Croc: Legend of the Gobbos

"Croc: Legend of the Gobbos" is first of the Croc video game series. 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 (PC). In Japan, the game was released 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.



Also see the sequel: Croc 2.
 * Released: September 29, 1997

Plot
On an island inhabited by small furry creatures called Gobbos, King Rufus, their leader, notices a small black basket abandoned in a lake containing a small, screaming baby crocodile. King Rufus, along with all of the other Gobbos on Volcano Island, raised the crocodile in the ways of the Gobbos. Croc was a vegetarian who ate mostly peas. After some time on the island, Croc and the Gobbos had established a close relationship until one day the evil Baron Dante showed up, along with his minion Dantinis. They kidnapped several Gobbos including King Rufus after he strapped a backpack to Croc's back and had Beany Bird take Croc to safety. Croc then became determined to rescue the Gobbos and King Rufus from the evil clutches of Baron Dante.

Gameplay and Levels
For a walkthrough of the game, please see the article. There are four accessible islands and one secret island in the game which can only be unlocked by collecting 8 Jigsaw Pieces in the game: Note that the secret Crystal/Secret Island can only be accessed when the player collects all 8 jigsaw pieces from the 8 secret levels in the game.
 * Forest Island
 * ,Ice Island
 * Desert Island
 * Castle Island
 * Crystal/Secret Island

Each of the four main Islands contain six 'normal levels', in which Croc has to collect six Gobbos and five Coloured Crystals. The Coloured Crystals open the Crystal Door at the end of each normal level which contains the sixth and final Gobbo. This is usually the hardest part of the level and often contains a challenge which Croc must complete to get the Gobbo.

Each Island also contains two Boss Levels; one halfway to completion of the island and the other after all six normal levels are complete. Croc does not collect any Gobbos or Coloured Crystals in these levels, but can gather regular crystals and lives and must defeat the 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 three normal levels and the corresponding boss level, a secret level will be be revealed providing he has collected all six Gobbos in each set of three levels. These levels contain normal crystals and hearts but not Gobbos. Instead of swiping the Beany Bird Gong to end the level, Croc must find the Jigsaw Piece at the end to finish the level. After both bosses of an island are defeated, the next island unlocks and Croc must continue through the levels until reaching the eighth boss level, Baron Dante's Funky Inferno in which he must defeat Baron Dante  on the  Castle Island. If all Gobbos, jigsaw pieces and secret levels are complete, Croc assembles all the pieces to create a new secret island known as the Crystal Island. This island contains only 5 levels, considerably more difficult than previous levels without Gobbos or crystal doors, and each level's theme seems to come from each main island. In the final level Secret Sentinel, Croc must defeat the Secret Sentinel, a ghost ve rsion of Baron Dante. Croc must defeat this boss to fully complete the game.

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 enemies in the game. They are in league with the main antagonist 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 eight bosses including one secret one, two on each island and one on the secret island. See Bosses for more information.

Pits
Pits are found in levels which Croc will lose a life or crystals if he falls in them. If he falls in a bottomless pit or a cliff edge, he will lose a life regardless of the crystals he has. Other pits allow him to lose crystals if he has any and he may be able to escape the pit without losing a life.
 * Lava
 * Bottomless Pits
 * Electrified Water
 * Cliff Edges

Reception
Croc: Legend of the Gobbos received mixed to positive reviews upon release. Aggregating review website GameRankings gave the PlayStation version 79.14% the Sega Saturn version 76.67%,   the PC version 60.50%   and the Game Boy Color version 54.00%. Praise went to the game's graphics, unique gameplay and music whilst criticisms went to the game's camera angles and repetition.

Croc: Legend of the Gobbos was a bestseller in the UK for 2 months It was Argonaut Games' best-selling title.


 * 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".

Cheats, Hints and Tips
See the Cheats, Hints, and Tips article for full details.

Glitches

 * 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 Croc Legend of the Gobbos - Floating Croc glitch (works only in PlayStation) games' case explaining to the gamer how to solve the problem.
 * A glitch in the PlayStation version of the game allowed Croc to hover in the air by jumping and tail-swiping in the air while quickly jumping, and if done correctly, will make Croc hover above ground.
 * Another glitch involves Croc getting more than the maximum seven gobbos in a level. This is known to happen in the first level And So The Adventure Begins and the ice level Riot Brrr. See the videos for the glitches.

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.

Demo
The demo can still be downloaded here

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