Toki Tori Ultimate Edition review (ModRetro Chromatic)

There’s a good chance you’ve played Toki Tori before. After all, this taxing little puzzle game has been around since 2001, when it was first released on Game Boy Color. Since then, it’s been ported to Wii, Windows, mobile devices, PS3 and even Nintendo Switch. But there’s something about playing it in its original format — on a small 2.5-inch handheld screen — that feels really special. Enter the ModRetro Chromatic release of Toki Tori Ultimate Edition.

You can play this on an original Game Boy Color if you have one kicking about, but it’s been designed especially for the ModRetro Chromatic, a modern take on the Game Boy. It’s a beautiful piece of hardware, and playing Toki Tori on it is a real joy. Its visuals really pop on the colour screen, and each of the game’s four worlds looks equally beautiful.

If you have played this before, then Toki Tori Ultimate Edition might look just as you remember it, but this Ultimate Edition packs in some new quality-of-life features, making it a worthwhile release in its own right. Your character now moves faster, making each puzzle less laborious to complete, you will auto-jump when necessary, and the timer has been removed. By themselves, they are minor changes, but they go a long way to make playing Toki Tori as fun as possible.

A level-based game, the goal of Toki Tori is to collect the eggs scattered around each level. But since your character, the titular bird Toki Tori, has limited movement, you’ll need to carefully plan your route. As you play, you’ll unlock new abilities, such as being able to build a bridge or warp upwards or downwards, but you’ll have limited uses of each. You’ll need to make sure you don’t get yourself stuck in a situation you can’t get out of, then, or leave eggs that you’re unable to reach.

If you do mess up, simply hit the ‘start’ button and choose to restart the level. With each level only taking a few minutes to complete, trial and error is pretty much expected here. You shouldn’t have much problem early on in playing Toki Tori, but as you progress through its 60+ levels, you will find yourself scratching your head a few times, and needing to restart rather than simply hitting an ‘undo’ button can become a little frustrating.

It may be 24 years old, but Toki Tori is the sort of timeless puzzle that feels just as fresh today as the day it was made. It’s a welcome addition to the ModRetro Chromatic library: it might not be the most classic of Game Boy Color releases, but thanks to this Ultimate Edition re-release, it’s been given a whole new lease of life.