Togges is a 3D puzzle platformer that feels familiar and yet unique at the same time. Without a doubt, it’s one of the most entertaining platformers I’ve played recently. I first got my hands on Togges at EGX 2022 and thoroughly enjoyed it. So I was hopeful the full debut release from Regular Studio and published by Thunderful Games would live up to expectations.
Togges Gameplay
Videogames are fantastic; they allow you to be transported to weird worlds, play as the strangest characters, and do the most bizarre activities to achieve the endgame. The game pushes the boundaries with this in the best way. You play as a Roomba. (Think circular robot vacuum cleaner but in space). As “Space Roomba” you are tasked by the King to help him protect the universe… by dominating it. You do that by dropping and collecting Togges, cute little cubes that help you collect fruits and solve the puzzles. You, your Togges and the King travel around the galaxy to different planets (think levels) to gather more fruits.
Unlike most platformers, though, you have to build a line (and sometimes a tower) of Togges from the starting point to the items you need to collect or things you need to interact with. This makes the challenge more unique; you can’t just run, jump, and get to the end. You have to plan your path. What makes this more complex is that there is a limit to the amount of Togges you can drop. Not only that, but you can unlock different colour Togges with different abilities. For example, you can stack higher with the orange Togges (which costs more of your limit), allowing you to reach higher points.
While Togges is classed as a 3D platformer, that feels a little disingenuous. It’s more open world in each level, you can go anywhere with or without your Togges, and there are numerous mini-puzzles, other things to collect to increase your Togge capacity and almost side-quests. Yes, there are many puzzles, but they are different from running, jumping, and solving puzzles on a linear path.
Puzzles with a difference
Togges is more than a platformer. The puzzles are designed with the central gameplay element in mind, Togges. From ones that stop water but can’t stack high to the giant-sized ones that get you to higher points. As you progress through the game and get to new destinations, using the different varieties will be important to get those fruits and other collectable items.
Puzzling is the name of the game. You must work out how to reveal or even get to the fruits. This can be working out how to unlock a chamber in a maze, getting across water, spikes and lava or even just getting to a new part of the map past obstacles.
In addition to the main storyline, there are several mini-puzzles to solve along the way, often revealing a piece of fruit or other collectable or upgrade component. Radar to help you find fruit, items to increase your Togges limit, or bombs are all available for you to find!
Audio and Visuals
The world of Togges is bright, colourful, and cartoony. It’s a joy to look at and wonderful to explore different worlds. Each level feels very different, which keeps the game feeling interesting throughout. Unfortunately, some of the later levels get a little too big for comfort, which can confuse things, but it’s certainly not the worst thing.
From an audio perspective, the sound and music are clear and don’t get repetitive or annoying. While characters have sound effects while talking, it sadly isn’t voice-acted. What Togges does have is a lot of text-based dialogue, which can feel like gameplay is slowed down too much. It would have benefited from less dialogue or voice acting.
Is Togges a good game?
Togges is a joyous game to play. It will challenge you with its unique traversal and puzzle-solving mechanics. It will make you smile and provide you with hours of Roomba-based fun. If you like puzzle platformers and are bored of similar titles, give Togges a try because it won’t disappoint.
