Just Who is the Crocodile In Croc HD

For some people, Croc HD's announcement is the most fantastic news since Crash returned from his exile. For others, the main question on their minds is: who is Croc? Why should I care? What are the fuzzy things? These are the questions I hope to answer.

The first thing to understand is the environment in which the original Croc was created. Croc: Legend of the Gobbos was originally released in 1997 for the PlayStation. The game was another in a long line of platformers with cute mascots for the console, due in part to Sony’s drive to try and find a mascot to stick its brand to. This hope was due to the marketing powers that characters like Mario and Sonic afforded developers, which helped fuel Sony’s mad dash.

Developed by Argonaut Software and released by Fox Interactive, Croc: Legend of the Gobbos was truly a product of its time, being a platformer with minimal combat options. Croc was received relatively well. with reviewers praising the game’s cute designs and music, but there was a lot of criticism around the controls and the camera. Croc: Legend of the Gobbos controls are very tanky, with Croc having to turn slowly before moving in any direction (hence the phrase “tanky”), and the graphics were nothing special for the time.

However, there was enough for the studio to begin work on a sequel which would prove to be more popular than its predecessor. Croc 2 took the original game and improved upon it in nearly every way imaginable. The gameplay was improved, with combat taking more focus, and the tanky controls were streamlined to fit the more common design methods. The plot was also expanded upon, and Croc and his Gobbos were given a little more character to work with. However, there were some complaints about the game’s difficulty, which was surprisingly tough for a game aimed towards children. Croc 2 was popular, but sadly it wasn't able to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the likes of Crash and Spyro, and the series fell out of production.

While I have been talking about the actual games, I have failed to explain who the character is and the world, so let's rectify that. Croc is, well, okay he is a crocodile, it is a bit on the nose, but that’s how the PlayStation was sometimes. Croc is an orphan who was found and adopted by the Gobbos, essentially small furry creatures with the tendency to get kidnapped. The first game explores that tendency when an evil being known as Baron Dante kidnaps the Gobbos and takes over the island. Croc will need to explore several levels to rescue his adopted people and stop the evil Baron.

The second game follows Croc as he seeks out his parents, although most of the Gobbos are kidnapped by a resurrected Baron Dante for good measure. Croc will have to face his adversary one last time and finally meet his lost parents and family. Well, unless you count the secret real ending where you must collect everything and travel to a new dimension to find missing eggs. Overall Croc’s plot wasn’t anything special, and it wasn’t anything players hadn’t seen before. However, everyone I know that has played it holds it in a special place in their heart. It wasn’t the greatest game, but the adorable crocodile searching for his missing parents was a story that was just pleasant to experience. Although, as mentioned, many people never actually finished the second game because it was easily the DARK SOULS of its time. Well, probably not, but it’s a fun phrase to give any game.

The promise of a remake has been on the cards for a while, but there was never any real confirmation. However, fans and new players alike will soon get a chance to play through the story of a little Crocodile adopted by fuzzballs. Will this be the resurrection the character needs? Probably not, but is it one that will draw plenty of attention? Well, one can hope and pray that Croc HD brings back one of the favourites from a bygone age.