Toby: The Secret Mine Review (Xbox One)

Headup Games has announced the release of Toby: The Secret Mine for Xbox One.

Toby: The Secret Mine is a fun puzzle platformer inspired by games like Limbo and Badland. Gamers make their way through beautifully designed environments while solving challenging puzzles.

The story for the game involves the kidnapping of the residents of a small mountain village with anyone trying to rescue the victims not ever being seen again. It is then a brave little soul by the name of Toby enters the scene to solve the mystery on his own. Once he enters the dark, deep forest he realizes that he may be over his head but continues on anyway just like all brave heroes do.

The visuals and soundtrack are breathtaking and the dedication for the game can really be seen through the title's hand-drawn environments. There are tons of puzzles to solve which gives you a great deal of replayability with hours of entertainment. The enemies throughout the game become more challenging and unique which adds a great deal of immersion to the overall gameplay.

Toby: The Secret Mine features black silhouette graphics which makes the eerie adventure ahead that much more dark and creepy. Gamers will take on a wide array of dangerous situations that will test their wits, platforming skills, and puzzle-solving abilities. Toby must bypass mind-bending puzzles, treacherous traps, and scary monsters in order to uncover the truth behind the kidnappings in his town.

There are several environments to venture through in Toby: The Secret Mine which includes forests, caves, mines and more. There are 21 levels to explore with each one having hidden elements to unearth and lost friends to find. While there isn't a ton of context to Toby's story, the game does serve as a graphic story on its own, told through the environments you travel through. The checkpoint system also defeats the annoyance found with death in most platformers and allows you more freedom to explore your surrounding areas. There is also a nice twist at the end of the game based on your final decision rather to spare or kill the leader of the kidnappers.

In the end, Toby: The Secret Mine is an engaging yet complex puzzle platformer with a lot of heart. To learn more, visit the official Toby: The Secret Mine website.

Game Features:

• Beautifully handcrafted environments and great visual effects bring an ethereal world to life.
• Puzzles of all shapes and sizes await.
• Beware traps and enemies, both of which can quickly end Toby’s adventure.

Score: 7 out of 10 Reviewed for Xbox One