Croc: Legend of the Gobbos

Croc: Legend of the Gobbos is a classic 3D platformer that on PlayStation tried to offer an experience similar to what console icons like Mario or Spyro defined at the time. The player takes on the role of a little green crocodile named Croc, raised by adorable creatures called Gobbos, and sets out to rescue them from the evil wizard Baron Dante and his army of Dantinis. The game is divided into several themed worlds — icy, desert, forest, and others — with each level offering crystals to collect, trapped Gobbos to rescue, and platforming traps to overcome. Interestingly, the Croc character was originally conceived as an unofficial mascot for a planned Nintendo-branded game, before the project shifted to PlayStation as a standalone series.

The controls and camera were fairly ambitious for their time, as the game was among the very first console 3D platformers and had to solve problems the genre was only just learning to handle, such as smoothly tracking a character moving freely in all directions. The graphics felt colorful and fairy-tale-like, the music complemented the cheerful atmosphere, and the level design leaned on straightforwardness and gradually increasing difficulty, with more demanding acrobatic sections and boss battles appearing toward the end of the game. Croc wasn't as polished as later titles from Naughty Dog or Insomniac Games, but thanks to its friendly pace and cute visuals it found its audience, especially among younger players and families looking for undemanding fun.

Contemporary reviews rated the game as solid, though not groundbreaking, a platformer that benefited mainly from there not being many competing mascot titles on PlayStation in its early period. Croc got a sequel, Croc 2, and remained a fond memory for a generation that was only just getting a feel for the 3D platformer genre. Today it's mostly a nostalgic curiosity and evidence of how quickly genre conventions evolved in the nineties toward more sophisticated and technically advanced solutions.

Why play it: If you're looking for a nostalgic reminder of the era when the 3D platformer genre on PlayStation was still finding its footing, Croc is a solid choice, even if not a groundbreaking one.