Croc: Legend of the Gobbos remaster might have benefited from a treatment similar to that of Spyro Reignited.

      Among all the original PlayStation games I experienced during my childhood, Croc: Legend of the Gobbos was not one of them. To be fair, I was just three years old when it was released in 1997, and I’ve only come across discussions about Croc occasionally as I grew up — sometimes in YouTube videos ranking the best games of the ’90s or, more recently, when my partner reminisced about playing it in his childhood. Recently, I had the chance to play Croc: Legend of the Gobbos Remastered on PS5, which allowed me to see what I missed when I was too young to use a controller. Argonaut Games updated the grainy graphics to HD while keeping the charm of Croc's PS1 era, yet retained all the core gameplay elements.

      This resulted in a more challenging experience than I expected. Croc's attacks are so poorly timed that I would often still get hit by enemies even after swinging his tail, leading to the loss of all the diamond orbs I've collected, leaving me little time to grab everything. The jumps are such that I can't reach certain areas or collectibles, even when bouncing on Jell-O mounds as if they're trampolines. While exploring a cave, I noticed a heart floating above one of the holes where worms emerged to attack me. I bounced on the Jell-O after the worm slithered back down to get the extra life, only to find it was too high to reach, even when attempting a ground pound on the Jell-O to gain more height.

      As a platformer, it’s simplistic at best and frustrating at worst. It infuriated me to the point where I nearly wanted to hurl my controller at my partner’s new 75-inch TV in frustration for not being able to progress past the first island. By the time I reached the second battle, I concluded that a graphically enhanced remaster alone couldn’t revive Croc: Legend of the Gobbos. It seemed like the type of game that could have greatly benefited from the same thoughtful reworking that the Spyro Reignited Trilogy received.

      From one reptile to another

      While there’s merit in bringing a game back unchanged for preservation's sake, Croc: Legend of the Gobbos feels inadequate even as a faithful remaster. The new version launches the cult classic on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, yet it doesn’t do much to refresh a game that could have used some thoughtful enhancements. I suspect Argonaut Games wanted to tap into the nostalgia trend by reintroducing Croc to younger players while appealing to older fans. Unfortunately, this underwhelming remaster may not leave a positive impression of the series. Croc may appear charming in his original design, and I would have enjoyed playing his game if I had encountered it later in the PS1’s life span, but I struggled to connect with its frustrating controls and outdated elements in 2025.

      This presents a challenge for developers aiming to revive classic games: How do you stay true to something old while still polishing it up?

      Argonaut Games

      The Spyro Reignited Trilogy serves as a special case study on how to revisit a game without compromising its identity. Insomniac Games designed the original Spyro trilogy with deeply polygonal characters that often looked flat and indistinguishable, particularly the adult dragons Spyro rescues in the first game. However, the clunky animation didn’t hinder its acclaim as a unique platformer from the early PlayStation era. Video games were transitioning from 2D to 3D graphics in the late 1990s, so some growing pains were inevitable.

      Two decades later, Toys For Bob remade the Spyro games by reworking the polygonal visuals and incorporating modern quality-of-life enhancements. Although Spyro Reignited Trilogy isn’t officially classified as a remake since it wasn't rebuilt from scratch, developer Toys For Bob conducted a substantial remaster while consulting Insomniac Games to ensure fidelity to Spyro's essence. They made significant improvements while preserving the classic controls. For instance, the design of the dragons rescued by Spyro was updated to give them more personality and outfits suited to their hub worlds. Dragons in the Artisans world, for example, were portrayed in attire fitting for artists, while those in the Peace Keepers world wore warrior gear. Furthermore, the crystals imprisoning them now resemble sculptures rather than paperweights.

      Activision / Toys For Bob

      In contrast, Croc: Legend of the Gobbos has undergone minimal changes in its remaster, aside from a slight graphical upgrade. The character models for Croc, the Gobbos who raised him, and the adversaries he meets still maintain their unimpressive polygonal forms. The environmental design is likewise lacking. While the mountains and fields in Spyro Reignited Trilogy appear akin to a contemporary Disney film, the level design in Croc: Legend of the Gobbos still resembles late