The toys are back in town
Digital Eclipse has long established itself as a studio that can be trusted to curate, collate and communicate the legacy of some of the most important and influential video games of all time. Between the likes of Tetris, Mortal Kombat and even Atari itself, this is a team capable of delivering more than just ports and remasters but complete, interactive documentaries and archives dedicated to exploring the genesis and context of games as much as the games themselves.
But if there’s an especially overlooked segment of the industry and its growth over so many decades, it’s the existence and importance of the licensed tie-in game. That’s where Toy Story: Retro Roundup! comes in, a collection of carefully-revived games based on the iconic Disney and Pixar franchise that chronicles not just the history of Toy Story video games but the very notion of “movie games” and their place in culture.
Retro Roundup does this in a couple of key ways. First, and most obvious, is the games themselves. This collection contains five Toy Story video games in a total of nine iterations spanning the SNES, SEGA Mega Drive/Genesis, Game Boy/Game Boy Colour and the PS1. All were developed either by Traveller’s Tales, of LEGO video game fame, or Tiertex Design Studios, who handled a lot of portable console versions. As a Toy Story fan since childhood, I can safely say that I’ve played every single one of these in its original form, including a bonus inclusion in the form of PS1 and Game Boy Colour versions of A Bug’s Life.
Every game in the collection is lovingly preserved, as you’d expect, with plenty of options for tweaking the experience should you not want to wrestle with the sensibilities of old. Cheats, save states, a rewind function, and – in the case of the 3D games – optional adjustments to rendering resolution, all make it easy to relive these games with minimal fuss and frustration.
By far one of my favourite details is the screen borders, which mimic the look of playing these titles on old CRT displays. It’s already a nice touch that the faux-televisions change to suit the time period of the games, but Digital Eclipse went as far as simulating the subtle reflection of the screen on the bordering surfaces. It’s something you might not even clock without it being pointed out, but it’s a thoughtful touch in service of giving fans an experience that feels just like they remember.
I’ve had a great time going back to a lot of these Toy Story titles from my childhood, in particular the PS1’s Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue and Toy Story Racer, both of which had arrived at the height of my obsession with the films and so got a lot of after school playtime. If you’re diving into these out of a fresh curiosity, or showing them to younger players, it’s handy to know that they all offer a “Practice” mode where you can watch each level being played in order to suss how to beat them.
But let’s rewind a bit. Because why is A Bug’s Life here, again? Well, in typical Digital Eclipse fashion, it’s a case of the studio looking for stories in its preservation efforts. Speaking to the team at Gamescom earlier this year, I learned that because A Bug’s Life was such a crucial stepping stone toward Traveller’s Tales creating a compelling 3D Toy Story platformer, and because it was such a crucial piece of the technological and collaborative relationship between game and film studios, it almost demanded inclusion. And it oddly feels right at home, here.
That’s helped along by the excellent video documentary content included in Retro Roundup!, which offers a glimpse into what it was like to produce licensed tie-in video games in the 90s – the challenges, the triumphs, the badass ways that Pixar staff would literally sneak out pre-production footage so that Traveller’s Tales had some small degree of insight into what their work-in-progress games were actually based on.
Jim Hanks, the brother of the very famous Tom Hanks and the vocal stand-in for Woody in literally anything that isn’t the Pixar films, is also frequent feature in these videos. The only real gripe I have with these is simply that I wish there were more. What’s here covers off a good amount of history and touches on every featured game, and I have to concede there’s probably less material here than there was for, say, Tetris Forever. I guess it’s all just so good and interesting that I crave more
Aside from videos, Retro Roundup! is also packed with a heap of archival material. Manuals, concept art, 3D box scans, photos and text all lending cultural context to these games and doing a great job of communicating the unique impact these were having at the time.
I think, above all, that what I appreciate most about Toy Story: Retro Roundup! is that the Digital Eclipse team have put every bit of care into this that would go into a collection of more “legitimate” video games. The idea of a licensed movie tie-in represents such signficant impact in the chaotic, formative years of home console gaming, and Traveller’s Tales was very clearly going above and beyond the call of duty in its efforts on that front.
Toy Story 3 Complete Edition
But wait, there’s more! Launching on the same day as Retro Roundup! is Toy Story 3 Complete Edition, a standalone title that cleans up and ports Avalanche Software’s underrated 2010 adventure to modern platforms. Although its “story” missions are largely forgettable, Toy Story 3’s Toy Box mode was something of a precursor to the ill-fated but equally enjoyable Disney Infinity.
I haven’t had the time to actually play enough of this to give it its own review and verdict, but I did want to point out that grabbing it as part of a bundle with Retro Roundup! makes for decent value, and it looks and plays nicely for anyone that cares to revisit it – or check it out for the first time. If you’ve any fondness for the franchise, or for quietly decent 3D platformers, it’s well worth picking up on the side.
Reviewed on PS5 | Review copy supplied by publisher
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Great
- Every game is wonderfully preserved
- Some interesting insights from the video documentary content
- Touches like the CRT TV simulation are appreciated
- Plenty of options for tweaking the retro experience
- Bundle with Toy Story 3 Complete Edition is a compelling offer
Not great
- Documentary content isn't as comprehensive as previous Digital Eclipse collections
Born into the world of video games through SEGA, and in particular Sonic the Hedgehog, Kieron’s gaming tastes now consist of the latest, shiny AAA thing, an indie darling or two, and an embarrassing number of hours of Balatro.