Tokimal for the ZX Spectrum 128k

Today we are taking a look at a kind of sequel to the arcade game Toki, but first I think we should see what the original Toki was so let's go there first.

Toki was released into the arcades in 1989 by TAD Corporation and was a multi-directional scrolling run’n gun platform game. Where you had to rescue your girlfriend, but you were transformed into a monkey by the kidnapper which was an evil wizard.

There were around 7 levels with mini bosses and final bosses in each level. You would find that being an ape would make you slow and very vulnerable to your surroundings on each level. You would be constantly fighting the clock as well, so you can't hang around either. You did have power-ups dotted throughout the level to help you and some of those were only for a limited time. The game was quite tough to get through and like most arcade games it was a money eater.

Still, it was a lot of fun to play and had a good reception with arcade players

There were ports of the game for a number of home systems around 1991, and I remember seeing a preview in issue 90 of Crash Magazine for the ZX Spectrum. It was being developed by Ocean Software who had a decent rep, and I was looking forward to playing it as I had heard quite a fair bit about the arcade, but sadly it never came out.

Crash Issue 90, Page 12 Toki Preview

We then had news from the awesome Indie Retro News in 2018 that the developer, Radastan had been mucking about with a Toki tile set and this really piqued my interest, but (as for now) nothing has come of it. It looks amazing, and I can just imagine  how good this game might be.

Radistan Tileset

Then in 2021 we get the ever awesome ZX-DEV Media & Demakes competition. The Pat Morita Team announced their entry which was Tokimal.

It's not a direct arcade port but more like a sequel or prequel. I have to admit when I saw this I jumped for joy and was very excited. As soon as I saw the full game posted on itch.io I bought it. Although if you want a taster you also have a demo to try out.

So as the story goes you are sick and tired of being compared to your cousin who is very famous(so I’m guessing that's the one in the original ape from Toki). Your girlfriend wants to see if you are like him, so she intentionally gets kidnapped by Monolete who is the meanest monkey in all the land. You’re not too happy about it and being so young you want to fight everyone to get her back. Personally, I would have just forgotten about her and ate a few bananas.

The game uses The Mojon MK2 engine and if you have seen other games made with that engine then a good idea on what to expect. Personally, I was very uneasy when I found out as there are a lot of games I don't like that uses this engine. To me most of the games have strange mechanics like the jump feel far too floaty.

The game for the ZX Spectrum 128k machines and clones and just by reading the web page you can see why as it boasts 155 screens in 5 areas. This game 2 years to develop and believe me it shows.
Upon loading the game you get an excellent loading screen showing your ape spiting out fireballs in the jungle, and you can see some of the wild life you will encounter in the game.

There seems to be no real option menu so all you do is press fire on your joystick or press space as your keys are the keys of the gods in Q ,A ,O ,P and Space

When you start the game you get an option on what mode to play the game in. You have 2 modes which are.

Arcade mode, where you go from 1 stage to another until you complete the game The other mode which will really extend the life of this game is the extended mode.

Here you are presented with a map and have to go through each stage. While playing and killing the enemies you have to make sure you have enough coins and this becomes apparent once you find the hidden areas. Now these places are a nightmare to get around, but at the end you can open a chest if you have enough coins and get your Funky Pop collection back.

Each game mode works well, and I would say to start on the arcade mode and get used to the levels. Once you can complete that then tackle the extended mode and find those hidden areas.

Graphically, I find the game great, it's very colourful, and although the sprites are on the small side you don't normally lose sight of anything. There is no scrolling in this game as its just flip screen, but for a game like this it's not taking away from the game.

What you will notice is the game takes elements like the monsters you face from the arcade game like the spiders, devil ghosts and such. They even put the larger enemies that didn't take much to finish off as bosses and add some extra things to do just to kill them off.

Music is a joy to listen too because you get renditions of the arcade music, and they are done brilliantly. There are a few sound effects which do a great job, but I was too focused on the game and music.

Controls were my main concern as I said earlier and the Pat Morita Team did an awesome job. There is nothing to complain about here, from the jumping to going in a direction it all works perfectly, and the collision box is about right. Jumping from platform to platform sometimes you need to be spot on, or you will die. If I was going to complain then maybe the 8 way shooting like the original would have been a nice addition.

So in conclusion, Tokimal is a great game and I think it's a worthy sequel to the original arcade. I find myself coming back for more and getting further into the game. The 2 modes of play gives you really value for money and for under 4 euros it's a massive bargain.

You can download the Tokimal demo right now to see what the arcade mode is like, but for 3.50 Euros you get the full game in tape and disk format along with 3 different languages for the manual.

Graphics        8    Sound            9    Playability     9    Overall          26/30

Thank you for watching the gameplay and reading this review.

Pat Morita Team Website

https://greenwebsevilla.itch.io/

Tokimal game

https://greenwebsevilla.itch.io/tokimal