Croc: Legend of the Gobbos, known as Croc! Pau-Pau Island in Japan, is a PlayStation game released in 1997 by Argonaut Software.
Plot[]
The Gobbo King Rufus is watching the sunset when he notices a small basket in the lake, containing a small, screaming baby crocodile. The Gobbos raise him and train him to become one of their own. Croc eventually grows to twice the size of a normal Gobbo.
All is peaceful, until one day, one of the Gobbos shouts out a warning... " Dantinis!". Suddenly, the evil Baron Dante arrives and invades Gobbo Island with the help of his demon rascals, the Dantinis. He imprisons many of the Gobbos, most notably their King, whom he keeps in a steel cage within his castle island. Before the Gobbo King is taken, he strikes a magical gong that summons a yellow bird called Beany. Beany shrinks Croc before whisking him away to safety. Croc then goes on a quest to free all the Gobbos and defeat the evil Baron Dante himself.
Gameplay[]
Croc is a 3D platformer, with levels that are a bit free-roaming. Croc can also slide from corner to corner easily and turn back very easily. Croc collects crystals to fill his health and (much like Sonic the Hedgehog's health system) every time he gets hit, he loses all of his crystals. If he gets hit by an enemy with no crystals, he dies and loses a life. However, if he collects 100 crystals, he gains a life.
Each level contains 6 Gobbos needed to continue the game. The last Gobbo is hidden in a room which requires Croc to get all colored gems to advance. There are 5 worlds in the whole entire game, such as:
- Volcano Island
- Ice Island
- Desert Island
- Baron Dante's Castle
- Crystal Island
In addition, bonus levels are unlocked by collecting ever Gobbo before a boss level. These bonus levels allow Croc to collect jigsaw pieces. When all of the jigsaw pieces are collected, a new island, called Secret Island, is opened up. This island consists of four levels and a showdown with the final boss, Baron Dante's spirit trapped in crystal.
Development[]
Croc: Legend of the Gobbos started development as a 3D platform game Mario spinoff starring Yoshi that was intended to be made exclusively for Nintendo 64. Argonaut pitched the game to Nintendo but was rejected. Argonaut went off to find another publisher to make the game for them.
Reception[]
The game received mixed to positive reviews. Critics praised the graphics, gameplay, and music while criticizing the camera angles and repetition. This game became a bestseller in the UK for two months and was Argonaut's best-selling title.