I don't usually post reviews, but I wanted to speak to the dev team because this franchise holds a special place in my heart.

Thank you so much for making this game. It may not be EXACTLY the same as when me and my best friend played countless hours many years ago and never finished the game, but once I fired the game up and handed my same friend the controller....I must have said "oh remember that! thats how rocket boots work! thats how decoys work!...etc" over and over. This game is the ultimate two player best friend gamer game. Relax, enjoy a beer, and use random presents. Good job Devs! This is awesome! A must buy for the fans of the franchise and anyone wanting a wacky coop experience. 10/Rocket boots. would buy again.

Ignore the E-10 rating, get this for your young children and pass along a healthy respect and distrust of post boxes, dentists, and the lethal, explosive impact of the common tomato. They need to know before it's too late.

They perfectly captured the feel of Toejam & Earl 1 while also integrating mechanics from Toejam & Earl 2 like the coinslot/button chains, tree shaking and dance games. It's really the perfect Toejam & Earl game.

On a modest budget of 500k the devs somehow managed to make a game that feels different enough but still the sequel to the 1st game they should have made before Sega kept screwing them. To my knowledge this is also the first online co-op roguelite unless im mistaken.

Even with tons of bugs and control mapping problems it still manages to be exactly what TJ&E fans want. I hope the devs dont abandon this game and actually fix its issues so it can be definitive.

We're back in the early 90's my dudes!

TJ&E was one of the more iconic Sega Megadrive / Genesis titles during the console's generation and for good reason! The original was packed with charm, humour, replay value and such an unmistakable unique personality and was personally my favourite early childhood game.

Fast forward to 2019 and we get Back in the Groove! A sequel that continues the first game's top down style where you explore randomly generated worlds, populated by crazy earthlings and littered with food and pressies to open! It combines what fans liked from the second game and added that to the original style of 1 such as the mad cows, searching bushes, trees for presents, hyperfunk zone etc.

So if you're a long time fan of TJ&E you will LOVE this game! It's perfect for what we love about TJ&E!

However if you're new to the series then awesome! This game is perfect for people with a sense of humour, who like to replay a game a lot, who like to explore and who like damn good funky music! But for those of you with children or loved ones who may not be accustomed to gaming then rejoice because this is probably the best game to co op with them to! There's difficulty levels that are tailored for even LITERAL TODDLERS, pretty much making you invincible so your kid can just wander around laughing at all the silly stuff with out worrying about game overing early!

This is a game that reminds you why we played games originally before all of them had to be heavily cinematic with a sad tone that, at some point, involves having to kill a deer with a bow because life is hard. We played for FUN and to have a good time and that's exactly what TJ&E is all about! It can easily be enjoyed solo, everything just simply gets a heck of a lot more fun with a friend! It also supports online AND local co op! So get your player 2 and get funky!

Finally we got a proper sequel to TJ&E! Graphics are lovely and remind me of Don't Starve. Almost the exact same play as the original, with some added features that I think overall make the game better.

This is an early review because there aren't any out there yet, so take it with a grain of salt, since I haven't finished a game yet, or played multiplayer. But first impressions are great.

Pros:
- Same gameplay we know and love (mostly)
- Some new features are a nice addition
- Nice variety in character selection increases re-playability (6 starting characters + 3 unlockables)
- Great bang for the buck IMO

Cons:
- Searching and shaking bushes can get a bit annoying/repetitive
- The Rhythm mini-game usability kinda sucks
- Port: Keyboard controls are be kinda meh. A controller is probably recommended.

ToeJam & Earl: Back to the Beat! is a charming, adorable and fun adventure-roguelite indie game which is in itself a very particular game, that is to say, it is not suitable for everyone's taste.

It is a true modern revision of the famous retro game called "ToeJam & Earl" from the Sega Genesis/Megadrive era.

The game consists of looking for the lost pieces of your spaceship while exploring the different randomly generated levels. To do this, the player has at his/her disposal the help of "gifts," which are basically elements with unknown properties and you discover those properties, both good and bad, as you progress through the levels/games. For example, one of the properties helps you kill enemy earthlings that stand in your way to obtain all the ship parts.

You start the game with 4 unlocked characters and you can unlock up to three more as well as certain special items after you finish the game in the different difficulty modes. Each character has its own basic stats that can be improved randomly by leveling up.

There are some good ground NPCs (earthlings) that can help you in many ways on your journey through the levels, such as by healing your HP bar or by revealing unknown "gifts."

One of my favorite Sega Genesis games brought back to life with a fresh coat of paint and updated mechanics. Despite this being number 1 on my wishlist I was a little hesitant to buy right away because of some of the negative reviews. Some people complained it was a 'bush shaking simulator', or it simple wasn't as good as the original. I can thankfully tell you neither of these are true.

The gameplay was just as fun as I remember from the good 'ol Genesis era. In this day in age where rogue-lites are increasing in popularity, this game holds up pretty well. It surely sets it apart with gameplay that's still very unique from every other mundane slosh-fest caught in Steams churning pot. The vast variety in new presents and new earthlings make it extremely refreshing, even for new comers; and there's lot of replayablity with unlocking new hat upgrades (small bonuses) and characters each time you beat the game. I also like the addition of adding XP to level up stats. Along with the free updates of extra hard and endless modes, 9 characters and 4-player online (2-player local split) it just seems like a no-brainer if you're a fan of the original.

Speaking of new enemies. If you thought the mole enemy from the original ruined yur birthday. Welllll, then a lot of the newer ones will funk you up six ways from Sunday. As some of these "earth bastards shootin' up your ride" will randomize your presents, stats, or just kill you dead and one shot you in the final levels. It can get pretty hectic. Although it's still fun to figure out the first time how a baby medusa or ghost cow is gonna wreck you. It still didn't deteriorate the gameplay with the plethora of presents to fiddle your diddle and experiment around with. Even after 14 hours I haven't unlocked all the extra presents so there are still some surprises to be had.

I do have some minor complaints though. I can see how the 'bush shaking simulator' complaint can turn you off. Although optional, it depending how cautiously you want to play and put extra time for more xp and moola. This also includes repeatedly doing the funk zone and beat box mini games as well. I feel those mini games overstayed their welcome and doing every single one that showed up made the game easy for me. Good thing they added a super hard mode though. My biggest nitpick is the music, the tone just seems way too repetitive throughout. They redo some of the classic originals, but they only did 4 out of 6 from the first game and one of them cut out the very recognizable bass solo which irks me.

This is an amazing remake for both new and old fans, and at a *ahem* GROOVIN' price. I only hope that someone out there gives this same treatment to other Genesis classics. I would die for a Kid Chameleon or Gunstar Heroes reboot!

EDIT: Just want to mention reason I nitpick the music. I'm actually the first person to tab out all 6 songs from the first game on guitar and bass. So the music holds dear to me. You can look it up on ultimate-guitar if you're interested in learning to play them.

For all the fans of the original Sega classic, I have to say "Back in the Groove" is pretty damn worthwhile. All the best parts of the first game, with some added awesome updates and features.

Jammin'! Toejam & Earl are back!

Back in the Groove is the long awaited return of the classic duo. The game is a mix of the best parts of the previous games but makes some new changes that are funky fresh to keep it interesting through multiple playthroughs.

The game still retains its edge by being old school difficult. It has no mercy and that’s the way I like my TJ&E. Sometimes however the game can be a little cheap with enemy placement. Currently as of this review I think the earthlings are far too dense in numbers, should be spaced out better, and should feel more imposing rather than seeing multiple of the same one in each world.

I think the maps are currently a bit too small. Some are less than 15 seconds long. Later levels are a bit better but something I miss from the original game was the sprawling worlds that felt like a large task at hand rather than just darting to the elevator as fast as possible.

I love just about everything else! I’m a big fan of the multiple playable characters (adding the original old school skins was such a nice touch), random world keeping it fresh, the XP system is a lot of fun, the presents are just as great as always with some new surprises, and the music is one of the best soundtracks I’ve heard in a long time.

I am so excited and happy to see Toejam & Earl return. I hope this game does well enough to warrant a sequel. I’m very proud to have helped with the kickstarter and would gladly do it again.

Back in the Groove is worth your time, and your funk.