Argonaut Games has revealed that the studio has reformed, and is starting this new era by releasing a remaster of one of their beloved PS1/Saturn games, Croc: Legend of the Gobbos. It’s coming to current consoles and PC.
Argonaut Games started off as a studio that developed games alongside cutting-edge hardware. They were responsible for the SNES FX chip that enabled 3D graphics on the console, as well as Star Fox and Stunt Racer FX, along with the lesser-known Vortex. Released in 1997, Croc: Legend of the Gobbos was one of their better-received post-Nintendo titles. I personally like Buck Bumble better, but the last time I played it was, uh, 25 years ago.
After a series of setbacks, the studio closed down. Their last game was Catwoman, an adaptation of the 2004 movie featuring Halle Berry. It was hilariously bad. I played through it, and, at times, I found it bordering on torturous. However, it did have some pretty great looking puddles for some reason.
For the remaster, it largely looks like everything was given the polishing brush. That is to say, it looks to be mostly the same, but all the polygonal edges have been sanded down. It’s kind of a weird effect. Everything is so smooth but still so basic. Some of the textures are a lot blurrier than others, which bothers me most of all, so I’m hoping we see a bit more consistency in the final release.
On top of that, there will be a “Crocipedia” that features “extensive and meticulously curated digital museum containing long-lost development assets such as game design documents, concept art, animation tests, team member interviews, and much more.”
I own Croc: Legend of the Gobbos on PS1, and I can’t say I love it. I think it’s the simple environments that bring it down for me. I do have some fondness for Argonaut and their contributions, so I’d be down for giving it another try. However, I’m more interested in what comes next for the company.
Croc: Legend of the Gobbos is coming to “current consoles” and PC later this year.
