Developed and published by dietzribi, Toodee and Topdee is a brand-new 2D platformer combined with a top-down 3D puzzle game. This presents a unique gameplay mechanic as you must solve puzzles in the game while continuously switching between the 2D and the 3D world. This is our review of the PC version of Toodee and Topdee in which we switch the dimensions and solve some really cool puzzles.
The story of Toodee and Topdee is not a deep one but a funny one. The game begins with the only being alive called Aleph who decides to create life. He creates different worlds out of which two worlds are for our main characters called Toodee and Topdee. To create a balance between the worlds, Aleph creates a Semi-Colon at the center of his universe. However, Aleph is unable to cope up with the managing pressure as glitches start to appear in the world. To help him fix the glitches, he hires an assistant called Toodoo. Things are normal until Toodoo figures out that Aleph might not have a use for him after the glitches are fixed so he steals the Semi-Colon sending the universe into chaos.
Toodee and Topdee might look like your average platformer when you look at it however it combines both top-down and side-scrolling gameplay that you can easily switch between with a single press of a button. Since the worlds have combined and glitches now rule the world, both Toodee and Topdee are stuck in the same world with their dimensions combined with each other as well which give you a brand-new way of solving puzzles and progressing into the levels. A typical level in Toodee and Topdee will see you switching between the two characters as they use their own dimensions to help out each other to reach the final portal and advance to the next level.
Let’s start with Toodee who is present in the 2D side-scrolling dimension. Toodee can only move left and right and jump as well. The longer you press the jump key, the higher Toodee can jump in the game. On the other hand, you have Topdee who is present in the 3D world and can move around pretty much anywhere without any issues as long as he has a path. If he has some blocks lying around, he can lift them up and place them down in gaps to form bridges as well however once placed in these gaps, they cannot be taken out. Pressing X on the controller allows you to switch between Toodee and Topdee while changing the perspective of the game as well.
Toodee and Topdee is essentially a puzzle game, and it follows the same tried-and-tested formula of solving the puzzle to reach the end of the level. Here, the end is determined by a portal, and you must ensure that both Toodee and Topdee reach this portal safe and sound in order to complete the level. The game starts really easy as it introduces you to the basics of the game however it quickly notches up the difficulty as you get more and more advanced puzzles to solve in order to reach the exit of the level. As you progress in the levels, you will also start encountering various enemies that you will need to avoid while solving puzzles. When it comes to killing, the game will kill you plenty.
While the game does not necessarily push you, you will find a timer system in the game which appears at the end of the level and in your main saved file info as well. This system keeps track of all your deaths in the game and your total time for the game completion. There are five unique worlds in the game, each with its own unique setting, challenges, and puzzles for you to solve. The UI of Toodee and Topdee is similar to a mobile game where you can pick the world and then choose the level you want to play from a grid-like system. You have to complete a level before progressing into the next level. Each world concludes with a boss fight, and you have plenty of cutscenes between certain levels as well.
For solving puzzles, you must switch between both Toodee and Topdee according to situations, after you switch to a different dimension, the other character freezes in its place which allows the other to move and help them out. Sometimes you will need to help the other one in between actions while sometimes one can set up the puzzle in place and the other one can just ride it to the portal. This is quite rare because as you progress in the story, the levels start getting much more complicated.
Toodee is all about jumping around so most of the heavy lifting is done by Topdee who can lift boxes and place them below Toodee as he jumps from one platform to another to collect keys. Both Toodee and Topdee can collect keys in order to open up paths and access to portals. The keys can be collected by both Toodee and Topdee so you can decide who to collect keys with according to the level. Sometimes, the scenario will allow only one of the two to move forward so it all depends on the level and what type of situation you are in at the stage. As you progress in the game, you will eventually reach more worlds where you will need to manage much more things such as water puzzles and portable portals in order to clear the puzzles.
The transition between the two game modes is seamless and you can easily switch from side-scrolling to top-down 3D and back. There are no shaky screens or any sort of glitches in this. Depending on how proficient you are in solving puzzles, you might not take a long time to complete all five worlds of the game. In this case, you can retry the levels in a bid to beat your best time, your restarts, and your death counts. The game keeps track of all these for you. I wouldn’t say that I am terrible at solving puzzles, but some levels did indeed take me a little while in order to figure out the solution. The game is not brutally hard on its puzzles so unless you are really bad at solving puzzles, you will complete the game without breaking your controllers.
With that said, Toodee and Topdee is in a pretty stable condition at its launch. I do not recall a single glitch or hiccup during my gameplay and so far I have plenty of hours poured into the game since I was trying to beat my best times in different levels and also aiming for no-death runs in some of the challenging levels. The soundtrack is great and fits right in with the overall theme of the game. The cutscenes are decent and the whole title feels like a complete package without compromising on any single aspect. One thing I will note here is that I am not a fan of the typical mobile-like level selections screens. I have yet to see a puzzle game that offers a pretty level selection screen.
Final Verdict:
Since the release of Super Meat Boy, we have seen a lot of platformers inspired by it. Some of them were good while some of them were subpar. I am really happy that Toodee and Topdee lies in the list of good titles, and it also brings its own unique gameplay mechanic into play. Unlike most titles, there is no scoring based on your performance in the game but if you want, you can try to beat your scores as well however the game does not enforce this at all. The character design of the title is really cute and the fact that both 2D sidescrolling and the 3D top-down gameplay works flawlessly, and the seamless switch is really satisfying. If you are a fan of puzzle platformers however you have been looking for something new especially for a puzzle game with co-op gameplay and satisfying boss fights, Toodee and Topdee should be on your must-play list.
Final Score: 8.5/10
