Toto Temple Deluxe is a faster-paced version of the arena battle genre, that will have you and up to 3 friends fighting over a goat. Yes, a goat! Players can play as either a yellow, red, blue, yellow or green character, and aim to get to 3,000 points before anyone else in the traditional deathmatch/versus set-up.
There’s nothing strange about that in theory, but the execution of it involves trying to get a goat. Doing so nets constant points per second ranging from 20 to 30, and it means you’ll rack up points quickly if things go well for you. However, while you’ve got the goat, you can’t dash around to either get around quickly or daze opponents. The dash isn’t just a way to get from A to B, it’s also the only way to defend yourself. There are also coins ranging from small bronze ones to giant gold ones that will pop up. Players without the goat can grab them easily, while those with the goat have to hope they pop up close to them.
Doors can also pop up mid-round to help block off the dash-capable players and give the goat-carrier a bit more time. Of course, this can also work against the goat-carrier since they could wind up with no escape route and a couple of enemies right next to them. In that scenario, they’ve got all the options, and the other players’ only real hope is for one of them to go after the goat-carrier and miss, taking the door out, and giving you a clear path and more time to get points. Games are played in a best two out of three set-up for both the deathmatch mode and the team-based mode. The team-based set-up is basically the same idea, but it pits two against two or one.
Visually, Toto Temple Deluxe uses a bright colour scheme, this gives you a bright platform-filled environment with a wide variety of levels to look at. Whether you’re in a temple with diggable dirt, or an underwater one with everyone wearing snorkels, you’ll be impressed by how many little touches are in each level. The soundtrack is very cheery, with a nice Aztec vibe for that map and a Spongebob-style arrangement for the underwater level.
Given how limited the gameplay is, it’s amazing how much depth there is thanks to the strategy you have to employ in order to win. However, having a few more game modes would of extended the life of the game Also as per usual with these games, it’s a shame they’re not online, but as local multiplayer games, they’re still amazing.
Toto Temple Deluxe is a must-play for anyone. The concept is a bit limited, but what little the game does, it does very well. It controls smoothly and its two-button set-up is easy to learn. The graphics are bright and colourful with a lot of life in the environments, while cheery music takes the sting out of every loss.
Simon contributed 16 articles to ICXM in 2015, covering game reviews, Windows and PC, and Xbox news with a focus on hands-on impressions and verified-source reporting. Their bylines on the site span the Xbox One’s first full year of post-launch coverage, including the early days of Backwards Compatibility and Windows 10 gaming.