‘Tomba! Special Edition’ Reminds Us Why PlayStation Reigned Supreme

If you’re a gamer of a certain, shall we say, vintage, then you’ll remember a time when PlayStation was less Spider-Man, God of War and The Last of Us and more PaRappa the Rapper, Crash Bandicoot, Jet Moto, The Legend of Dragoon and Blasto. Was the brand better back then? Not necessarily, but definitely different, although I have my retro bias.

A strange, quirky, exclusive PS1 title that was published by an arguably less risk-averse Sony Computer Entertainment in North America back in 1998 was Whoopee Camp’s Tomba!, a 2.5D platformer starring a pink-haired islander who has a really hard time with a stolen bracelet and some grumpy pigs. I’d wager most of us were introduced to the game via various demo discs, and as I’ve stated before, I didn’t even own the full retail release until much later. Thanks eBay.

Starting today, you don’t need to pay ridiculous secondhand prices for a scratched disc copy anymore, because Tomba! Special Edition has quietly made its way onto PS5, Nintendo Switch and Steam for an affordable $19.99. No Xbox, sadly. Granted, you may have already purchased the game digitally on PS3 or Vita by way of the PlayStation Classics back in the day, but as far as I know, you can’t run that particular version of the game on modern PlayStation hardware.

Additionally, there’s some really rad Tomba! merch available on LRG’s online store, like a hat, t-shirt and several plush characters. I might have to partake. As in, immediately. Can you imagine stumbling across official Tomba! merchandise in 1998? Where’s my fainting couch.

Tomba! Special Edition comes packed with various bonuses, like save states, a rewind feature, a remastered soundtrack, an interview with ex-Capcom creator Tokuro Fujiwara, and probably best of all, a museum mode where you can peruse cool stuff such as development documents, retail packaging, the scanned original software manual, art assets and throwback advertisements. Very awesome, indeed.

What’s rather disappointing is that, apparently, this ‘new and improved’ version isn’t an enhanced port of Tomba!, but instead the literal old ROM running on Limited Run Games’ emulation Carbon Engine, with some quality-of-life improvements thrown in for good measure.

It’s Tomba! from 1998, just as we remember it, seemingly, while being able to save anywhere, turn back in-game time, listen to polished/updated audio and browse historical documents. This isn’t a bad thing, necessarily, but it does feel a tad low effort, especially when general PS1 emulation is so ubiquitous and accessible. I suppose the LRG version has leverage here on the simple grounds that it’s, you know, legal to download and play. How nice.

That said, I’m still excited to check out this Carbon Engine variant of a seminal experience that helped define my gaming youth, and furthermore, gave me a lasting preference for odd titles that aren’t afraid to push bizarre boundaries. There’s a reason ‘90s PlayStation still holds a special place in my heart, and why Sony was able to create and sustain the empire that went on to totally dominate the industry: Taking risks on grass pants and stealing swine, obviously.