A 67 hiding a split verdict
Metacritic’s Metascore for Croc 2: Kingdom of the Gobbos is 67, “Mixed or Average”, but the number hides an argument about who this remake is for. Fans of the 1999 original get a loving restoration with a museum bolted on. Newcomers are being told by several outlets that the level design shows its age.
This is a roundup of published reviews, not a GearChamber playtest: we haven’t played it. The 67 is Metacritic’s figure as of 3 November 2026, based on seven critic reviews, of which Metacritic counts two as positive, five as mixed and none as negative. That’s a thin base for a game released on 29 October, and Metacritic had no user score yet, so treat it as a first read. The outlets below score on different scales, so we haven’t averaged them.
The fans’ case: better controls, a proper museum
The most useful read for returning players is Creative Bloq’s. Reviewing on Switch 2, Ian Dean says the original’s clumsy controls and camera have been reworked and that the new triple jump reaches platforms that once demanded “a fiddly mix of positioning and luck”. Tank controls and the original visuals are still there if you want the old pain back. Creative Bloq scored it 3.5/5.
The insightful Croc2pedia museum is the real reason to pick up this remaster.
Creative Bloq verdict
The museum is the thread running through the kinder reviews. Gaming Age describes the Croc2pedia as a digital museum of lost production materials, documentaries, interviews, marketing assets and 3D galleries, including items cut from the original game. Dean says he “ended up spending more time in the Croc2pedia” than playing. On Metacritic, Noisy Pixel (75) praises “an exceptional collection of archival bonus content” and Spilstrøm (70) says the bonus material “will be a real treat for fans”.
The warmest scores come from outside the Metacritic seven. Cubed3, reviewing on Nintendo Switch, gave it 8/10 and called it “platforming bliss”, praising the difficulty ramp while flagging weak racing levels and inconsistent rope and vine jumps. Gaming Age, playing a PS5 code supplied by Argonaut Games, gave it a 9 and wrote: “There needs to be more remakes like this.”
The newcomers’ problem: 1999 level design
Strip away the extras and the complaints get consistent. Spilstrøm says the gameplay “has not aged particularly well” and “feels like an exceedingly simple 3D platformer”, though it calls it decent for younger children. Creative Bloq lists basic level design and no rewinds or quick saves among its cons. Everyeye.it (60), in the English text Metacritic displays, calls it a platformer with a “trivial difficulty level and limited variety of gameplay scenarios”.
Gamesurf is the harshest voice at 55, saying the new graphic modes and minor control tweaks are “the absolute bare minimum for a remaster”. GamersRD (68) is milder, calling it “very much a product of its time”. Creative Bloq also cautions that some of the new vehicle sections are basic: “don’t expect Mario Kart”. Remaster fidelity versus fresh design is a familiar fault line; the same tension ran through our Wolf Among Us Remastered roundup, where the jank survived.
Revivals keep landing in the same middling-but-warm zone. Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse earned an 83 in our roundup, with doubts about novelty, and Croc 2 sits well below it. TheGamer (60) frames the remaster as a preservation win, writing that it’s glad “in an era when game preservation is increasingly prioritized, Croc hasn’t been forgotten”, which fits the wider conversation around GOG’s Preservation Program.
Scores at a glance
Outlet scores as listed on Metacritic as of 3 November 2026, followed by three reviews from outside its seven. All seven Metacritic reviews are listed against PS5; Cubed3 reviewed on Nintendo Switch and Creative Bloq on Switch 2.
| Outlet | Score | Takeaway |
|---|---|---|
| Video Chums | 80 | Fans and curious modern players both get plenty |
| Noisy Pixel | 75 | Enjoyable but uneven; archival extras stand out |
| Spilstrøm | 70 | Simple gameplay, accomplished remaster |
| GamersRD | 68 | Easy pick for nostalgic players |
| Everyeye.it | 60 | Trivial difficulty, rich encyclopedia |
| TheGamer | 60 | Glad Croc hasn’t been forgotten |
| Gamesurf | 55 | Remaster upgrades are the bare minimum |
| Cubed3 (Switch) | 8/10 | “Platforming bliss” |
| Gaming Age (PS5 code) | 9 | A remake that fixes only what needed improvement |
| Creative Bloq (Switch 2) | 3.5/5 | Level design dated; museum is the draw |
Our take: buy the museum, wait on the platforming
We think the split is fair, and it’s a price question as much as a taste one. Steam lists the game at $29.99 (checked 3 November 2026). For anyone who grew up with Croc, the reworked controls and the Croc2pedia look worth it on the evidence of Creative Bloq, Gaming Age and Noisy Pixel. For a newcomer after a great 3D platformer, the 67 and the “simple” verdicts say wait. Steam lists Windows 10, 16 GB RAM and 24 GB of storage as minimum, but none of the reviews we read reported PC performance, so that’s an open question.
- ✅ Buy if you loved the original and want the Croc2pedia, with tank controls and the original visuals available to switch back on.
- ✅ Buy if you want an easy 3D platformer for younger players, as Spilstrøm and GamersRD suggest.
- ❌ Skip, or wait, if you want modern level design or a stiff challenge; Creative Bloq, Everyeye.it and Spilstrøm all describe it as simple or trivial.
- ❌ Skip if you wanted a deep rebuild; Gamesurf calls the upgrades the bare minimum.
Sources checked 3 November 2026: Metacritic, Creative Bloq, Cubed3, Gaming Age and the Steam store page.
