Croc: Legend of the Gobbos (2025 Remaster) Review

This leads us to now, with the release of this remastered version of the original Croc. This release clearly had a great deal of care put into it, with many additional features such as configurable video options and graphics. This allows players to have more polygonal retro graphics with optional CRT and VGA filters, or enjoy the newly remastered graphics. There is also the Crocipedia, a treasure trove of archived Croc material such as soundtracks, concept art, advertising, merchandise, interviews, and even the show bible of a Croc TV show that ultimately went unrealized. This material is super interesting to explore, and I’m glad that Argonaut took the effort to find and preserve it all.

In terms of actual gameplay, the Croc remaster actually offers significant improvements. The remastered graphics look pretty good, highlighting and enhancing the game’s simple art style. The controls and camera are heavily improved from the original game. The original Croc games had “tank controls,” making movement somewhat slow and clunky, in contrast to the free analog movement of competing games like Super Mario 64. The remaster offers fully analog controls, making the game much more fun to play in my opinion. There is also the option to use the original controls via the d-pad. In the game, Croc must go from level to level, collecting gems and freeing as many Gobbos as he can find. It’s very similar to other “collectathons” of its time, but it’s a fun game either way. The plot of Croc is simple: Croc, after being found and raised by little furry creatures called the Gobbos, must save them from captivity after the evil Baron Dante invades their home of Gobbo Valley. It’s very basic, but then again most 3D platformers of this era had basic plots and focused more on gameplay. 

As stated previously, I’m very glad that this remaster exists in the first place. Upon starting it up and getting into the first level, I was hit with a wave of nostalgia seeing Croc again after all these years. I think the remaster is also now the definitive way for new players to experience Croc, since it is very accessible and has all of the aforementioned features. Argonaut did an incredible job reviving Croc, and I’m curious to see what they do next, whether it be a Croc 2 remaster, the return of Buck Bumble (theme song and all), or even a Croc 3.