Throughout history and, unfortunately, right up to the present day, the world has thousands of examples of tyranny and oppression, where powerful groups use their influences to exert force over smaller or less powerful groups. Croc: Legend of the Gobbos may not seem like the first port of call when considering this topic, but its story does touch upon the elements of tyranny, oppression, and resistance. The points this essay will touch upon include the use of military against a peaceful nation, the kidnapping of a group of people, those being the Gobbos, Baron Dante’s tyrannical actions, and Croc’s actions as a resistance fighter and liberator.
Baron Dante’s Tyranny
Croc: Legend of the Gobbos starts with the Gobbos taking in an abandoned baby Croc, raising him as one of their own. From what we see in the opening moments, the Gobbos are a peaceful society that work together to maintain a homeland where everyone is treated with respect, kindness, and supported. There seems to be no conflict with Gobbo society, nor does this society come across a warmongering. In fact, they seem almost childlike and naïve to the dangers of the wider world around them with barely any preparedness when having an aggressor as a neighbour. The most basic of plans seem to revolve around Croc saving them, but if he fails then Gobbo society goes extinct.
Completely unexpectedly, at least to the Gobbos, Baron Dante launches an invasion of the Gobbo homeland with his Dantini military at his side. Such is the ferocity of the attack, the Gobbos lose their homes as the Dantini army begin destroying everything. Moments before all the Gobbos are captured, King Gobbo manages to help Croc escape, giving a slither of hope in these dark times.
Post invasion, Baron Dante appears to order that each Gobbo is isolated away from their kin, with everyone thrown in their own cage, box, or used as a prize in mini games with only a brief shot of escape. Here, we can draw out that Baron Dante had no care for Gobbo society and what it stood for, was fine with separating families and putting his Gobbo prisoners in solitary confinement. To further exacerbate this, each Gobbo is imprisoned in areas that have no basic facilities, instead placed in some incredibly dangerous areas that could end up fatal for them. The minigames beg the question that if Croc did not win them, were these Gobbos to be prizes for those invited to take part, and trafficked away with their families never knowing what happened to them?
Baron Dante’s oppression and tyranny is not just saved for the Gobbos. Through the game we see that he does not respect the free will of most other creatures. As Croc makes progress in his liberation mission, Baron Dante uses his power to turn innocent creatures into unwilling combatants within his army, forcing them to fight Croc. These individuals do get hurt in their battles but if they fail they are left to carry on with their lives. They regain their freedom but it shows that Baron Dante has no duty of responsibility towards these drafted soldiers, leaving them to their fates.
Croc As A Leader of Resistance
Most that become symbols of resistance do not necessarily choose to become such symbols but are forced to through the events that occur around them. Martin Luther King Jr, Nelson Mandela, Bhagat Singh, Tiananmen Square’s Tank man, Harriet Tubman, Volodymyr Zelensky. These are just some notable figures who have stood up to either lead resistance against more powerful adversaries or become symbols or resistance themselves. Croc is an individual that is forced to act in his own world against a member of the royalty in Baron Dante and all of the resources available to him. This is another showdown between a focused yet disadvantaged person taking on a complex power structure to force a change for the better.
Croc is outnumbered with no allies except Beany, who can teleport Croc to new areas. No one else takes up the cause to free the Gobbos from their prison. This could be down to several reasons. First, there’s a clear lack of information available to anyone else who otherwise would have helped. Baron Dante would tightly control any message from the region, and the invasion of the Gobbos is something he may not have publicised. Second could be fear. It could be other groups have heard of the invasion and displacement of the Gobbos, but do not act out of fear that Baron Dante will turn his forces against them. Third, any other resistance has already been dealt with. We do not know the full history of the region, but Baron Dante may have already crushed other resistances that were rising up giving him free reign over his part of the land.
Croc is essentially a guerrilla fighter, striking at targets quickly to free up his Gobbo family from their prisons before quickly moving to the next area. While the path that he can take is quite predictable, he is not at first seen of as much of a threat with very little of the Dantini military standing in his way at the start. However, as Croc marches onwards and dispatches foes Baron Dante increase security to protect himself. Croc shows very little mercy to those who get in his way, engaging in close quarters combat to fight against the oppressors. This showcases how little in the way of resources Croc has as he has not even armed with a weapon, and even if he was it is unlikely he would know how to use having been raised by the Gobbos.
After facing the trials of navigating hostile environments, and fighting willing and unwilling enemy soldiers, Croc eventually confronts Baron Dante having freed the Gobbos and dismantled much of Baron Dante’s power structure. Croc successfully overthrows Baron Dante and takes his people back to their homeland, with the world around them once again thriving. While this is a good ending for the Croc and Gobbos, it leaves behind another land where there is no one in charge which paves the way for a power struggle and further strife that will impact the Gobbos again. Filling that vacuum is not Croc’s responsibility, but this does show that even successful resistance movements can lead to unintended consequences.
Conclusion
Croc: Legend of the Gobbos is a game that on its surface looks like a standard, colourful, and innocent platformer. What this essay has outlined is that Croc: Legend of the Gobbos actually tells a story of oppression, tyranny, forced displacement, the imbalance of power, and the need for resistance against tyranny. If there is no resistance then the majority of victims will the innocent, like the childlike and naïve Gobbos. Croc is an unexpected symbol of resistance but his actions show that even one person with the necessary drive can bring about change for the better in an unjust world.
