A remastered version of PS1 classic Croc: Legend of the Gobbos is coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series consoles and Nintendo Switch.
If you were into gaming in the 90s, you probably had a favourite mascot. The obvious picks were Mario and Sonic. But among your more left-field options were Banjo, Spyro, Gex and Croc, the hero of this remaster of a cult classic.
Croc: Legend of the Gobbos was originally released for the Sony PS1 in 1997, before coming to the Sega Saturn and PC. It’s a 3D platformer, in which you have to save furry Gobbos in more than 40 levels.
The new version of the game is coming to “all the current consoles” according to Mike Arkin, co-CEO of developer Argonaut Games.
It’s more of a remaster than a remake, though. The visuals are an order of magnitude sharper than they appeared on an original PlayStation back in the 90s, but we’re not looking at ray-traced lighting effects and hyper-detailed textures here.
It “will feature enhanced HD graphics and updated modern control mechanics”, according to the game’s blurb.
The Croc: Legend of the Gobbos is due out later this year, although no firm release date has been revealed.
This announcement also marks the return of a venerable UK developer, 20 years after it closed down. Argonaut Games was based in London and made classics like Star Fox and Stunt Race FX, as well as PS1 adaptations of the first two Harry Potter movies.
Argonaut Games made its team redundant and closed up shop in 2004. Its last title was Catwoman: The Game, for Xbox, PlayStation 2 and Gamecube.
This return of Argonaut Games also brings back key figures from the developer’s glory days.
“I worked closely with Jez on the design and production of Starglider, Argonaut’s first big hit back in 1986,” says Argonaut Games co-CEO Gary Sheinwald.
He added: “To take up the mantle of relaunching Argonaut Games nearly four decades later brings me full circle, and we have further exciting announcements in the pipeline in the coming months.”
Other classic games not tied to the big brands that were the staple of Argonaut Games’ later releases include Vortex, Starglider, Buck Bumble, FX Fighter and Creature Shock.
Croc: Legend of the Gobbos originally sold upwards of three million copies, and was followed up by Croc 2 in 1999.
