| I'll give it to you straight. No matter how great Toki's
graphics, on matter how catchy the music, there's nothing that can
save this game from a getting a pathetic six out of ten. Why?
Well, first, it has boring gameplay. But also because of it's
story. Here it is...you're a monkey. A cute, little monkey. Whose
on a quest to defeat an evil spirit that's come to your jungle.
Nothing terrible so far. But here's the part that turns me
off...instead of tossing bananas, or using your monkey agility,
your offense comes from spitting. That's right...SPITTING! Toki
the monkey is a saliva machine. And there's even spit power-ups!
Including the ever deadly DOULBE LUGIE OF DOOM. Most of you are
probably saying "Hey what's the big deal John?". Well
lemme tell ya...when I was around eight years old I went to the
San Francisco Zoo. And *no* I didn't get spat on, but I did see
many a monkey hock a big one. The most disgusting day of my life I
tell you. And it's not just personal experience that makes me pan
Toki. It's fact that spit is all they could come up with. Come
now, I can think of a thousand better ways to knock off baddies.
Add that to boring gameplay and you've got a game that sinks FAST.
GRAPHICS: Toki's graphics are superb. They're among the most
vibrant in the Lynx library of titles. But graphics are just
dressing. And, even though they can break a game, they don't
*make* the game. ****
SOUNDS: The soundtrack in Toki is awesome. Cute jungle beats
fit in nicely with the graphical setting. The boss theme is
especially catchy. But the sound effects are down right annoying.
The sound when Toki jumps is too high-pitched. It makes you want
to turn the volume off. **** Soundtrack, ** Sound Effects.
CONTROL: I've yet to find a Lynx game without good control. And
Toki doesn't break that streak. The jump and SPIT buttons are
quick and responsive. There's even the ability to spit in FIVE
different directions. Joy. And Toki moves at a nice pace. You
never feel as if the game is lagging behind your commands. ***
OPTIONS: Toki's an action game, so options are out of the
question. It's just "spit-o-rama". *
REPLAY: Well, like most action titles, once you beat it...you
leave it. Toki is sort of a fun ride that first time through. And
you know, spitting on your enemies isn't *that* bad. **
You know...the more I think about it, the more I *like* Toki.
And going back and playing this game in preparation for this
review has only helped that. Despite that fact that I can't stand
the SPITTING, Toki is actually fun the first time through. And
after a while, you don't even see it as spitting, it's more like
"fireballs". I'm not saying Toki's gameplay isn't
generic and boring...cuz it is. But the first time through is
quite enjoyable. And since most action games fall into that
trapping, Toki's just one of the gang. Like I said, I was
originally going to slap a six on this baby. But during the course
of this review I've changed. Toki's an average game, bolstered by
great looks. So I'm giving it a seven. Still a low grade, but not
pathetic. If you want a good game Toki fits the bill. If you want
something more, look elsewhere.
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