840 --> 01:58:39.359 that Also on our website you can find reviews of 2048 01:58:39.600 --> 01:58:43.159 old and new games, but also editorials. As mentioned, we 2049 01:58:43.359 --> 01:58:47.119 are launching a new editorial feature called Dunion Rings and 2050 01:58:47.279 --> 01:58:50.880 where games that we complete to one hundred percent iota 2051 01:58:51.039 --> 01:58:54.079 of like No Stone Left Unturned, we talk about our 2052 01:58:54.079 --> 01:58:56.600 experiences there and I am doing one currently on Tamba 2053 01:58:57.319 --> 01:58:59.880 revisiting it. Thank you again, Rick for having me on. 2054 01:59:00.199 --> 01:59:02.640 And it's just I just love that you know, PPR 2055 01:59:02.760 --> 01:59:05.560 and PPR got together. It's been it's been one of 2056 01:59:05.560 --> 01:59:07.159 the Megan We're going to definitely have you back on 2057 01:59:07.359 --> 01:59:10.880 my dude, speaking of which, yeah, he We started off 2058 01:59:10.920 --> 01:59:13.800 the year with Rick on our holiday episode where he 2059 01:59:13.880 --> 01:59:17.560 guests started along with Kate Emily from No Small Games 2060 01:59:17.680 --> 01:59:20.319 and where we talked about like Xmas memories. 2061 01:59:20.800 --> 01:59:23.920 I yeah, I almost forgot about that. That was you 2062 01:59:24.079 --> 01:59:27.039 did me a great kindness and agreed to edit out 2063 01:59:27.239 --> 01:59:32.119 a very embarrassing, like ten second pause where I just 2064 01:59:32.199 --> 01:59:33.079 forgot how to speak. 2065 01:59:34.239 --> 01:59:34.399 Yeah. 2066 01:59:34.479 --> 01:59:36.680 I had a great time talking about the holiday memories. 2067 01:59:36.720 --> 01:59:39.760 One that's that is a really it's a very comfy 2068 01:59:40.319 --> 01:59:43.560 sort of conversation to have, and I really enjoyed talking 2069 01:59:43.640 --> 01:59:47.359 virtual Fighter. I have very little experience with virtual Fighter 2070 01:59:47.479 --> 01:59:51.439 three TB or three as it's known by me. And 2071 01:59:51.560 --> 01:59:53.039 if you do want to check that out, and I 2072 01:59:53.159 --> 01:59:55.399 encourage you to, it is a good show. You can 2073 01:59:55.720 --> 01:59:58.560 check it out in the episode description. All of your 2074 01:59:58.800 --> 02:00:03.199 pp R stuff is in the episode description. There's got 2075 02:00:03.279 --> 02:00:05.039 to be a better way to make that joke anyway. 2076 02:00:05.600 --> 02:00:08.319 You can find all of Georgie's links, all of Press 2077 02:00:08.359 --> 02:00:10.880 Pause Radio's links in the episode description. There will be 2078 02:00:10.920 --> 02:00:12.760 linked there. You can find links to our stuff as 2079 02:00:12.800 --> 02:00:15.520 well to the free discord server. You can hang out 2080 02:00:15.520 --> 02:00:18.119 there if you'd like. To the Patreon if you feel 2081 02:00:18.199 --> 02:00:21.720 so inclined and are feeling extra generous. Of course that's optional. 2082 02:00:21.760 --> 02:00:24.600 You don't have to. And that about does it for today. 2083 02:00:25.000 --> 02:00:28.359 Thank you everybody for sticking around and giving us your time. 2084 02:00:28.399 --> 02:00:30.760 We're very glad that you were able to join us today. 2085 02:00:30.800 --> 02:00:33.319 Thank you Georgie for the first and what I hope 2086 02:00:33.399 --> 02:00:36.159 is not the last time on the show. And that's 2087 02:00:36.159 --> 02:00:38.880 about it. We've bagged our last pig and we're gonna 2088 02:00:38.920 --> 02:00:42.880 hang up our bags here. That's what Tomba does. Sure, 2089 02:00:43.000 --> 02:00:46.760 why not? I don't know, man, I'm your host that 2090 02:00:46.840 --> 02:00:49.920 doesn't know. As usual, my name is Rick. As always, 2091 02:00:50.119 --> 02:00:53.079 thanks folks for signing off for now. We'll catch you 2092 02:00:53.119 --> 02:00:53.479 next time. 2093 02:01:01.960 --> 02:01:07.079 After that, the pier cafly for the total reported the 2094 02:01:07.680 --> 02:01:15.159 included SIS