Toki for Nintendo Switch: Everything you need to know

The Nintendo Switch has been great for retro arcade revivals, and now an unexpected simian contender is adding to that excellence. No, it's not Donkey Kong, it's Toki! Toki is a goofy run-and-gun game that was highly popular in arcades in the early 90s and has been reincarnated on a number of systems since. This time, a number of the original creators have gotten together to remake Toki anew for the Switch.

Here's everything we know so far about Toki:

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What is Toki?

Toki is a 1989 arcade game featuring the titular jungle man, who is transformed into an monkey/ape of some sort by an evil magician, and has his girlfriend kidnapped! In order to save her and restore his form, he must travel through the jungle and defeat the magician using his newfound abilities as a chimp.

This edition of Toki is a remake of the original that features the same gameplay, but a number of new features and improvements.

How do you play?

Toki is a run-and-gun platformer game, and you can control Toki as he walks and jumps through 2D sidescrolling levels. The main character's primary attack ability is to shoot spit balls from his mouth that can remove enemies and obstacles. The goal is to make his way from one end of the stage to the other, defeat the miniboss at the end, and finish the level before time runs out.

Various power-ups are available to improve Toki's spitballs, including lucky rabbit feet (for speed boosts), clocks (that increase the time limit), fruit (for points to get on the leaderboard at the end of the game), and a protective helmet. Toki can also collect coins, extra lives, and keys to open secret areas.

What's new in the remake?

Of course, Toki looks completely different in this remake. The graphics are entirely redone, making Toki nearly unrecognizable from its original version. The soundtrack has also been redone.

Since Toki was originally an arcade game, the Nintendo Switch version doesn't require you to pay to continue when you die. You just continue anyway! And in another shedding of the game's arcade routes, Toki still has a high score table, but you won't have to compete with other people in an arcade to be on it.

Finally, Toki will come with an easy mode for players who find its original arcade stylings too challenging but still want to finish the game.

When can I get it?

Toki is planned for launch on Nintendo Switch on December 4, 2018. It will cost $29.99 on the Nintendo Switch eShop, but a Recollector Edition full of goodies is available at retail for $49.99.

See at Game Stop