The game is a sequel to Tomba! and centers on the exploits of the eponymous feral child as he attempts to rescue his friend Tabby from an evil race of anthropomorphic pigs. The game was released in Japan in 1999 and internationally by Sony Computer Entertainment the following year.

The Story Behind Tomba! 2 - The Evil Swine Return

This shift to three-dimensional graphics allowed for concepts that were not possible in the previous title, such as dynamic camera movement during cutscenes. A playable demonstration was integrated into the Jampack Summer 2K compilation CD released by PlayStation Underground. The Japanese-language version includes the voice talents of Ichirō Nagai, Satomi Kōrogi and Yuki Matsuoka among others.

The English-language version of the game was released on the PlayStation Network in North America on November 5, 2015. From November 3 to November 9, those who were verified to have purchased the Japanese version were able to download the English version at no extra charge. 2: The Evil Swine Return is in development for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Windows with a planned 2025 release date.

How Tomba! 2 - The Evil Swine Return Plays

Tomba loses a health point if he is hit by an enemy or environmental hazard. For example, the flying squirrel suit allows Tomba to glide long distances while the pig suit allows Tomba to communicate with friendly pigs. When Tomba interacts with a certain character or environmental element, an "event" may be initiated, in which Tomba is given a task to accomplish or an obstacle to overcome.

Whenever Tomba reaches a point where additional paths intersect with his current one, a set of flashing arrows appear above his head. The game includes a total of 137 events, some of which can be unlocked by importing save data from the original Tomba!. Tomba can also attack enemies by obtaining various weapons such as flails, boomerangs and mallets.

Why Players Still Load It Up

In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of 31 out of 40. Bartholow and Conrad remarked that some of the optional events were frustratingly difficult, with Conrad specifying the mine cart minigame as an example. Bartholow commended the camera and perspectives as excellent, but he and Johnson faulted a few areas where the perspective made placing jumps or finding event-related clues difficult.

The controls were commended for their responsiveness, though the multi-branched paths were said to be somewhat cumbersome to navigate. Conrad disagreed, saying that the Tomba! property's 16-bit-styled gameplay was an essential part of its charm. Erik Engström of Hardcore Gaming 101 was disappointed by the game's more linear structure compared to the first game, but considered the quest system's organization to be more refined.

Tomba! 2 - The Evil Swine Return — Frequently Asked Questions