[REVIEW] Toki Tori 2

Marcus Estrada 
(Wii U [REVIEWED], PC)

When it comes to puzzle/platformer hybrids, gamers are hardly starved for choice. This mashup yields hefty amounts of games year after year, and there seems to be no sign of slowing down. Two Tribes isn’t just some company trying to latch onto the appeal, though. Back in 2001, they released Toki Tori for the Game Boy Color, and it developed a small, but loving community. Since then, an enhanced remake arrived for Wii, PC, and other digital distribution channels. Now the developer has created the first real sequel to their game with Toki Tori 2.

If you’ve ever played the first Toki Tori, then its sequel might be a bit of a shock. Huge changes have been made. One is the lack of useable items, and the other is that stages are now much larger and even Metroidvania-like. Each level is expansive, with secret pathways to be found, and is worth fully exploring. However, most have probably lived sheltered, Toki Tori-less lives, so let’s discuss the game from a fresh perspective henceforth. In the game, you take control of a small yellow chick who is traversing the world.

From a 2D perspective, you travel left, right, up, or down across landscapes. Unlike traditional games of the genre, your bird is lacking in typical platformer finesse. Instead, your character manages to make use of other creatures to do much of its bidding. This is accomplished by using the game’s two main mechanics of stomping and chirping. Stomping makes anything nearby either run away or lose their grip on the ceiling. Chirps are cute little sounds which attract others, or cue special features such as level resets. By these two functions, you’ll be able to get anywhere you need to go.

Like mentioned a second ago, the creatures of Toki Tori 2 are able to aid you in your quest. There’s a great deal of them to discover, as well. Most often, you’ll see frogs bounding around looking for a meal. Upon feeding them, they’ll burp up a bubble which you can position your chick inside, and use it to float up and reach new areas. Similar things occur via other creatures, although you’ll never find the game instructing players how to do any of it.

Two Tribes took an extremely hands off approach in regards to teaching players gameplay mechanics. Instead of a tutorial chapter, the game just makes you aware of the stomp and tweet features. From there, you’re on your own. Even the digital manual barely informs players of anything. It’s obvious that the intent is to force players to make sense of the world as they play, just as the chick must come to grips with the situation.

This works, for the most part. It’s rare these days to encounter a game that doesn’t sit you down to a series of tutorials before letting you have fun. In this respect, Toki Tori 2 feels incredibly pure. There’s little in regards to interface or hand-holding to impede your progress. Explore the world, discern what other creatures do, and solve puzzles. Everything is completely in your hands!

Unfortunately, this isn’t always for the best. Certain aspects of the game could have used explanation as players may get frustrated. Then there’s a lack of direction between areas, which makes it hard to figure out where exactly you “should” be going. The game could definitely also use a hint system for players who seriously find themselves in a pinch. I did, more than once, and it became a truly frustrating experience, which is completely against what the game hopes to be.

It’s a shame that there is no way within the game to get modest help, as some puzzles and sections may just confound players. Thankfully, the Wii U’s Miiverse allows users to take pictures and seek help from others if they really need it. Still, it probably wouldn’t be too hard to fashion a more convenient hint system to access within Toki Tori 2. There’s no doubt that a few of these sections may cause less patient players to quit in a fit of rage.

Negatives like these should have no place in this game. Toki Tori 2 excels at having a marvelous atmosphere that you can’t help but enjoy. The world is bright, creative, and the creatures too all look adorable as if they were pulled from an attractive animated film. With such visual charm, it’s easy to get lost in the adventure, at least until a difficult situation pulls you out of the magic. That’s not to say the game should be completely easy either, of course, as some puzzles are smart.

You’d think that with two main buttons to make use of that there wouldn’t be much depth to the puzzles. However, there are some intense puzzle sections that require a lot of forethought (and quick fingers). At times these may frustrate, but puzzles don’t normally require too much effort. However, when they do, things stand out as all the more unfair. For example, another problem was that the lack of instruction forces players into backtracking a great deal (unless they get lucky) to try and discern what the game is asking of them.

Toki Tori 2 could have been a simply stunning experience in “play.” If difficulty had been tweaked a bit more, or a way had been found to more explicitly guide the player at points, then there’s no doubt it would have been great. However, the game stands as a very brave attempt from Two Tribes; it is fairly good, but stumbles over its own design decisions. Still, there are players who can tough it through egregious backtracking and a few demanding puzzles. Those are the people who owe it to themselves to play Toki Tori 2, as they will undoubtedly get the most out of it.