Toejam & Earl: Back in the Groove Reviews

Toejam & Earl: Back in the Groove is ranked in the 51st percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
4.5 / 5.0
Feb 28, 2019

Back in the Groove is a triumphant return for Toejam & Earl, boasting an upgraded take on the gameplay and atmosphere that made the original game so fresh. It has some issues with its framerate, but that can’t stop Toejam & Earl: Back in the Groove from being an overall excellent and wonderfully weird roguelike.

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7.8 / 10.0
Feb 28, 2019

The singular sense of humor and music-themed touches that made the original so endearing are back, and the cooperative multiplayer is better than ever.

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7 / 10.0
Feb 28, 2019

Will this bring on a resurgence of ToeJam and Earl as a household series? Probably not. But it’s a great reminder of something special from gaming history, and I for one am glad to see it once again.

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70 / 100
Feb 28, 2019

ToeJam and Earl is a cult classic among older gamers, with much of its appeal coming from the graphical style and unique characters. ToeJam and Earl: Back in the Groove! captures much of the original's atmosphere and gameplay. It won't appeal to everyone but those with fond memories of the duo will get a lot of enjoyment with ToeJam and Earl: Back in the Groove!

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8 / 10.0
Feb 28, 2019

All things considered, it’s wonderful that ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove exists.

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8.8 / 10.0
Feb 28, 2019

Toejam and Earl are back in a funky fun adventure.

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8 / 10.0
Mar 1, 2019

Back in the Groove is a reboot that maintains the franchise's classic feel with a few worthwhile tweaks. Whether it is for nostalgia or a new adventure, this is a shattered Earth worth exploring.

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7 / 10
Feb 28, 2019

Toejam & Earl: Back in the Groove is definitely an odd title. It has a focus on exploration over combat, and embraces randomness in a way that keeps things exciting. While it’s likely not for everyone, it’s definitely a unique game in this day and age, and is worth a shot for that alone.

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6 / 10.0
Mar 3, 2019

ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove shamelessly coasts on nostalgia and has little time for finessed gameplay or appealing visuals, but it nevertheless knows what its audience craves most.

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7 / 10.0
Feb 28, 2019

The new features and updates just miss the mark to carry the rest of what is one of the best attempts at bringing the 90s into the current time.

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8 / 10
Feb 28, 2019

GREAT - I’m so happy to see this classic Sega franchise make a comeback. Crowdfunding is surely the best thing to happen to video games in the last decade and as we see more terrific indie games and franchise reboots created with this method. I’m still holding out for new Oasis and Shining Force titles. With Back in the Groove, the story, theme, and dialogue are all rather lackluster and dated, but that doesn’t detract from this being outstanding adventure game that is perfect for the entire family.

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D
Mar 6, 2019

Back in the 90s this was a very famous video game, but it should have died on the way back to its home planet. If you’re not already a fan of the series, you still won’t be.

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8 / 10.0
Mar 13, 2019

177/5000 ToeJam, Earl and his team of alien rappers are back in action with ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove the fourth game in a series that is about to turn 30 years old.

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3.4 / 5.0
Mar 25, 2019

For those that have played ToeJam & Earl in their distant past and became fans, you will love Back in the Groove, as it captures the feel and look of the original and gives you a game you’ll be very familiar with.

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8.5 / 10.0
Feb 28, 2019

Sporting augmented graphics, remastered soundtrack, added items and earthlings, ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove is a remake done right.

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7 / 10.0
Mar 28, 2019

Human Nature has proven to be a brave fucking. All its mechanics are outdated, its graphic design is outdated and its sense of humor for decades that stopped being funny but they do not care. They have made the game that they played as children and they wanted, we wanted, to play again and they have done it without caring for a duck egg what the current batch of players think about their game. And that a developer develops a game under the motto "If you do not like it !! do not play it "has a lot, but that much, merit. Human Nature Chapeau and thank you!

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7 / 10.0
Mar 4, 2019

On the whole, the game is fun for short bursts or with a friend but there's little reason to play repeatedly unless you want to unlock all of the power hats.

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No
Mar 28, 2019

My real question is: Why? Why was this made, and for whom? If ToeJam & Earl: Back In The Groove was intended as a remake, why try to emulate the original so closely in appearance and design while making everything measurably worse? If it was intended to be a sequel that only had a passingly similar design then, again, why make it so close to the original? Especially when the original is so much better in basically every regard. I’m not exaggerating when I say that in the process of writing this review, I ended up playing the original for far longer than this new version. At first, it was just to see if I remembered the game utterly wrong, as being something fun when it wasn’t. But it is, and I kept on playing it because it was preferable to this…”alternative.” The original is a great “arcade” experience, even by the standards of today, and you should definitely go play it if you want that nostalgia hit. Back In The Groove will just bore you at best and make you uncomfortable at worst.

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6 / 10
Feb 28, 2019

The visuals are pretty, and the music is brilliant, but ToeJam and Earl: Back In The Groove! is the same game it was nearly three decades ago. This is fine I suppose, but it feels like more could have been done. It’s an enjoyable experience with friends, but a bit dull on your own.

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