Starting off our ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove review, it’s worth noting this is the long-awaited successor to the original Sega Genesis classic; ToeJam & Earl. While it may not be the only sequel, many fans who grew up playing the first game never quite got the sequel they hoped for. Between the meddling from higher ups, ToeJam & Earl sequels always had to compromise.
ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron was a direct sequel that drastically shook up the formula. The overheard roguelike gameplay with power-ups was ditched for traditional 2D platforming. The alien protagonists didn’t need to find parts of their wrecked ship; instead they had to throw jars at humans who were running amok on their home planet.
By the time ToeJam & Earl III: Mission to Earth came around, Sega had gone full third party and the series had to find a home on Xbox. The third game transitioned the characters to 3D and tried to be more like the first title; albeit with rougher and more tedious gameplay. Through the help of crowdfunding, could this be the ultimate ToeJam & Earl experience? Find out in our ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove review!
ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove
Developer: HumaNature Studios Inc.
Publisher: HumaNature Studios Inc.
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Linux, Mac iOS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One (reviewed via Xbox Series X|S backwards compatibility)
Release Date: March 1, 2019
Players: 1-4 (local), 2-4 (online)
Price: $14.99 USD
The premise of ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove is almost exactly like how it was in the 1991 original. ToeJam and Earl are hiphop aliens who crash land on Earth and have to find the parts of their ship in order to leave. The main difference being that Latisha from Mission to Earth and Lewanda from Panic on Funkotron join in on the fun as playable characters.
The story is an excuse for some shenanigans to ensue. The opening intro cutscene doesn’t have any lipflap to animate to the voice acting and most character development is done via text during elevator rides when moving to higher levels.
Generally, ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove is a comedy game and usually when there is any dialogue among characters, it aims to make players laugh. To the game’s credit, it is pretty funny at times. There are amusing instances of self-aware humor and jabs at the game industry. Surprisingly, there a few nuggets of backstory hinted at that shows some of these characters in a different light.
It isn’t like Back in the Groove aspires to be like Shakespeare. The suggestion of ToeJam of all characters, having a tragic past is not something fans of the series would expect to experience in an absurd game where one of the most dangerous enemies is a naked man in a cardboard box.
Thankfully, ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove never indulges deeply into melodrama. This game is a feel-good experience and like always; it supports local co-op gameplay to keep the playful spirit alive.
Playing with a friend is essential to truly experiencing what ToeJam & Earl games have to offer. Back in the Groove is very playable and still highly enjoyable when playing alone, but it is a completely different experience when having a friend help cover more ground or save your life from a platoon of chicken cannoneers.
The scorn of stealing a friend’s life or sending them to an early grave because the mysterious present you opened just so happened to be a “Total Bummer”, keeps runs feeling spicy. Sometimes the great Funkopotomus will smile upon the gang and grant them Icarus wings to easily bypass a horde of boogey men.
The sudden surge of players being launched instantly from accidently opening up some rocket skates and the white-knuckle panic as the poor aliens desperately try to steer themselves from flying off the edges of the world is as harrowing as it was in 1991. Naturally, players will want to open up as many gifts as they can early on to identify future packages… if only if it were that simple.
Just like in 1991, the RNG in ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove can be utterly diabolical and the designers have gotten a lot more creative than they were decades ago. There are more ways for the computer to completely flip the table on players; whether it be from opening a terrible present or from new enemy types that will shuffle or unidentified gifts.
With the way how the game can turn a session completely on its head, the player is put in a constant state of dreadful tension. Exploring and checking bushes and trees for any present that might be something good or bad becomes a necessary risk.
Gaining XP to level up demands these kinds of inquisitive actions… but at the same time some of the more dangerous late game enemies can also de-level the heroes. By default, all the playable characters can’t attack any threats directly; they have to acquire a weapon from opening gifts or by spending a few dollars on the local opera singer who can blow them up with her voice.
Doing our ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove review; survival was always a constant tug-of-war. It didn’t matter if the mode was solo or co-op. Thankfully, getting all the ship parts is not a long endeavor and Back in the Groove is high in replay value due to its many extra modes and unlockable content.
Following our ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove review, this is a culmination of everything that was ever good in the series, while leaning heavily on the blueprint of the first game. It does what Sonic Mania did for classic Sonic by cherry picking the best parts of the different entries in the series that pushed the series forward.
Small touches like defined stats for each of the playable aliens, actual timers that show how long each power-up will last and even the Hyper Funk Zone mini-game from Panic on Funkotron make their way into this beefy package. There is even an unlockable mode for procedurally generated levels that deliver endless possibilities.
The Hyper Funk Zone mini-game is also much further fleshed out than it ever was before. In this dimension, the heroes are abstracted into scribble designs and the player has to react quickly by either staying solid or phasing through incoming obstacles. It is very fast moving and it can be easy to pass by a ton of powered-up versions of gifts or lots of XP.
The aesthetics are very faithful to the original 1991 game’s style. While it is a bit off-putting at first seeing the 2D characters resemble something out of a flash cartoon from the 2000s, it becomes apparent that the creativity put into the designs make the flat sprites have a lot of personality.
It may have been too cost prohibitive for the team to make all characters 3D, but the compromise meant that the artists could make a wider range of 2D characters. ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove has a lot of enemies and even the ones who are glorified pallet swaps doe have a but more effort put into them than just a recolor.
Details like tattoos on the bad Cherubs show the designers put a lot of care into filling out the roster as much as possible. The environments also introduce new concepts never seen in the past games like different weather and frozen water.
Closing out our ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove review, this is a game that was long overdue. It was something that was originally envisioned for the Nintendo DS; a concept that makes a lot of sense given the playful nature of the game and accessibility of the DS hardware. It is too bad it took over a decade to become a reality.
ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove is recommended to anyone who grew up playing the original ToeJam & Earl on Sega Genesis. It offers a wealth of content with its various modes and unlockable characters; one of which is Earl’s mom. The endless variables guarantee that no two sessions will be alike.
Online or local split-screen; ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove is still one of the best co-op experiences a gamer can have. The boppin’ funk soundtrack, squiggly graffiti and amusing character designs still makes this feel like an authentic 90s throwback without any irony poisoning.
ToeJam & Earl Back in the Groove was reviewed on Xbox Series S using a copy purchased by Niche Gamer. You can find additional information about Niche Gamer’s review/ethics policy here.
ToeJam & Earl Back in the Groove has been available for Microsoft Windows (via Steam), Mac iOS, Linux, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
