Developer: Tengen Publisher: Tengen Release: 12/89 Genre: Action
Toobin’ was an interesting experience in the arcade. The concept of a man floating down a river on an inflatable tube is ridiculous but so is the rest of the game. The control scheme however was just as silly. Rather than a traditional joystick Toobin’ uses five buttons with four representing your hands and a direction to control propulsion and the last throwing soda cans. Needless to say part of the fun of the game was mastering its unorthodox control scheme to rack up points. The NES version is an improvement in some regards but loses the charm of the arcade game in the process and is a bit too simple for long sessions.
Like many popular arcade games of the day Toobin’ was ported to many platforms, from the various computer formats such as the Amiga and Commodore 64 to the MSX in Japan and even later systems like the Gameboy Color. Clearly people love this game. The NES version is an unlicensed release from Tengen which means it is a bit rare. But considering its quality or lack thereof that is probably a good thing.
The goal in Toobin’ is simple. While traveling downriver you must avoid obstacles and score points by floating through gates. These gates have different point values but will also decrease if you bump into them from the wrong side. It’s not all fun and games as there are numerous hindrances in your path. Sometimes it is fishermen oblivious to your presence. In other rivers island natives don’t take kindly to your presence. Fauna and flora can also pop your inner tube. Later levels see you contend with Mother Nature, dinosaurs, and even Satan himself. Pretty wild for a dude just trying to have fun eh?
For the home port Tengen had no choice but to go with a conventional control scheme as the Nintendo controller does not have enough buttons to mimic the arcade. You control movement with the D-pad while the A & B buttons decide the direction you throw cans. It loses the cool physics and momentum system from the arcade but does mean you will not have to fight the controls as much. Whether that is good or bad is up to personal preference. But the change has an impact on gameplay in numerous ways with most not being for the better.
The wonky control scheme is part of Toobin’s charm. While unconventional there was a sense of accomplishment once you mastered it and racked up points. Now that you have full control you can see the game for what it is. The NES version of Toobin’ is slower and less manic than its arcade counterpart with lots of dead air as a result. With fewer obstacles the game becomes boring with the only challenge dealing with the sometimes questionable hit detection. The simplified gameplay does not hold up over the long haul and this is a long game. It was hard staying interested long enough for one full run, I cannot imagine most will do the same or more like a Pac-Man or Donkey Kong. Even multiplayer does little to liven things up. Who would have thought what is a flaw to most was also its greatest strength in the arcade?
In the arcade Toobin’ was not a graphical powerhouse but it at least got the point across. This NES edition is a hideous endeavor that is downright embarrassing. The game is severely lacking in detail and borders on resembling an Atari 2600 title at times. It is a shame the game looks so poor as Toobin’ has a huge amount of variety in its courses. Even though you are floating down river in a jungle most of the time they do a great job of making similar locations look distinct. Beyond that the game goes to some weird places such as the River Styx, the Jurassic era with dinosaurs, and even a future environment on Mars. But most of the impact is lost here as it all looks so bad and similar. The system is capable of far better than this as Tengen’s own port of Rolling Thunder can attest.
In Closing
Toobin’ was a fun experience in the arcade. But it was exactly that, an experience. Take that away and you are left with a mediocre action game that cannot hold your attention for long. Considering it is a Tengen release and is rare its low asking price means everyone knows it is not worth it. Some games are best left in the arcade.
