heres yet more toree

this one is actually still pretty close to the predecessor in basically every way apart from the fact that theres some more focus on the speed aspect and its a damn good new addition giving toree some more dynamism

this time the levels are completely new in the same 4 + 4 + 1 formula of the first and you got a fire palace ! aka bowsers castle in super mario 64 then an oasis ! a something futuristic place and star wars so theres a lot of stuff to unpack here

the final level and the final boss was something i was not expecting compared to the last level in the first game and a damn good addition likeeeeee i dig it im sorry yall

AND THE OST UGHHHHHHHH DID YOU LISTEN TO I WANNA LOVE YOU thats my tune yall I fucking love it jesus fucking lord

ok so anyway thats it its just more toree what did you expect ? less horrorish stuff but whatever

This will sound like a backhanded compliment but it almost cozy-ifies the classic survival horror. All the basics of the genre are there - the specific suite of weapons (handgun/shotgun/magnum/flamethrower), the UI aesthetics, save rooms, post-game unlocks etc. Yet both tonally and formally it is much less oppressive. Enemies and traps are plentiful but so are resources. The nasties themselves are gruesome and the environments dingy but the writing is frequently leaning towards the humorous and compassionate. The PS1-style, avowedly FF7-evoking graphics/framing of scenes, an OST that's low-key even when dissonant and lumpy character models imbue a sense of nostalgic warmth into things.

The game still carries an unnerving air as the walls groan and creak but it isn't 'scary' or tense in any real sense, more so a rather pleasant jaunt through a singular, heavily interconnected level. The satisfaction comes from the expected gameplay facets: uncovering new areas, becoming familiar with the various paths, solving the kinds of puzzles you've seen in RE/SH (with some charming mixups and occasionally multiple solutions/even multiple ways to find those solutions), finding keys, reading notes - you know the deal but it's all very well-crafted. Progression hits a sweet spot of not so taxing that you'll get stuck for ages yet sprinkles in enough moments where you have to actually stop and think or carefully observe your surroundings, with enemies more of a bit of light friction on top instead of a proper threat. There's a suprising flexibility to the order in which you can do things or when events play out to be discovered on multiple playthroughs. And, as is standard, with the genre replays are heavily incentivized via a nice compact runtime alongside getting higher completion ranks.

It's a strange experience, in a positive sense. A game that is recognisably 'survival horror' in all respects but ends up being comforting to play. Genuinely quite a feat to create something that replicates influences closely yet feels different due to just a few smart changes. The presentation is the big star of that. Every room is gorgeous and rich with atmosphere. Leverages an older style but adds to it using modern lighting techniques and grater detail, losing not an ounce of character in the process. Love some fixed camera angles but having control over the camera along only the horizontal axis is nice, it allows them to hide little things for you to find by rotating it, an almost diorama feel when combined with how the assets are constructed. Builds to a nice little mystery near the end of its story too. Strong, confident work! There's a hard mode coming in a future update for something a little spicier.

"That parkour game" that I had heard about for years. This game has a really cool visual style and some fun gameplay. It's neat how you can string together moves to make your way throughout the levels. What isn't neat is the combat, which means that there are constantly annoying dudes trying to shoot you all the time. I do get the feeling they playtested this game and went "we need something to spice this up" and threw in a bunch of gunmen and the ability for you to pick up their guns. It would be a very different game if it didn't have this, but I wish it didn't.

Adorable, great music, and pretty fun too.
The tank controls actually work pretty well, as long as the camera stays behind croc, but will take a little getting used to for new players.
The production quality is mostly very good, with great models, animations, interesting level ideas, etc.
The only real issue is that some of the later levels lack a bit of polish, and so can be frustrating or confusing.
Otherwise, a lot of fun, and well worth playing.