Nintendo Switch Review Code Provided by Tate Multimedia
One of the classics from the heyday of early to mid 00’s platformers was Kao the Kangaroo. A title that spawned numerous sequels, it was a shame that the series had seemingly disappeared. Flash forward to today, players new and old will be able to jump into Kao’s crazy world in, Kao the Kangaroo. With a modern take on this classic series and some gorgeous visuals, this title mostly scratches that classic platformer feel, but with a couple of weak points to integral elements.
Story
The story in this title centers around Kao as he embarks on a journey to find his sister after he has a vision that she’s in danger. Grabbing his missing father’s pair of old boxing gloves before embarking, Kao sets out to find her across multiple mysterious and dangerous locations where mind-controlled animal inhabitants prove formidable.
The overall plot of Kao is pretty good, though there were some times when I just felt like I didn’t care all that much about side chats with characters. The game does a great job though at feeling family-friendly yet not lazy or too weak on important parts. There’s a lot at stake for Kao and it’s illustrated with a perfect balance.
Gameplay
When it comes to Kao’s gameplay, I found myself both extremely impressed and underwhelmed by what it had to offer. The devs came up with a lot of really great ideas at play that make this truly feel like the next step for platformers of yesteryear. There are unique puzzles, platforming sections that work fantastically and put your skills to the test, and exciting bosses that can make the game feel as if it’s a Soulslike for kids.
Combat is specifically fantastic in this title, giving Kao a lot of room to maneuver and bounce between enemies with his various attacks. It’s very similar to the Arkham games’ combat where you can see enemies about to attack, giving you the chance to hit them first and hopefully fill your meter up enough to deal a special attack.
When it comes to Kao’s magical gloves this goes around, there are a lot of really cool powers that he can use to attack enemies and solve puzzles. They offer a bit of variety to the already unique gameplay. There’s some give and take to it as well due to the fact that Kao can only hold so much of each power before he has to stock up on more. This can sometimes lead to situations where you aren’t fully ready for what the game is throwing at you, causing you to backtrack a bit.
Though I loved the majority of what the game has to offer, one aspect that really rubbed me the wrong way was how Kao himself controls. As a platformer, controlling your character is of the utmost importance. When it comes to Kao though, it can be a nightmare. He’s very light which proves difficult at times when it comes to jumping from obstacle to obstacle. It’s surprisingly easy to overjump and it’s actually pretty hard to determine where he’s landing for some reason.
Another aspect of Kao’s movement that feels undercooked is in how high he jumps. There are instances in the game where it’s a trial and error scenario for him to get over an object that he’s obviously supposed to clear. It’s almost like magic when he finally gets over these types of objects because he seemingly levitates over them, eventually.
Additionally, there are instances in the game where he’s supposed to climb up walls by clinging to wallboards, ala Assassin’s Creed. These points of the game are horrible as well because he doesn’t really stick to the walls. Jumping from one to another will most of the time cause him to fall down entirely. It’s headaches like this that take a really fun game and just flat-out ruin it.
Audio and Visual
I was pleasantly surprised by just how great the cast was in this title. It feels exactly like those Saturday morning cartoons I remember as a kid. The music and other audio sounds are very immersive as well, evoking the platformers from back in the day. I played this title on the Switch and while it looks decent on handheld, in docked mode is where this game shines. I absolutely love the colors that the developers used for this title as it makes the game feel magical from the start.
Replayability
This can be a pretty difficult game at times, even for adults, so replayability is something that will happen whether you want to or not. And similarly to its titles of old, this is a collect-a-thon which means you will want to play it again to collect anything you missed on your first go around.
What It Could Have Done Better
The game's biggest crux is its inability to make controlling Kao always feel satisfying. I’m not sure whether or not this is something that can be fixed post-launch but it really shouldn’t feel like this anyway. It stinks that this has everything going for it aside from its basic core mechanics.
Something else that made my experience with the game a nightmare was the fact that my save file was glitched. I couldn’t hit “continue” on the main menu when I tried reloading my save though starting a new game told me that it would erase it. Having to start the game over once you’re almost at the end is one of the worst gaming experiences ever.
Verdict
While Kao the Kangaroo manages to mostly live up to modern gaming expectations, Kao’s movement feels like something ripped right out of 2001, for better or worse. Combat and puzzles are standouts within this fresh take on the world we once traveled and it’s great to see that the developers really tried and mostly succeeded in pushing the IP forward. If you can overlook some of this game’s major shortcomings and keep patience in mind, you will certainly have a good time.
