Tomba! and Tomba! 2
オレっ!トンバ (Ore! Tonba) / トンバ！ ザ・ワイルドアドベンチャー (Tomba! The Wild Adventures)
Tomba! and Tomba! 2: The Evil Swine Return are two platform-adventure games that did not gain much attention before Whoopee Camp, the game’s developer, went out of business. Please note that because I’m American, we’ll refer to the game as “Tomba” and not “Tombi”. If you live in the PAL regions, you will refer to Tomba as “Tombi”.
Tomba!
Known as Tombi! in Europe and Ore! Tonba (オレっ!トンバ, Ore! Tonba, lit. “Me! Tomba”) in its native Japan, Tomba! was released in Japan on December 25 (Christmas Day), 1997, and in other territories the following year. The game centers on the eponymous feral child named Tomba/Tombi as he attempts to recover his grandfather’s bracelet from an evil race of anthropomorphic pigs. Tomba!’s score was composed by Fujiwara’s longtime Capcom collaborator Harumi Fujita, who eagerly approached Fujiwara for a position upon learning of Whoopee Camp’s establishment.
Makaimura/Ghosts ‘n Goblins creator Tokuro Fujiwara developed Tomba! after leaving Capcom in 1995, founding Whoopee Camp as director, producer, and lead designer. He chose the game’s 2D side-scrolling perspective for the format’s straightforward nature and created a non-linear “event” system to differentiate the game from other platforming titles. Tomba! was received positively by critics, with praise for its controls, visuals, and varied gameplay objectives. However, the game’s audio received a mixed reception. The player controls the titular character Tomba, who must explore his home island, defeat the evil Koma Pigs, and recover his grandfather’s golden bracelet. Most of the game takes place in a side-scrolling perspective. However, Tomba can occasionally climb over walls to move between the foreground and background as separate areas. Some areas allow the player to explore them in an isometric view. Along with the ability to jump, Tomba can attack enemy characters by leaping onto and biting into their back before tossing them in a straightforward trajectory. Tomba can also attack enemies by obtaining weapons like flails and boomerangs. Signposts scattered throughout the environment state how to use the game’s controls and abilities, while a select few can be used to save the player’s progress.
When Tomba interacts with a certain character or environmental element, an “event” may be initiated, in which Tomba is given a task to accomplish or an obstacle to overcome. Such events may consist of finding a lost item, rescuing a stranded character, or clearing a blockade in the imminent path. Upon completing an event, the player is rewarded with “Adventure Points”, which can be used to access additional events and unlock specifically-marked chests. Multiple events can be undertaken at once and often do not require being cleared in any specific order. The game features an inventory system that displays the player’s current collection of items and events. The game includes a total of 130 events. The player begins the game with a maximum of four “vitality points” that are represented as a series of yellow bars on the upper-left corner of the screen. Tomba loses a vitality point if he is hit by an enemy, touches a sharp object, or falls into deep water. Vitality points can be restored by eating fruit. When all vitality points are depleted or if Tomba falls down a bottomless chasm, the player loses a life. The game ends when all lives are exhausted.
Though Whoopee Camp retained a close relationship with Capcom, the North American publishing rights for Tomba! were given to Sony Computer Entertainment. Tomba! was released in North America on July 16, 1998, and in Europe on August 28, 1998. The international release was improved, with shorter load times, more responsive controls, Gouraud shading on background elements, and other visual improvements. Erik Engström of Hardcore Gaming 101 speculated that the change was motivated by the fact that “tomba” is an Italian word meaning “grave”. The opening theme for the European version is “No Sweat” by North & South, which was also used as the theme song of the television series of the same name.
The game’s Japanese version features the song “Paradise” by Tokyo Q Channel (split in 1998) as its opening theme, and “Que Serã Serã” by Fumitaka Fuchigami as the ending theme.
Tomba! 2: The Evil Swine Return
Known as Tombi! 2 in Europe and Tomba! The Wild Adventures (トンバ！ ザ・ワイルドアドベンチャー, Tonba! Za Wairudo Adobenchā) in Japan, and simply known as Tomba! 2 in North America, is the sequel to the first game. The game was released in Japan on October 28, 1999, in North America on January 18, 2000, and in Europe on June 16, 2000. Like the first game, the player returns to the role of Tomba as he attempts to rescue his friend Tabby from an evil race of anthropomorphic pigs, and cannot speak. Zippo (Scara in Japan) is an anthropomorphic ladybug who resides in Tomba’s hair and often speaks for the main protagonist, similar to Link from the Zelda franchise.
While Tomba! 2: The Evil Swine Return retains the basic game mechanics and “event” system of its predecessor, it features the additions of fully 3D environments and an assortment of collectible suits that augment Tomba’s abilities. The game was received positively by critics, with particular praise going to the gameplay variety, controls, and visuals. Reception to the audio was mixed, and criticism was directed at the large number of tedious events and simplistic, repetitive boss battles.
The gameplay is similar to the first game, except the game is displayed in a full three-dimensional perspective in which movement is performed on predetermined linear paths, as opposed to the first game’s 2D perspective. Unlike the first game, this game does not use lives, as the player can continue many times when the game ends prematurely.
Whoopee Camp founder Tokuro Fujiwara transferred directorial duty to Kuniaki Kakuwa but retained his other positions in development. A fully polygonal approach was applied to the game’s graphics to achieve a greater freedom in expression. This shift to three-dimensional graphics allowed for concepts that were not possible in the previous title, such as dynamic camera movement during cutscenes. Despite the change in graphics, the first game’s basic systems and gameplay were preserved to not alienate players of the previous title. Hidetaka Suehiro (known as SWERY or Swery65) provided level design for the latter half of the game and set up the AI movement for the enemy characters. The music was composed by Shiina Ozawa, with a new score by the late Ashif Hakik being recorded for the international version. The game’s introduction video in the Western releases was edited from the original Japanese version and features different background music. The English-language voices were provided by the (now-closed) Actors Phantasy Company. The North American release date for the game was announced by Sony on November 11, 1999.
Both games faced a lackluster performance due to the very low availability of the games in stores, and as a result, they never attained a Greatest Hits/Platinum status. For the first game, it sold an estimated 60,000–80,000 copies in its native Japan, 150,000 copies in North America, 100,000 copies in Europe, and 20,000 copies in other countries. The second game sold the same estimated number of copies in its native Japan as the first game, 160,000 copies in North America, 110,000 copies in Europe, and 20,000 copies in other countries. Whoopee Camp called it quits in 2000 following the second game’s release, with much of its former staff later transferring to Access Games. Today, both Tomba! games are very rare and sold at high prices. The developer’s website, formerly located at http://www.whoopeecamp.co.jp/ (in Japanese), is no longer available and can only be accessed by using the Wayback Machine.
This post was originally written on January 6, 2020, and has been updated on November 13, 2023.
