G’day, Mate! Explore the wilds of Australia with TY the Tasmanian Tiger, the charming Aussie platformer. That’s how the game presents its self, a platformer with an Australian touch and one that’s kicking right in my nostalgia – big time. I found out about the remaster a little too late; otherwise, I would have backed it. Luckily the folks over at Krome were way too kind to send us not one, but two review codes! So dive in, for both the Switch and PlayStation review of Ty!
Platform Galore
I grew up on Nintendo, so I missed out on a lot of ‘other’ platformers like Spyro and Crash, or Jak & Daxter. So when Ty the Tasmanian Tiger dropped on GameCube and GBA, I fell in love. The quirky Tasmanian tiger with its boomerangs and Australian accent; it was like a scene from Crocodile Dundee mixed with a dose of open-world Mario. When I read about the remaster, I was overjoyed – I could relive my nostalgic feelings all over again, and luckily they were rewarded.
Krome Studios was formed in 2002, and several million cups of coffee later (and maybe a beer or two) they are still here, slaving away at there own IPs as well as licensed titles, reinvigorated for the challenges ahead. The original Ty was co-developed by both Krome and EA, with the original rights belonging to EA. Krome managed to get them back (you’ll have to read the interview with the devs to get the full story) and launched a Kickstarter to release a remastered version on several current-gen platformers. When talking to Ashley (Press & Communications), she mentioned the feeling they wanted to deliver with their game:
It’s nearly a 20 year old game from a time when platformers had been very popular. People who are buying the game now had played it when they were children and have nostalgia to play again.
Ty the Tasmanian Tiger – Recap & Story
Twenty years… I feel old. Let’s do a quick recap of the story and then dive deeper into gameplay. I’ll do the Nintendo Switch version of the game, and if you scroll, further along, you’ll come across the PS4 version as well, written by our own Timmy!
Things can be a bit confusing at times, so let me remind you what’s going on… You are TY, the last of the Tasmanian Tigers. Raised by a family of Bilbies, you can only vaguely recall your real parents. You’ve always thought that all the other Tassie Tigers died a long time ago. But then the Bunyip Elder found you, and told you that your family is alive, but trapped in the Dreaming. Now hold your horses… don’t get upset… you see they’re not stuck there forever, if you’re up for a bit of an adventure!
You see, deep in the Outback, there’s this kind of glowy portal thing that is a doorway to the Dreaming. And around that portal there are some carvings in the rock, where five ancient mystical Talismans used to lay. Now, all you have to do is find the five Talismans, put them in the carvings, and the portal to the Dreaming will open!
Upgrades
Sounds easy enough, right? Ty the game consists of 17 different worlds, which can be completed at your leisure and offer a collectible challenge alongside them. Some of them can’t be completed without getting some nifty upgrades like double ‘rangs (slang for boomerangs ..?), gliding through the sky, etc. Luckily the game is gratifying and offers these upgrades along the way, so don’t worry if you can’t get everything on your first run.
Let’s address the elephant in the room – no, it’s not Spyro, nor Crash, nor Jak & Daxter. Compare it to the recent reissue of Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy, that’s a much more fair comparison. It’s the same game as twenty years ago with some remastered options, ranging from a new Hardcore mode, skins (yay for skins), and with a total of 13 different boomerangs. Ranging from elemental boomerangs to explosive and ‘wooden’ boomerangs, there is enough to discover.
It’s mostly for the comedic and underlying humor that I loved the series; the improved graphics are a bonus. With all the recent comments and reviews appearing online, I think the Nintendo Switch version might be the best one around. I did not notice the camera trouble a lot of other users experienced during their playthrough, nor did I compare this game with the other iconic platformers, I’m just happy to see that Ty still rocks its boomerangs.
7.5/10
Tested on the Nintendo Switch.
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As I, Timmy, played it on PlayStation 4, my expectations were rather high. Having played the original and enjoying it, I was sure this remaster would feel great too, but alas, I was more than disappointed by multiple aspects of the game. Not to be overly blunt, but my gameplay was not something I’d call enjoyable.
Let us start with the beginning, the PlayStation version is plagued with awful camera work, and while I know this is not a redo of the original, I do not remember this game being so bad. I tried lowering the speeds, but I never once seemed to find the proper sweet point. Another issue I had with them, some enemies that were coming from the sides, it looked like they were off-screen for most of the action until they got up close and damn near ready to hit you.
Due to these camera faults, I did get some positive things out of the game. I often fell places where I did not intend to but in the process of discovering new spots and collectibles. While not the intention, I guess it was the upside to things?
All in all, I had not such a great time with this game, and I can see a clear difference in experience on Switch, maybe I should buy myself that too to compare em both personally and see how things pan out, one against the other. As it stands, a lower six score is the place I am going…
