Croc 2

Croc 2 (working title, Croc II), released in 1999, is the sequel to Croc: Legend of the Gobbos. It was developed by Argonaut Games PLC and published by Fox Interactive. Croc 2 was released on Sony PlayStation and PC. A Gameboy Color version called Croc 2 was released in 2001.

Storyline
Previously... A baby Crocodile was found by the friendly Gobbos, a race consisting of cute little fur balls who inhabit the Gobbo Islands. Rufus, King of the Gobbos adopted the foundling, and with the help of the rest of the tribe, raised him, teaching him the ways of the Gobbos.

All was well until, one day, the evil Baron Dante arrived in the valley where the Gobbos lived. Dante was an evil wizard who took great pleasure in inflicting pain and suffering on others. Sickened by the happy Gobbos, he and his rampaging Dantinis swept into the Gobbo Valley capturing the Gobbos. King Rufus was taken by Baron Dante 1 himself and kept in a Cage inside his Tower of Terror.

Croc managed to avoid capture, but he was left all alone. He knew he had to try to help the Gobbos any way that he could and that he must save the King from Baron Dante 1. After many adventures, Croc succeeded in freeing the Gobbos, defeating the Baron, and saving their King. Everything was back to normal in Gobbo Valley and the Gobbos celebrated by erecting a statue of Croc in their valley.

Now... With Dante gone, Croc and the Gobbos have resumed their lives of playing and having fun, but meanwhile, not too far away, evil Dantinis plot the return of Baron Dante! Unfortunately, an unlucky Inventor Gobbo is captured when he witnesses Baron Dante's return.

One day, back at Gobbo Valley, Croc was playing at the beach, and finds a bottle at his feet, He picked it up and, inside, found a message with a baby crocodile footprint on it. The message explained that the senders were looking for their long-lost son. Croc was shocked. He took the message to King Rufus who read it and eventually told Croc that he would need to go to a far away land where there were other Gobbos who might be able to help him to find his parents.

With that, all the Gobbos help to make a catapult that can bring Croc all the way to the distant Mainland, where his search can begin.

Controls
Note the following is for the Playstation version only, the PC version requires either a keyboard or (preferably) an X-input controller which can mimic the Playstation control scheme.

Movement:  -with Left Analog Stick: Allows for 360 degree movement at variable speeds, depending on how far you push the stick. A very light push or twitch will turn you in that direction while staying on the spot. I recommend sticking primarily to this method of movement.

-with D-pad: Up moves Croc forward, Left/Right turns Croc in that direction, Down turns Croc in the opposite direction. Due to the speed of movement in this game compared to the first Croc, this method is more difficult to control, but it has its uses.

Side-step: [L1] or [R1]

Jump: [X]. Can move while airborne, but Croc will remain facing in the same direction as when he left the ground.

Stomp: [X], then [X] again while in the air. Smashes objects and enemies underneath Croc.

Triple Jump: [X], then [X],[X] and hold until second jump is complete. Final button press must be made before the stomp is executed.

Hop & Flip: [L1] and [R1] together while moving forward.

Attack: [Square], Croc performs a tail swipe. Can be done while in motion.

Jump Attack: [X], then [Square] while in the air. Useful for attacking large enemies.

Scroll Inventory: [L2] and [R2], continue until the desired item appears, provided that you're indeed carrying it.

Use Inventory Item: With the desired item highlighted in you knapsack icon, press [Triangle] to use the item, if permitted.

Swim: Left Analog Stick or D-pad while in water. You can jump while swimming as well.

Swing from grates: Jump up underneath one and Croc will automatically hang. Move around with the Left Stick or D-pad. Press [X] to let go, or simply move past an edge.

Swing from ropes: Jump towards a swinging rope to automatically grab it. Press [X] to let go again, ideally just before the peak of the swing so that you still have a small amount of forward momentum. If you don't press any directional buttons (or the Left Stick) as you jump off, then you should drop onto the spot just below the tip of the rope at the end of its swing.

Hang from balloon: Jump up underneath a balloon to grab its string and ride along a pre-set path.

Speed up dialogue: Hold [X].

Initiate or skip dialogue: Press [Square].

The gameplay in Croc 2 has advanced considerably compared to the previous game. Instead of simply finding six Gobbos in each level, the player must now complete various tasks.

One of the many changed elements is the health system. Instead of the extra life system that Croc: Legend of the Gobbos had, Croc now has only one life and a Heart count. Any time that Croc takes a hit, he loses one Heart. The Heart count can be restored by finding Heart Tokens in the levels, or by collecting 100 crystals. The starting maximum count for Hearts is three, but the player can buy Heart Pots from Swap Meet Pete to be able to collect more Hearts.

In each level (except Golden Gobbo levels or Guardian levels), there are 100 clear colored crystals to collect. These crystals add to Croc's total amount of funds if he exits or finishes the level alive. There are also five Colored Crystals, each of different color that must be collected if the player wants a chance to get the Golden Gobbo for the level. After getting all of the Golden Gobbos for each level, Croc can enter a Golden Gobbo Door and try to get the Jigsaw Piece from the level. After getting all four of the Jigsaw Pieces, Croc can enter the three hidden levels, which are remakes of the first three Villages full of Dantinis.

Another new aspect is Swap Meet Pete's General Store. The store is owned by a large, anthropomorphic cat, named Pete. In this store the player can buy:


 * Heart Pots, to increase their health
 * Gummi Savers (North American release) or Jelly Jumps (Other Regions), to allow them to reach high places
 * Clockwork Gobbo, to reach otherwise inaccessible areas of a level.

Pete is also capable of teleporting Croc to other Gobbo Villages with the use of his Crystal Ball.

There are four Villages Croc must traverse through before reaching the end of the game, each with Gobbos of different personalities. The four Villages are the Sailor Village, the Cossack Village, the Caveman Village, and the Inca Village. Each Village has five levels, two Guardians (with the exception of the Inca Village, which has only two levels, and one Guardian), and one Golden Gobbo level. Once the fourth Village is finished, Croc then travels to Baron Dante's Tower of Power, and once the Jigsaw Pieces are assembled, a fifth Village can be unlocked The fifth Village is a corrupted version of the Gobbo Villages, created by Dante.

Interestingly, a Western-style Village, (dubbed by fans Cowboy Village) featuring Cowboys and Native Americans, was planned but never finished.

Characters
Croc 2 features many new characters, however several characters that were featured in Croc: Legend of the Gobbos are absent, such as Beany Bird.
 * Swap Meet Pete
 * Gobbos
 * Baron Dante
 * Guardians
 * Croc

Levels
There are four types of levels in Croc 2. The Mainland consists of four Villages. In each Village, there are five normal levels, two Guardian levels and one Golden Gobbo level. In each normal level, there are five Coloured Crystals, and one Golden Gobbo. By obtaining these, the Golden Gobbo Door opens, allowing Croc to get to the Jigsaw Pieces hidden throughout the game. When any three normal levels are complete, the first Guardian level is unlocked. When all normal levels are complete, the final Guardian level is unlocked.

Normal Levels
The most common type of levels. In each one, Croc must complete a task, such as rescuing Gobbos, retrieving stolen Items, or even navigating mazes. There are also some racing levels. Each level contains five Coloured Crystals. When all are collected, Croc can transport to a secret part of the level which must be completed to get the Golden Gobbo. If he dies during that section, he must restart the level.

Guardian Levels
The Guardian levels, as the name implies, have a Guardian. Each world has two, with the exception of the Inca Village, which has only one. The player must complete any three normal levels to unlock the first Guardian level and the remaining two levels to unlock the second. Once the second Guardian has been defeated, Croc can progress to the next Village. For more information see Guardians.

Golden Gobbo Levels
After collecting the Golden Gobbo from each normal level in a Village, the Golden Gobbo Door is unlocked. When completed, Croc will get a Jigsaw Piece. When he collects all of the Jigsaw Pieces, Croc will be able to go to Baron Dante's Secret World to get the lost Crocodile Eggs.

Other Levels

 * Bride of the Dungeon of Defright
 * Goo Man Chu's Tower
 * Baron Dante's Secret World

Soundtrack

 * Karin Griffin - Composer, additional music
 * Justin Scharvona - Additional music
 * Simon Gosling - Guitars
 * Noel Langley - Trumpet
 * Gita Langley - Violin

Trivia

 * First issue copies of Croc: Legend of the Gobbos read on the back of the manual: "Croc II coming Christmas 1998."
 * Sega Saturn and Sega Dreamcast versions were planned, but were ultimately scrapped due to the consoles not selling very well.
 * Some magazines used stock art of Croc swimming underwater for promotional use. However, not only is this stock art intended for the first game, it is misleading as Croc never swims underwater in Croc 2 (although he could at one stage).
 * In addition to this, these magazines show a slightly earlier logo, where the green and yellow colours have been flipped.