Togges is a unique 3D platformer with a focus on exploration | Hands-on preview
Since the dawn of video games, there have been video game blocks. Starting with such classics as the Super Mario Question Mark block, now we can’t escape the cubes. Minecraft made crafty cubes a key part of one of the most successful video games of all time, and the Lego games took real world building blocks and added every franchise you could imagine for a smashing experience. The next big block game could be just around the corner, as Togges is coming out next month.
It doesn’t take long for Togges to reveal itself to be a weird game. For starters the main character is a Roomba, but instead of vacuuming up household mess it spawns little cube creatures called Togges. This little bot is given the mission of visiting different planets to gather allies for a goofy king who wants to stop the galaxy from being destroyed, all while using cubes to collect fruit and letters. It’s all very Katamari, and before you know it you’ll be spreading blocks like it’s going out of style.
In each level of Togges you start with a thousand of the titular boxes and are tasked with exploring the open areas and placing the boxes on anything suspicious to try and find collectibles. What makes this slightly tricky is that Togges can only be placed next to each other (or one space apart) so you need to make a big line of them to get anywhere. Verticality can be an issue too, because standard Togges can only be stacked five blocks high.
Once you get used to getting your Togges where they need to be, then you’ll need to start looking for places they could be useful. Wooden crates might crumple under the weight of your cubes, and could contain a precious gem that gives you five more maximum Togges. Or a cactus might create a rocket out of one of its spiky arms that you can use to get one of your boxy brethren somewhere far away. It definitely takes some experimenting to figure out what weird interactions you can have with the colourful worlds, but that’s all part of the fun.
In this preview build I was given access to the first two worlds of the game, and I can say without a doubt that each of them was packed with more than enough content for even the most dedicated completionist could desire. Collectibles are absolutely everywhere, and each world is a vast sprawling area of floating islands and doors that lead to mini stages with even more to collect.
After you master the Red Togges and their fire resistance, you’ll get access to some other colours to play around with. Yellow Togges cost twice as much to summon but can stack a couple of blocks higher, whereas Green Togges are absolutely massive but drain your total box count incredibly quickly. Each has their own purpose that’s fun to discover, and the full game will have six of them to collect.
If recent punishment free platformers like Tinykin have been tickling your fancy, then Togges might be the next game for you. Although traps like swinging axes and boulders can destroy your Togges and set your bricklaying back, the Roomba protagonist is entirely invincible. The developers definitely understood that the fun of the game is exploring the magical themed worlds, and I’m thankful they did.
If there’s one thing I found a little off-putting about Togges it was the amount of story it tried to foist upon me. I just didn’t find the goofy story to be particularly engaging, and text boxes just seemed to keep coming. Hopefully this is an issue that becomes less noticeable in later worlds, otherwise I might just have to hammer on the skip button.
Togges is a unique 3D platformer with a focus on exploration. Making paths out of your cubes is an interesting mechanic to get to grips with, and the massive worlds are stuffed to the gills with collectibles and secrets. Togges could be another great game to finish off this year of platformers with a bang, and I can’t wait to play it next month.
Togges is coming to PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X, and Nintendo Switch on December 7th.
