Toto Temple Deluxe Review

The OUYA seems to love its 2D local party games with obscure names. First Duck Game, now Toto Temple Deluxe, yet another hilarious but simple local co-op (or competitive) game.

Before I go into the controls, I'll quickly run you through the OUYA controller. It has all the same buttons as an Xbox 360, except the ABYX buttons instead spell 'OUYA.' The controls are simple for the game is simple. A to jump (press it again to double jump). Holding the analog stick in a direction and pressing U makes you dash in that direction. Seems simple? That's because it is. I'm sure you're getting the picture.

There are three modes which can be played. Classic, which is for 2-4 players. The goal is to get 3000 points. You get points in two ways - the first is by collecting coins, which appear at random during the level. The second and main way you'll get points is by...

Carrying a Goat.

To pick-up the goat, you need to dash into it. To take it from another opponent; dash into them. When carrying the goat, you can't dash. What you can do instead is set up a shield (with the same button) which, if timed perfectly, can stun an enemy, buying you time to escape. The longer you hold the goat, the more points you get but the slower you move, meaning you have to time jumps perfectly if you want to miss an enemy dash. The second mode is the same as classic, but the players are split into two teams.

The third mode is practice, which can be played solo or with 3 other friends. In practice mode you need to slam into a set of targets. The more targets you hit, the more points you get. In this mode, you all work as a team, so it isn't about 'who hit the most targets?' Instead it's 'can they hit them all?' This makes for a nice change of pace from Classic mode.

There are seven maps that you can play each with their own mechanics and special gimmicks to make each map a unique experience. In one map, there are lava geysers which you can dash into to get zipped across the map. On another map, there are doors which close temporarily after you pass through them, which can sometimes help you, and sometimes not. The difference in maps makes for fun experience each time.

Through Classic mode, you will find power-ups that you can pick up. You have to dash into them to pick them up, meaning you can't collect them if you're carrying the goat. The power-ups can give you a direct advantage, or cause your opponents a direct disadvantage.. They can be things such as giving your character a bigger head, making it easy to slam into other players, a Totem spirit that charges (through walls) to the player with the goat and takes it off them, to a debuff which greatly weakens an opponents dash ability.

Whilst being nice and simple, it's effective. Much like Duck Game, Toto Temple Deluxe had me screaming and laughing for quite a while. Variety of maps and various modes make for endless hours of fun for you and your friends.