Tomba, Alberto, 1966-, Italian skier. The winner of five Olympic medals, including golds for giant slalom (1988, 1992) and slalom (1988), and silvers for slalom (1992, 1994), Tomba became the first champion of the new World Cup circuit in 1995. Before retiring in 1998 to pursue an acting career, "La Bomba" (for his flamboyance on and off the slopes) won 50 World Cup events, and was seldom out of the news.

(born Dec. 19, 1966, San Lazzaro di Savena, Italy) Italian Alpine skier. Tomba was born near Bologna and learned to ski there. He won three Olympic gold medals (1988, slalom and giant slalom; 1992, giant slalom), one Alpine World Cup championship (1995), and two World Championship of Skiing gold medals (1996, slalom and giant slalom). He had no success at the 1998 Olympics but won a slalom event at the World Cup in March of that year and then retired from skiing. He achieved a level of fame unusual for an Alpine skier because of his flamboyance on and off the slopes.

Learn more about Tomba, Alberto with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born Dec. 19, 1966, San Lazzaro di Savena, Italy) Italian Alpine skier. Tomba was born near Bologna and learned to ski there. He won three Olympic gold medals (1988, slalom and giant slalom; 1992, giant slalom), one Alpine World Cup championship (1995), and two World Championship of Skiing gold medals (1996, slalom and giant slalom). He had no success at the 1998 Olympics but won a slalom event at the World Cup in March of that year and then retired from skiing. He achieved a level of fame unusual for an Alpine skier because of his flamboyance on and off the slopes.

Learn more about Tomba, Alberto with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Tomba! (Tombi! in Europe and Australia, Ore! Tomba in Japan) is a side-scrolling adventure game created by Whoopee Camp Co. Ltd. for the Sony PlayStation. Tomba! was followed by a sequel titled Tomba! 2: The Evil Swine Return. The imaginative atmosphere and innovative gameplay of Tomba! has continued to keep it nostalgically popular with gamers. The series is the brainchild of Tokuro Fujiwara, who also created the Ghosts 'n Goblins and Mega Man series.

Gameplay

Mission System

The game is based around a mission system, where the main character's (Tomba's) skills are employed to complete various tasks. Completion of a mission gives a certain amount of adventurer points (AP) which are required for AP boxes which contain food (which gives you AP and restores 1 space of vitality) or items, and you may for example need 50,000 AP to open one. AP is also used to gain access to special places or information later in the game. Not all missions are necessary to progress in the game, however they are required to achieve full completion. There are 130 events (missions) in the game. Many events rely on other events to be completed.

Plot

Setting

Tomba! is set on a group of islands in the middle of an ocean. These islands don't appear on any map. Formed with large provinces in the north and smaller islands in the south, the islands were home to a peaceful people who lived in tranquillity for many years. It was home to birds and plantations, however, the magic of The Evil Koma Pigs replaced them with stranger and darker forms.

Story

You play the role of an energetic pink-haired youth named Tomba. Tomba's island was once a beautiful, peaceful place. However, seven evil pigs appeared, and using their magical powers, they mutated the surroundings into a bizarre landscape. The underlings of The Evil Pigs, called the Koma Pigs, stole Tomba's grandfather's bracelet and a plethora of gold through a strange lust for it.

Tomba is on a quest to retrieve the bracelet, which requires vanquishing the Evil Pigs along the way. Trapping them involves finding Evil Pig Bags, keys to entering each realm of each Evil Pig. When Tomba confronts an Evil Pig, he can throw and seal them into their Evil Pig Bag. He must also complete missions for other people and areas to get items and Evil Pig Bags. Some side-missions are purely for fun and irrelevant to the Evil Pigs storyline.

Reception

Despite almost universally positive reviews , Tomba! only sold moderately well (it failed to acquire Greatest Hits/Platinum Status). It gained a sequel, but Whoopee Camp shortly went out of business afterwards.

However, in gaming circles the game has reached cult status, often appearing in "best games you never played" lists and has become highly sought-after by collectors. Second hand copies on eBay easily reach excessively high prices (mostly much over the retail price), despite being over 10 years old.

External links

• Official Tomba! website
• Official Tombi! website
• Tomba! at MobyGames
• Tomba! Speedrun World Record