"Tomba!" is a side-scrolling action-adventure platforming video game from the PlayStation 1 (PS1) era that utilized the console's ability to render 3D graphics to its advantage. It is also one of the many platforming games released in the late 90s, like "Spyro the Dragon" on the PS1, "Super Mario 64," and "Banjo-Kazooie" for the Nintendo 64.
Tomba, the titular character, and the game itself are named differently depending on which region the game was released. According to the Tomba! Wiki, those who played the Japanese and North American release of the game know it and its titular character as Tomba, while those who played the PAL or the European version got to know the game and the titular character as Tombi.
What You Have to Know About 'Tomba!'
— Tomba Club (@TombaClub) February 26, 2022
"Tomba!" and its sequel, "Tomba! 2: The Evil Swine Return," were developed by Japanese game studio Whoopee Camp under the direction of the company's founder, Tokuro Fujiwara. Fujiwara was previously employed in Capcom before he left in December 1995 due to his desire to "create new and original games."
By this he meant something that was considered impossible to do within Capcom, per a Polygon article.
Interestingly, he worked as the general producer of the first "Resident Evil" game before leaving Capcom to establish Whoopee Camp, per Moby Games' entry of "Resident Evil."
In the two games, players join Tomba as he journeys to retrieve his golden bracelet and rid the continent of the Koma Pigs' evil and greed for everything gold, as was the case for the first game.
In the second game, the goal was to rescue a friend, Tabby, and defeat the curses on various towns laid by the Evil Pigs, according to the Tomba! Wiki.
As with any side scrollers, players navigate the game by going towards the other side of the screen while avoiding obstacles, fighting enemies and collecting items to name a few. Tomba can also attack enemies with weapons the player finds or jump them a la Mario and get experience and level up abilities, per the Tomba! Wiki.
"Tomba! 2" retains its predecessor's gameplay but has replaced the first game's 2D sprites with 3D models, while some stages give players a full 3D view instead of accessing it through climbing walls, according to a separate Tomba! Wiki page.
The sequel also added primary and secondary events that players would either clear automatically as the game progresses, as is the case with the former, or an optional goal, as is the case with the latter.
Revival in the Modern Era
Although both "Tomba!" games were released for the PS1, video game publisher Monkey Paw Games decided to bring them back for the new generation of gamers to experience a game that was beloved by both fans and critics.
The developer released the first "Tomba!" game in June 2012 on the PlayStation Store's (PS Store) PSOne Classics section according to PlayStation Blog's article.
Meanwhile, "Tomba! 2," or at least its Japanese version, came to the PS Store in February 2014, with its English release arriving in November 2015, per a separate PlayStation Blog and Gaming Age's articles on the game.
Unfortunately, the games seem to be silently delisted from the PS Store as part of Sony's move to close the PlayStation Store for the PlayStation 3 and Vita, which was discontinued on April 19, 2021, per a separate PlayStation Blog article.
It isn't clear if the games have made a return, but they could be a part of PlayStation's new game pass codenamed "Project Spartacus", as reported by GameRanx.
