Tomba creator Tokuro Fujiwara discusses the colorful side-scroller’s PlayStation heritage

blog.playstation.com:

Today is my lucky day because I get to talk about Tomba with legendary creator Tokuro Fujiwara. Before leaving Capcom to develop Tomba, Fujiwara worked on many games, including some you might have heard of, like Mega Man, Resident Evil, and Commando. 

Tomba is a colorful action platformer originally published by Sony Computer Entertainment and beloved by hardcore PlayStation fans. In an era where side-scrollers were being left behind for polygon-pushing 3D gameplay, Mr. Fujiwara decided to do something different: a beautiful blend of old and new, something truly unique.  

Now, after almost twenty years, Tomba returns to PlayStation on August 1 with new features as Tomba Special Edition

Alena Alambeigi: In 1997, when you made Tomba, most developers focused on making 3D games like Tomb Raider or Crash Bandicoot. You instead decided to mix 2D sprites with perspective-shifting 3D environments. Why?

Tokuro Fujiwara: Tomba runs on 3D technology, with gameplay designed around 2D principles. This is why it’s described as a 2.5D game. I think 2D games have a certain kind of charm that 3D doesn’t. I also wanted to push the limits of what could be done. To bring my vision to life, I needed to use 2D principles along with 3D CG visuals. This allowed me to create something that felt new on the PlayStation. 

There were times when I wondered if I should go 3D instead, 3D games have a very clear sense of space. In 2D, all the action takes place on a flat plane, and multiple layers provide a sense of depth. This means you have to design the game in creative ways so that the different layers don’t conflict. This results in something interesting that can only be achieved with 2D. 

Alambeigi: What do you hope new players will take away from Tomba Special Edition?

Fujiwara: Tomba has many side quests. These come in different varieties and are hidden throughout the game. I encourage players to seek them out. Various items allow players to learn new moves, expanding how levels can be