Has a surprising amount of depth for what it is. Going for the room clear bonus involves carefully maneuvering around enemies and power-ups as you have to use the appropriate weapon for each enemy, which makes the mechanic of getting random items from presents a lot more important than how it first seems. There's a lot to like here, but I still wasn't necessarily motivated to seek out more than what I've seen. To be fair I played the Namco Museum PS1 version, which I can definitely tell isn't the most up to snuff version of this game. Two player would probably be fun, and also way easier, possibly too easy? Someone on here with friends let me know what it's like.

This is definitely a personal favorite of mine, as it's a game that I grew up with and played all the time on PS1. But nostalgia aside, I still think this is a really solid game. Similar to Robotron, the action takes place throughout multiple waves and involves blasting all of the evil toys. However, what you really want to go for are the hearts, as getting enough opens the door to let you exit the level. The power up system is one of the most unique things about this game. Each enemy is weak to a specific power up, and will not be affected by any other power ups. For example, a balloon can be destroyed with a thumbtack, but not with bombs. So, part of the challenge is to make sure that you have the right power ups for the right occasions. Certain power ups also have their own unique attributes. For example, bombs can clear multiple spaces at once, much like in Bomberman. And lightning bolts can stun any enemy, but can only destroy the robots. The graphics are extremely charming, with a nice fairy tale aesthetic and tons of cute characters. You can't help but love all the toys, even though they're the enemies. The music is also one of Namco's finest and most catchy tunes ever, right up there with the Mappy theme for me. The game also provides a pretty lengthy main quest, with 44 levels to finish. Bonus stages where you have to jump and catch apples help to spice up the game as well. The biggest shortcoming of this game is its difficulty. Trying to get the right power up can be a bit annoying, as you can only rely on the randomized present boxes to give you what you need. Enemies can also get pretty nasty later on, as their movement patterns can be somewhat unpredictable. The final boss is also pretty stupid, as it constantly fires projectiles with very little opportunity to use cover. Even with its issue, Toypop remains one of my all time favorite arcade games. And best of all, you can have a buddy join in for simultaneous two player action. If you can find a way to play it, I would highly recommend giving it a shot.