Back in 1996, video games were an entirely different world. The luckiest of gamers had jumped across to new consoles capable of 3D visuals, with games like Super Mario 64 and Crash Bandicoot setting the world on fire. With the power of the PS1 and the Nintendo 64, I went from playing nothing but 2D platformers to nothing but 3D platformers, and I loved it. So many magical games I’d never forget entered my life, like Banjo Kazooie and Spyro the Dragon. I was less familiar with Croc, but enjoyed my time with him and his Gobbos while staying with friends. I never touched Croc 2: Kingdom of the Gobbos though, and a remaster was the perfect way to see if it held up in 2026.
As you might expect from a nineties mascot platformer, Croc 2 doesn’t really feature much of a story. The evil Baron Dante is back from the dead, and is causing havoc for the little fuzzy creatures you loved in the first game. You’ll get little bits of motivation from the Gobbos you meet in the hub world about each stage, but ultimately it’s maybe a short sentence about a missing sandwich. This is a platformer that was primarily aimed at kids though, so it’s all you really need.
The platforming in Croc 2 is functional, if a little basic. Croc has all his same moves from the first game, with a jump, a tail slap and a stomp at his disposal. You’ll need nothing else to deal with various green monsters, or navigate pits of lava. Croc is a simple platforming hero from a simple time, and if you’re looking for more than that then you should go elsewhere.
This doesn’t take away from what makes Croc 2: Kingdom of the Gobbos tick though. The stages have a nice variety of goals to complete, which shift the way you play them. Some involve chasing down an enemy or train, others feature a bunch of things to collect across a less linear stage. There are even stages where you’ll race in boats and navigate mazes while rolling a snowball. Croc 2 is determined to entertain with sheer variety, and while it impressed me initially it didn’t take too long for the wheels to fall off.
While the more standard platforming stages of Croc 2 are often entertaining, many of the more unique offerings are just a bit lacking. The snowball rolling stage for example doesn’t get the physics right at all, and because of this lands somewhere between boring and frustrating. The boat racing feels like someone took all the fun and fluidity out of Mario Kart, whereas an early mine cart stage forces you to go back and forth on minute long rails for missing single collectibles. When other 3D platformers were showing off variety in style, Croc 2 just throws multiple types of dull gameplay at the wall.
Another way Croc 2: Kingdom of the Gobbos attempts and fails to evolve is by adding in a hub world and a shop where you can buy items. These all help you access new areas, but are frustratingly one time use. This means before each stage you need to bulk buy trampolines and robots to even have a chance of hitting 100% completion on it, and it’s just incredibly unnecessary. While so much simpler, the first Croc game is still so much better than its sequel.
As part of the Remastered package, Croc 2 also features a museum of extras to check out. Some of these are cute like the ridiculous nineties adverts and expensive E3 booth setups, others are a little lacking. After absolutely devouring the interviews in Toy Story Retro Roundup I was happy to see so many similar videos about Croc, and was rather disappointed. The people interviewed stretch the truth about Croc’s place in history on multiple occasions, and often do so while punching down on other platforming heroes (who frankly appeared in much better games by both historic and modern standards). These just rubbed me up the wrong way, and didn’t provide the interesting facts about development I was looking for at all.
I do my best to play every 3D platformer the world throws my way, and Croc 2: Kingdom of the Gobbos is sadly one of my least favourites. Even outside of the issues that must have always plagued Croc 2 this remaster is a lacklustre package, in large part thanks to the interviews which don’t live up to other remasters of classics. You can easily find plenty of better platforming options from across history, and I’d advise just that.
