The gameplay in Topatoi is essentially that of an average 3D platformer. However, for much of the game, everything is so linear as to make the game essentially 2D. That’s not necessarily a bad thing for much of it, as it helps remain focused, especially as like many old-school platformers, there is a time-limit on each level.

 

Whilst this seemed pretty generous, and it can be extended further by collecting berries, it still added a little extra impetus to get through as quick as possible, especially as it also affects your final score. There is also a little room for exploration, as there are, as is standard in such games, little pieces of treasure to find around each level which have been cunningly hidden by the developers. Again, these help with your scores, and get you a few trophies off the list too.

 

 

However, most of the game is about timing your jumps and solving the puzzles that the game throws at you. And it’s here that the gameplay can occasionally stumble. Many of the puzzles are physics based- which would be fine, of course- it’s all the rage at the minute.

Unfortunately though, the physics engine can be pretty wonky- so objects that seem like they should be heavy require an all-too-gentle touch to move around, otherwise they end up flying off the edge whilst you waste precious seconds whilst they respawn. Pushing enemies off the edge resulted in similar problems, as due to the inherent speed that I built up, I often found myself flying off with the enemy, only to respawn further back, with the bad guys also getting a free respawn, forcing me to repeat the whole fight again.