Toki

The hotly anticipated remake of one of the most popular arcade platformers. Really well done and true to the original, right down to the difficulty which was still challenging back then. Even in Easy mode, the slightest contact with an opponent or projectile kills. It's die and retry. The hand-drawn graphics are also amazing. We loved it!

In 1989, the Berlin Wall fell... and TOKI arrived in the arcades. The game is remembered for its beautifully busy graphics and its high level of difficulty. Thankfully, the difficulty has been toned down in this remastered release.

We liked the addition of different difficulty levels so that anyone can play without pulling their hair out. Upon start-up, four difficulty levels (Easy, Normal, Hard, and Very Hard) give players more or less lives and continues. The strength of enemies also changes with the difficulty level. In Easy mode, for example, a single shot is enough to take out an enemy.

It's very easy to pick up and play (there's one button to jump and another to shoot), but always bear in mind that you can't save your progress. This is a definite die 'n' retry experience that will force you to keep starting over and memorise the levels.

Just like back in the day, you'll need to make it through the six levels in one go if you're to see the ending! It goes without saying that it will be weeks before you're ready to blast all the way through in half an hour.

All the more so because our simian hero dies at the slightest touch, sent back to the last checkpoint (unless you have a temporary invincibility bonus).

Our advice? Start off in Easy mode!

The plot is a straightforward one. You play as a warrior prince who has been transformed into a slow and clumsy primate, on a quest to save the beautiful Miho who is held captive by Vookimeldo the sorcerer.

The passionate team of devs spent years remastering this masterpiece.

We have Philippe Dessoly, one of the brains behind the original game, to thank for this comeback. And that's a name you might know, as he was also responsible for the art in Goldorak and the graphics of Mister Nutz on the Super Nintendo. The remaster is as beautiful as ever, and is also filled with bonuses (tracks, artwork, unlockable content, etc.). Fully redrawn by hand, the artistic direction combines alluring cartoon characters with environments and bosses with mystical, tribal vibes.

Our favourite part? The huge replayability thanks to the different difficulty levels. It's a short game, true, but it's so much fun to test your skill against tougher and tougher enemies.

The perfect game for reliving the frustration of arcade gaming, without needing a stack of 10p pieces for every continue!