Have you played the 1989 platformer shoot ’em up hybrid Toki before? If so, are you a time traveler and can I come back with you?
There is seemingly no game too obscure to show up on the Nintendo Switch. Decade-old indies and arcade favorites alike are finding new life on Nintendo’s handheld wonder. Toki fits into the latter category. A 1989 fusion of platforming and shoot ’em up gameplay, Toki found success in arcades. It saw ports to home computers of the era, as well as versions on NES and Sega Genesis. Nearly 30 years later, Toki returns with a full remaster that you can take with you on the go. Toki is seemingly coming out exclusively on Nintendo Switch on December 4 although a Steam release is likely.
In Toki, you play as a man transformed into an ape by an evil witch doctor named Vookimedlo. The villain also has a damsel in distress, so you have to get your ’80s on and traverse prehistoric worlds to save her. Thankfully, the magical ape spell gives Toki the ability to shoot fire and other projectiles from his mouth, which is how you’ll take down the witch doctor’s caravan of monsters and huge bosses.
Toki must save Miho! Discover Toki’s remake launch trailer ???? #Toki Retrocollector Edition is available now on #NintendoSwitch. November 27 for UK and December 4 for USA and Nintendo eShop worldwide. pic.twitter.com/g7YsMp79wR
— Microïds (@Microids_off) November 21,2018
This version of Toki is a full refresh, similar in scale to the recent Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap. The re-release first came to light on Steam Greenlight back in 2012. It took over a year for the project to make it through the system.
If you’re good to get the game on Switch, you can go all out and show your love for this obscure arcade favorite. Available exclusively at GameStop in the U. S., the Retrocollector Edition packs a physical version of the game with several extras. You get a 16-page Toki comic book, stickers, art prints, and a wooden arcade frame for your Switch. It may not be the same as playing in a real cabinet, but the boost in graphics probably make it all worth it.
