Toejam & Earl: Back in the Groove Reviews
ToeJam and Earl may have gained cult status for their past escapades, but unless you’re a hardcore fan of the series, the magic doesn’t quite carry over to the 21st century. ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove is initially charming thanks to how offbeat it is, but it soon wears thin when you realise how barebones the gameplay is.
The sublime style drips with funk, and the cadence of roaming through floors using my presents to try to avoid failure and find my ship parts is one that made for a charming experience. It didn't matter if I saw some of the same things several times over my multiple playthroughs. The whole thing is spectacularly goofy and weird, even if I eventually do figure out why the hell the yeti has a pencil.
ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove isn't a blast FROM the past, it's a blast TO the past.
Unfortunately, 28 years after the first game’s release means doing more of the same won’t necessarily get the same results.
As a revival of a very special Sega Genesis classic, ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove will certainly give fans the funky good times that they crave.
Trying to specifically describe in words how Back in the Groove plays would be a challenge, mainly because while it has elements that may feel familiar in places it is all joined together with random silliness and perhaps a touch of chemically-induced inspiration...
Toejam & Earl: Back in the Groove has reminded me, once again, to be weary of random presents, and that many of us looked (and acted like) goobers towards the end of the millennium.
ToeJam and Earl: Back in the Groove is a jamtastic sequel that more than lives up to the original.
Toejam and Earl: Back in the Groove is very well put together and really just a more modern and expanded spin of the first installment of the series. It may not appeal to everyone with its weird 90s cartoon humor and there may be a few minor issues to iron out, but it’s a huge amount of fun to play with friends, just for the sheer chaos it brings with all the variables involved.
Toejam & Earl have come back quite fit in a game that pays perfect tribute to the first installment and gives it a makeover to suit current times. The variety of game modes provides impressive replayability that is getting more and more popular, as well as the cooperative mode that makes the game much longer-lasting and fun to play. A return to the high life.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Toejam and Earl is a great example of a retro revival done right, taking a clunky roguelike and polishing it up, making it absolutely gorgeous while also continuing to provide an incredible co-op experience.
Back in the Groove is the faithful return to form Funkotron fans have been rapping about for decades, capturing the magic that made the original so endearing the galaxy over. It may not expand on the OG formula much, but old skool spinmasters from the Sega Genesis era are sure to vibe with ToeJam & Earl’s funky fresh return.
Back in the Groove can be completed in a single evening; subsequent playthroughs extend the experience, but feel like a pancake-eating contest where the prize is more pancakes.
A reimagined version of the original Mega Drive game. Despite its many technical problems, its simplistic gameplay makes the game attractive and an ideal proposition for all ages.
Review in Greek | Read full review
The visuals are pretty, and the music is brilliant, but ToeJam and Earl: Back In The Groove! is the same game it was nearly three decades ago. This is fine I suppose, but it feels like more could have been done. It’s an enjoyable experience with friends, but a bit dull on your own.
My real question is: Why? Why was this made, and for whom? If ToeJam & Earl: Back In The Groove was intended as a remake, why try to emulate the original so closely in appearance and design while making everything measurably worse? If it was intended to be a sequel that only had a passingly similar design then, again, why make it so close to the original? Especially when the original is so much better in basically every regard. I’m not exaggerating when I say that in the process of writing this review, I ended up playing the original for far longer than this new version. At first, it was just to see if I remembered the game utterly wrong, as being something fun when it wasn’t. But it is, and I kept on playing it because it was preferable to this…”alternative.” The original is a great “arcade” experience, even by the standards of today, and you should definitely go play it if you want that nostalgia hit. Back In The Groove will just bore you at best and make you uncomfortable at worst.
On the whole, the game is fun for short bursts or with a friend but there's little reason to play repeatedly unless you want to unlock all of the power hats.
Human Nature has proven to be a brave fucking. All its mechanics are outdated, its graphic design is outdated and its sense of humor for decades that stopped being funny but they do not care. They have made the game that they played as children and they wanted, we wanted, to play again and they have done it without caring for a duck egg what the current batch of players think about their game. And that a developer develops a game under the motto "If you do not like it !! do not play it "has a lot, but that much, merit. Human Nature Chapeau and thank you!
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Sporting augmented graphics, remastered soundtrack, added items and earthlings, ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove is a remake done right.