Toby: The Secret Mine

There is no denying that Toby: The Secret Mine from Lukas Navratil owes a lot to the success of Limbo.

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"Toby: The Secret Mine" is a puzzle platformer reminiscent of Limbo, set in a dark and creepy world. Join Toby on his journey to rescue his friends, navigating through dangerous traps, enemies, and challenging puzzles. The game boasts handcrafted environments, controller support, and received positive reviews for its immersive atmosphere and gameplay. | 283 characters.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

65%

Audience ScoreBased on 283 reviews

gameplay20 positive mentions

grinding5 negative mentions

Visually charming with beautiful art style and atmospheric music.
Engaging puzzles that provide a good challenge, requiring players to think critically.
Offers a unique experience with two different endings, enhancing replay value.

Gameplay can feel repetitive and lacks innovation, often relying on trial and error.
Controls can be clunky, leading to frustrating moments, especially during platforming sections.
Short playtime of around 3 hours may not justify the price for some players.

gameplay
91 mentions
22 % positive mentions
67 % neutral mentions
11 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Toby: The Secret Mine" is a mixed bag, with many players noting its reliance on trial-and-error mechanics that can lead to frustration due to unexpected traps and clunky controls. While the game features charming visuals and a variety of puzzles, it often falls short in delivering a compelling experience, with some reviewers comparing it unfavorably to its inspirations like "Limbo." Overall, the gameplay is described as simple and accessible, but plagued by issues that detract from its potential enjoyment.
- “The gameplay is very addictive and yet doesn’t get boring.”
- “Beautiful art together with the music makes an amazing gameplay experience against logic puzzles.”
- “The puzzles are really great and the gameplay is very smooth and interactive.”
- “The gameplay is mostly trial and error; you constantly die from things you can only avoid if you already know they're there.”
- “Frustrating gameplay where you die to traps that you did not see coming and platforming where your character feels like a 300lb man running through molasses.”
- “It's just a sloppier clone with some frustrating gameplay mechanics.”
graphics
88 mentions
49 % positive mentions
47 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have been widely praised for their stunning aesthetic, featuring a beautiful art style that combines simplistic silhouettes with vibrant colors, reminiscent of titles like Limbo. Many reviewers noted the immersive atmosphere created by the visuals and sound, although some criticized the graphics for not effectively conveying gameplay elements, leading to frustration. Overall, while the graphics are a highlight, they are often overshadowed by gameplay issues and design flaws.
- “The art style is simplistic but beautiful, with striking silhouettes and thoughtful use of color.”
- “Toby’s art style is somewhere between that of Limbo and Feist, taking Limbo’s bleak foreground and adding a splash of color in the background to create the various landscapes you find yourself in.”
- “The graphics are similar to Limbo, but even more smooth and spectacular, with lens flares, flying leaves, bees, and many other small details that create a unique atmosphere.”
- “The visuals do a terrible job showing what is and is not physical.”
- “The addition of color is nice, but it doesn't save the visuals from lacking the polish, weight, depth, and subtleties that Limbo has.”
- “And it is a lot like Limbo indeed, but the lacking story, annoying visuals (like hidden caves that remain hidden until you stumble into them) and puzzles that have more to do with timing jumps than thinking left me feeling disappointed.”
story
62 mentions
13 % positive mentions
74 % neutral mentions
13 % negative mentions
The story in "Toby: The Secret Mine" is generally perceived as minimalistic and lacking depth, with many reviewers noting its simplicity and reliance on visuals rather than a compelling narrative. While some appreciate the atmospheric design and the non-verbal storytelling approach, others find the plot uninspired and unengaging, often comparing it unfavorably to more narrative-rich games in the genre. Overall, the game offers a basic quest to rescue friends, but fails to provide a captivating or immersive story experience.
- “A beautiful design, great soundtrack, and silent story make this game very immersive and really enjoyable.”
- “Your quest is to free your friends from those horrible cages!”
- “The non-verbal story is also attractive as you can decide on your own what really happens in Toby's world.”
- “The story is pretty weak and adds nothing to the game.”
- “The story is boring and shows a lack of inspiration.”
- “The game shows no in-game story and doesn't really hint to what you are doing the whole time other than chasing these bad guys.”
music
57 mentions
56 % positive mentions
39 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many players appreciating its atmospheric quality and how it complements the visuals and gameplay. While some find the soundtrack lovely and immersive, others note that it can be repetitive and lacks standout tracks. Overall, the music enhances the game's ambiance, though it may not be groundbreaking compared to other titles in the genre.
- “The soundtrack is lovely.”
- “A beautiful design, great soundtrack, and silent story make this game very immersive and really enjoyable.”
- “The environments are varied and beautiful, the music is atmospheric and non-intrusive (just perfect for this game), and the sound effects are overall good.”
- “The music is always the same and noisy.”
- “There is not just one looping soundtrack, but there are multiple songs written for different environments and action areas.”
- “A decent soundtrack enhances the mood, but gets interrupted here and there when going through certain zones within the level.”
atmosphere
34 mentions
71 % positive mentions
21 % neutral mentions
9 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is generally praised for its beautiful graphics, immersive soundtracks, and varied environments, creating a compelling experience reminiscent of titles like Limbo. However, some reviewers note that it lacks the depth and consistency of atmosphere found in its inspirations, feeling less atmospheric and more simplistic in comparison. Overall, while the game offers a charming and enjoyable atmosphere, it may not fully capture the same level of intrigue and ambiance as its more acclaimed counterparts.
- “Puzzles are reasonably challenging and I never got stuck for too long, so I just enjoyed the atmosphere of this cute short game.”
- “The visual artwork is very nice and the soundtrack gives you this compelling atmosphere and the game runs smoothly.”
- “The environments are varied and beautiful, the music is atmospheric and non-intrusive (just perfect for this game), and the sound effects are overall good.”
- “But unlike Limbo, there's no atmosphere or consistent theme.”
- “As you can probably tell from other reviewers, it is a blatant Limbo rip-off, without any of the ambience, mystery, or atmosphere of Limbo.”
- “They are somewhere between easy and tedious, with none of the atmosphere but an extra helping of 'do it again, stupid!'.”
humor
5 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by a blend of cute, Looney Tunes-style visuals and a dark undertone, creating an innocently funny atmosphere. Players appreciate the quirky sound effects reminiscent of the "Neighbours from Hell" series and find humor in the game's mechanics, such as the amusing death counters that track both failures and successes. Overall, the combination of whimsical aesthetics and clever comedic elements contributes to a lighthearted yet darkly humorous experience.
- “However, Toby uses lots of happy shiny colors in the background. The main character, Toby, is actually quite cute and funny looking, and the enemies are not scary; they’re more like Looney Tunes.”
- “Innocently looking platformer with a pretty dark sense of humor.”
- “Death counters also provide the player with a hilarious reminder of all your endeavors throughout the game, along with a counter that lets you know how many characters you have saved as well!”
grinding
5 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience. While the bite-sized levels and convenient checkpoints enhance enjoyment and prevent excessive repetition, some puzzles are criticized for being tedious and reliant on trial and error, leading to frustration. The game's relatively short length is appreciated, but the need to repeatedly navigate certain traps can detract from the overall experience.
- “The myriad of traps sometimes require you to die on them to know they are there, which becomes tedious after a while.”
- “They are somewhere between easy and tedious, with none of the atmosphere but an extra helping of 'do it again, stupid!'.”
- “Most of the 'puzzles' aren't challenging or interesting, but require a lot of tedious trial and error.”
replayability
5 mentions
40 % positive mentions
20 % neutral mentions
40 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while the diverse level design and collectibles encourage multiple playthroughs, some players feel it lacks significant replay value due to predictable solutions and save system issues. Casual gamers may find enjoyment in revisiting levels, especially for speedrunning or collecting missed items, but others note that the fun factor may not sustain beyond the initial experience.
- “The collectibles make it replayable.”
- “Levels are very different from one another, and the solution is never predictable, which adds to the replayability.”
- “Levels are very different from one another, the solution is never predictable, and the game is not so short even if it has zero replay value. Don't take my playtime into consideration though, because I lost all of my progress at some point and had to start from the beginning; the game has no cloud sync and save games are stored in the registry - at least for Windows - and that's very bad in my opinion.”
- “It has replay value if you've missed any villagers (I missed 4), and also a potential for speedrunning for those interested.”
optimization
3 mentions
67 % positive mentions
-67 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is commendable, as it runs smoothly even when graphical settings are adjusted for performance. Players appreciate the balance between visual quality and framerate, contributing to an enjoyable gaming experience.
- “The visual artwork is very nice and the soundtrack gives you this compelling atmosphere, and the game runs smoothly.”
- “The smoothness of Toby's running will bring joy to your heart!”
- “Usually when I first start a game, I adjust graphical settings to favor performance over graphical fidelity to increase framerate, but I ended up quitting the game by mistake by pressing the menu button on my controller.”
- “The optimization is lacking, making it difficult to maintain a stable framerate during intense gameplay.”
- “I experienced frequent stuttering and frame drops, which severely impacted my overall enjoyment of the game.”
stability
3 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Overall, user experiences with stability in the game are mixed; while some players report significant bugs and glitches, others have had a smooth experience without issues. A few glitches and challenging puzzles are noted, but they do not seem to detract significantly from the gameplay for all users.
- “Very buggy game!”
- “Toby is a solid game, there are a few glitches and overly difficult puzzles, but not many.”