Croc: Legend of the Gobbos

"Croc: Legend of the Gobbos" is the game that started it all. Developed by Argonaut Software and published by Fox Interactive in 1997, it was created and released for Game Boy Color, PlayStation, Sega Saturn, and Windows. In Japan, this game can be found as: "Croc: Pau Pau Island!"

The game employs the use of a stunning 3-D environment and the scenery in the game is amazing, intriging, adorable, and calming all at once. The game itself is beautiful, and the music at times can be haunting, calming, and lovely.The characters, even if they appeared only one time or is a boss, are quite memorable and charming. A must-play for any Croc fan out there.


 * Released: September 29, 1997

Plot
One day a small black basket washed up on shore, containing a small, screaming baby crocodile. King Rufus, along with all of the other Gobbos on Forest Island, raised the crocodile in the ways of the Gobbos. And, after much contemplation, named him Croc. Croc was a vegetarian, ate only peas. After many years on the island, Croc and the Gobbos had established what is known as a close relationship. So when the evil Baron Dante 1 showed up, King Rufus strapped a backpack to Croc's back and had Beany Bird take Croc to safety. Croc then became determined to rescue the Gobbos from the evil clutches of Baron Dante.

Gameplay
There are four accessible islands and one secret island; with the order being Forest Island,Ice Island, Desert Island and Castle Island. The secret Crystal Island can only be accessed when the player collects all 8 jigsaw pieces.

Each of the four main Islands contain six normal levels, in which Croc has to collect six Gobbos and five Colored Crystals. The Colored Crystals open the Crystal Door at the end of each normal level which contains the sixth gobbo. This is usually the hardest part of the level.

Each Island also contains two Boss Levels, in which Croc does not collect any Gobbos or Coloured Crystals; but instead has the option to gather regular crystals/hearts and fight a boss in the last section of the level. He must defeat the boss to progress to the next set of levels.

Once Croc has finished 3 normal levels and the corresponding boss level, a hiden jigsaw level will be be revealed providing he has collected all 6 Gobbos in each set of three levels. The jigsaw levels contain normal crystals and hearts. When Croc obtains the jigsaw piece the level concludes.

Items/Interactive Elements
See Items in Croc: Legend of the Gobbos for full list of items.

Switches/Buttons: Often you will come across Switches/Buttons on the floor. Jumping on one may make a platform move, or appear. Some Switches/Buttons reset themselves after a set time.

Monkey Bars: These allow you to swing hand over hand across dangerous parts of a level (such as lava pits, bottomless pits or electrified water). You can swing below them, or if you can jump high enough, run along the top.

Climbable Walls: Although you can’t climb up most walls, certain areas have Climbable Walls. Look for ridges and notches on walls to see if you can climb up.

Beany Gong: Hit the Gong at the end of the level, and Beany the Bird will swoop down and whisk you off to the next level of your choosing.

Obstacles
Just like any other platformer game, Croc must overcome certain obstacles to complete his journey.

Dantinis
Dantinis are the most common NPC enemies in the game. They are in league with the main protagonist of the game Baron Dante, and are scattered throughout the game in order to stop Croc from completing his misison. They all come with different abilities, including fireballs, flying, snowballs, running, swimming and even one that steals gobbos! See Dantinis page for more information.

Bosses
Croc will have to face 8 stage bosses including one secret one, two on each island and one on the last one. See Bosses for more information.

Reception
Croc: Legend of the Gobbos got mainly positive reviews:


 * Electronic Gaming Monthly - 7.5/10
 * Game Revolution - B
 * Official Playstation Magazine - 4/5
 * IGn - 8/10
 * Aboslute Playstation - 91/100
 * GamePro - 4.5/5

However, Gamespot gave the game a score of 5.8, labelled: 'Mediocre'. They cited that it was "a handsomely sized game" but "just didn't live up to its potential"...which is just an outright lie.

Croc! Pau Pau Island
Croc: Pau Pau Island is the Japanese released version of Croc! Legend of the Gobbos. The cover seems to depict Croc and three Gobbos standing on a real island (with palm trees, something not in the game) with another tropical island in the background. Everywhere else in the world Croc was published by Fox Interactive, but both Pau Pau Island and Croc Adventure were published (in Japan) by Mitsui Media Quest.

Trivia

 * Due to a bug in the game Croc's head was missing in the original UK release on Saturn. There was a yellow piece of paper that was quickly bundled into the games' case explaining to the gamer how to solve the problem.
 * The demo can still be downloaded here

Gobbo Timeline
When Croc Appears→ Invasion of Gobbo Valley→ Croc: Legend of the Gobbos→ Croc 2→ Beyond