Croc 2

About Croc 2

Croc 2 (1999) is Argonaut's PlayStation platformer in which Croc searches for his long-lost parents and saves the Inventor Gobbo from the revived Baron Dante, across four Gobbo villages.

Croc 2 in Depth

Croc sets out to find his missing parents and to rescue the Inventor Gobbo from a revived Baron Dante. Open-ended levels are spread across four Gobbo villages reached from an open hub world, and missions involve helping Gobbos, such as freeing one trapped in a steel cage or chasing down a Dantini who has stolen a sandwich. Completing enough levels in a village opens a boss level and then the next village. Some levels put Croc in a go-kart, speedboat, hang glider, hot air balloon or giant snowball.

Each level holds 100 crystals and five coloured crystals hidden behind platforming challenges or puzzles; finding all five reveals a golden trophy at the end of the level. Collecting every trophy in a village opens an extra level with a jigsaw piece, and the pieces unlock a fifth world of remixed level segments. In the hub, the cat Swap Meet Pete sells heart pots to raise Croc's life count, Gummi Savers Jumps to use as trampolines and a Clockwork Gobbo, a wind-up robot used to collect items. Croc runs, jumps, climbs and swims, with new triple and flip jumps for reaching higher. IGN praised its voice acting, graphics, soundtrack and size but criticised its difficulty and camera, and other critics shared those complaints.

Making Croc 2

Argonaut Software developed it and Fox Interactive published it for the PlayStation in 1999, backed by a heavy advertising campaign. In May 2000 managing director Jez San said Argonaut was considering a Dreamcast version with new levels and worlds, pending Fox's approval, but it was cancelled when Argonaut stopped developing for the declining console. Reviews were mixed: GameSpot rated the PlayStation and PC versions poorly, GamePro's Nash Werner said he was "praying each new level would be Croc 2's last", while Scary Larry called it "an acquired taste".