Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 2: Bush Rescue HD [Nintendo Switch] | REVIEW

Following the release of the original game in the series last year, Krome Studios are back with a fresh platforming fix for Nintendo Switch gamers to stick their teeth into with Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 2: Bush Rescue HD. This is a sequel in the truest sense, too: it’s bigger, it’s better, and it’s packed full of new things to do as you head on another wild adventure as gaming’s favourite (and only?) boomerang-wielding Tasmanian Tiger.

Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 2: Bush Rescue HD changes up the formula when compared to the original game, with the adventure taking place over an open-world made up of separate areas now as opposed to individual levels. It’s something that adds more depth and freedom to the overall experience, with players having a wider area to explore that’s full of platforming challenges to overcome, missions to complete, and collectibles to uncover. Players are free to explore the world and tackle missions at their own pace too, though some will be inaccessible until they have obtained the necessary items required to progress.

Those missions bring with them plenty of variety, whether that’s when piloting a helicopter, using a mech to cause carnage, or simply partaking in one of the MANY zany platforming scenarios you find yourself in during gameplay. Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 2: Bush Rescue HD certainly has plenty of tricks up its sleeve when it comes to its platforming gameplay, with a lot of fresh ideas introduced throughout that will challenge the player’s skills across the board. It ensures that it never gets boring, even in the more typical platforming sections that’ll see you simply running, jumping, or using your creative selection of boomerangs.

There’s just so much in the game to keep you coming back for more, with the roughly ten-hour adventure packed to the brim with wild and wacky gameplay segments that kept me hooked in. Best of all, nothing ever outstays its welcome; the more mini-game orientated sections are over before their mechanics can start to grow tiresome, whilst the locales you visit change up enough to ensure that the world design always remains top-notch. It’s just a really entertaining platformer.

I had a lot of fun playing through Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 2: Bush Rescue but it does have a couple of issues. The gameplay mechanics could feel a little dated in some places, whilst there are plenty of moments of backtracking that could drag some segments out a little longer than they needed to be. The camera could be a little finicky too, though it is nowhere near as bad as some of the game’s old-school contemporaries (and it is definitely an improvement over the original game), so I won’t hold it against it too much.

The presentation of the game could feel a little bit dated too, with the HD lick of paint not really modernising the experience all that much outside of a sharper resolution. That’s not to say that it looks bad, though; the creative environments and characters are oozing with vibrant personality and fit the whimsical vibe of the adventure perfectly. It’s just VERY clear throughout that you are playing a game that originally released in 2004. It’s fine, but you should keep your expectations in check if you’re planning on comparing Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 2: Bush Rescue HD to modern platforming releases.

Want to know something that Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 2: Bush Rescue HD has that those modern platformers don’t, though? A full kart racing mini-game. Available from the get-go, the kart racing allows you to compete against others in racing showdowns, with different racers (characters from the game) and courses to speed across that adds a very welcome addition to the main game’s platforming. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not the deepest racing experience out there, but it’ll certainly offer plenty of fun for kart racing enthusiasts or those who just want to do something a little different outside of all of the platforming.

It just emphasises one of the main things about Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 2: Bush Rescue HD: it’s a lot of fun. Sure, it might be a game that came out seventeen-years ago, but it’s one that has gameplay that has stood the test of time and still proves entertaining today. It brings with it an old-school charm and a sense of variety that is often missing in this day and age… what else could you want from a platforming adventure?

Developer: Krome Studios
Publisher: Krome Studios
Platform(s): Nintendo Switch (Reviewed), PC
Click here to visit the official website.