The story goes something like this: Tomba, a wild animal boy who has a fetish for beating up pigs, receives a letter one day. It would seem Tomba's girlfriend Tabby is in trouble and thus it's up to our pink-haired protagonist to save her. That's the story in a nutshell, and I'm kind of glad; it's about time I saw a game that didn't try to take itself so seriously. If you are interested in plot over game mechanics though, cut-scenes take place to further the tale, assign new objectives, and such. As an added feature, characters have voice actors...but it's better if you turn them off. The most annoyingly horrid 'acting' (think Resident Evil but not as funny) takes place throughout, so it's just better to read what's going on.

So if the story is simple, what's supposed to keep players interested? The structure of Tomba 2's gameplay is best described as a hybrid platform/scavenger hunt. Levels are very linear and can be revisited, but there is no hub system. So being at level 4 and wanting to be at level 1 requires going through everything in between. This is cool but at the same time a pain because backtracking is essential in Tomba 2. As the game begins, Tomba comes across problems and side quests, some of which have to be finished in order to move onward. While some objectives can be accomplished within a level, there will be many times where the solution to a problem lies in a different level altogether. On one hand, this keeps the things challenging because gamers will have to move back and forth to get things done. On the other hand, this becomes a pain when you come across a brand new task, and have no clue where the needed item is. All old territory becomes fair game for exploration, which can turn the game tedious. There were quite a few times where I had to finish something before moving on, only to have no clue as to where to go. Spending a few hours searching for one thing can be a bore, but there are items in the game that can warp Tomba to past levels which helps a lot.

To aid in his search for Tabby, Tomba can arm himself to the teeth. Weapons from the first Tomba are back, along with new instruments of pig spanking. Weild ice boomerangs, they ever popular blackjack, and even magic in the search for Tabby. There's a wide list of items too, most of which are used to complete tasks but some can fill Tomba's life and magic, relieve him of status ailments, etc. The biggest change over the first game would have to be our hero's new wardrobe. No longer confined to just a loincloth, Tomba can wear different outfits that enable him to float, swim, run faster, and ever talk to pigs.

I'm not too fond of treasure seeking quests, but Tomba 2's gameplay successfully executes as a solid platform that also happens to be one of my favorite genres. The graphics are totally 3D, but the movement is entirely X- and Y-axis oriented. Sometimes the game allows movement in and out of the level, but gameplay is essentially 2D. Jumping from spot to spot, crossing wide chasms, and laying the smack down on Evil Pigs is simple, effective, and fun. It's safe to say that I didn't mind hunting down items, because it's a romp to look around. However, the elements still can't help the game when I've searched endlessly throughout a level and can't find what I'm looking for. Some items are hidden obscurely, and the 'hints' that villagers give are confusing for the most part. Being stuck in this game reminds a bit of Zelda: A Link to the Past; when you're stuck, you're SCREWED.

Digressing, let's take a look at the graphics. This is where the game stumbles a bit; being totally 3D is hard to task to handle, especially when a game is filled to the brim with objects like Tomba 2. The PSX is starting to show it's age as textures are blocky, break up occurs quite a bit, and a lot pop up happens. Character models are pretty basic, and I could swear that Tomba's hands and feet are just made up of a polygon for each. On a positive note, the enemies and our pink pal animate well, and the diversity of textures used in areas is staggering. Also, even though areas are modeled pretty basic, they are charming and nice to look at anyway. Lush tropics by the beach, spooky forests, and snow filled ranches are just a few of the areas that await; Tomba 2 in my opinion really pushes the PlayStation's capabilities to the fullest.

Where the game really suffers is in the audio department. Aside from the laughable voice acting, the game's tunes are decent at best and loop after a minute or two. Each level is composed of synthesized anthems (i.e. steel drums for the beach, sled-riding tunes in the snow, etc.) The problem is that the music is uninspired for the most part, and what's pleasant is short. The sound effects are clear and clean, complete with pig squeals and Tomba's rather interesting voice. Decent sound bytes hardly make up for poor voice acting and mediocre music. It might be better to just turn the volume down on this one.

In conclusion, I came away from Tomba 2 pretty satisfied. Fun gameplay combined with a large adventure helped me forget any shortcomings the game had in the audio and visual departments. Although I still like the first Tomba over this, I can honestly say fans of the pink-haired marvel (and action titles in general) will be pleased with Whoopie Camp's latest offering. My highest recommendation would be at least to give Tomba 2 a rental, especially if you're looking for a new platform title to pique your interest. Who knows, maybe this will turn a few more gamers into platform junkies?

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