I remember wanting to play Tomba! when I was younger. There was something bizarrely appealing about the game; maybe it had something to do with the fact that it involves a pink-haired feral kid chasing down a mob of evil pigs. I had no idea how the game played, but I wanted to play it. For some strange reason, I never got my hands on it -- even though I had several opportunities to do so. Now it comes to us as a PSOne Classic through the PlayStation 3's online service. As a newcomer, I can plainly say with no hesitation that it has held up well through the fourteen years of its existence.

Tomba! has a bizarre visual charm to it. Granted, most PlayStation titles have it, too -- but there's something particularly peculiar about the way this game looks in action. Most of the game is played on a series of two-dimensional planes, but the camera angle shifts to show you the world from a three-dimensional angle when the time is appropriate. This wasn't particularly groundbreaking technology, not even for its time. However, it still looks plenty cool. Environments are wonderfully wacky and as diverse as they come; if the level design doesn't hold up, the appealing aesthetics pick up the slack.

Tomba! has great sound effects and a well-produced soundtrack. It wouldn't do to spoil the more bizarre sound effects and voice snippets, but it goes without saying that much of it may make you laugh out loud. Tomba himself hurls himself into a belly-flopping dive with a comically high-pitched "Ya!" and pigs unlucky enough to find themselves on the receiving end squeal in terror. The ringing bell that announces a new task elicits that classic quest-seeking Pavlovian response, and the fanfare that celebrates your success brings it full circle.

A group of evil swine (dubbed the Koma Pigs) has stolen a priceless bracelet (among other treasures) from Tomba's grandfather. Your job is to retrieve the bracelet and seal the pigs away. It's simple on paper, but not so much when you actually start playing the game.

When you first start Tomba!, you might mistake it for a 2D platformer in the same vein as Super Mario Bros. Other times, you might see fragments of what eventually became the model for some kind of role-playing games. Tomba! is a strange beast, and an innovative one for its time. Sure, you run around progressing from area to area while putting the smack down on monsters who want to do you harm. But there's more to Tomba! -- much more.

Action adventure is a term used to describe the mashup between two compatible genres, but Tomba! is probably the purest example of an action adventure game. It's got pig throwing and platform traversal, but the world of Tomba! is populated with several people who want something from you. That means quests, or "Events." These usually vary between fetch quests involving certain items (or people) and finding the correct item to use in the correct location.

Tomba! requires a good deal of perseverance. The platforming can be tricky, especially at first. Tomba simply doesn't control like most other platforming heroes, and it isn't always clear when you can or cannot leap onto an enemy. Some are best handled with his signature Blackjack weapon (or any other of the assorted weapons he finds on his journey), while others should be hit with a thrown object (or enemy).

Event objectives are usually easy to complete, though locating them is often the most challenging part. Exploration is an absolute must in Tomba!. Scour every possible corner and keep your event titles and instructions firmly in mind; when it hits you, it's very satisfying. Some events later in the game are a bit complicated, if not esoteric, but none of them reach Fez's level of mindscrewery.

As mentioned before, Tomba! might mislead you at first. You start off running through a wooded glade. However, things get different pretty quickly. Enemies aren't defeated the instant you leap onto them. You have the opportunity to jump around and throw your victim, which is good fun that looks funny to boot.

Being a feral kid, Tomba can climb around his environment. However, it's a bit more complicated than simply latching onto surfaces. He's essentially Spider-Man without the web swinging. He can stick to and climb up walls. He can also move between planes when he's in the right place. This adds depth to the level design and demands an immediate shift in your perspective.

AP is earned by completing quests and opening special AP boxes. You can only access these boxes once you meet the requisite AP; these boxes yield food and a bit of health.

Part of the joy in playing Tomba! doesn't have so much to do with the actual gameplay as it has to do with the context of it. Sure, going after a stolen treasure isn't exactly novel, but it's in the little things. Take an early example: Tomba arrives in a village populated solely by dwarves who speak their own language. You can't communicate with these little people, so what must you do? Why, leap on their backs and bite them, of course! Modern MMORPGs could learn a lesson or two from Tomba!.

Tomba! is a classic from the PlayStation era, and one that everyone should at least try. If you have a soft spot for platformers and don't mind a bit of eccentricity, this is a game you should play.