Kao the Kangaroo Review – IGN
Kao Kangaroo I remembered why I fell in love with a 3D platformer during the N64 era.While I missed Dreamcast Console-Exclusive Original I was surprised at how familiar this restart of the 22-year-old series was at the time, but the resurrected Kao is very derivative, hiding exactly what it looks like to other modern platformers. We are not trying to create a comfortable food experience. It’s so much fun, colorful and certainly quite nostalgic.Don’t expect Crash Bandicoot 4Level challenge.
The story of a hero who saves his loved one against the odds is nothing new in this genre, so it’s enough to say that Kao hasn’t broken the tradition here. The dialogue may have been stronger. It has good humor, but it can be weakened by outdated pop culture references. Kao’s mom’s saying “point the arrow at her knees” is rarely talked about, and young people aiming for games like this probably won’t recognize it. Still, there are fun casts to join young heroes like his wise teacher Walt. His more grounded nature continues to entertain the scene by acting as Kao’s effective straight man.
Well, this is not a mascot platformer without a very diverse environment. Kao is packed with four visually fascinating worlds. Between the unpleasantly warm lava caves hidden in the sunny Hopaloo Island, the tropical sights of the hungry jungle, and (hopefully) the trivial frozen mountains, they explore the usual metaphors. Is fun. Each location acts as a hub full of collectibles, but Rune unlocks a new level, so it’s the only batch you really need to worry about.
As soon as Kao begins his exploration, he finds his father’s old boxing gloves. This glove is the home of a strange and cheeky being that provides him with supernatural abilities. In addition to the usual jabs and combo strikes, Kao can gain a powerful finisher by attacking multiple enemies. These gloves also store up to three elemental charges, starting with fire before unlocking ice and electricity. They provide his finisher with some great visual flair, but more importantly, help him clear the obstacles on the platform like a spider web and freeze the water to build a bridge. .. Otherwise, Kao’s Dodge Roll will also attack the enemy and bring blessings to the defense strategy. This is a trade-off that you can understand the trade-off of not hitting as hard as a straight punch.
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Kao has packed some powerful moves, and new developer Tate has given us a lot of relationships with them by providing us with a decent variety of enemies. .. The usual growls swipe you up close, but something like a goat firing a sheep at you with a launcher makes this interesting. The whole world ends with a boss battle, each offering some fresh tricks-I won’t ruin them all, but Teller, the boss of Hopaloo Island, is behind him after the attack. It leaves a mark of fire, but Jayabaya in the hungry jungle is up to the point where Kao can punch straight behind. It’s not certain to be groundbreaking, but it’s enough to avoid predictability.
Use his ears to climb vines, grab floating hooks, and hit the purple crystal to display a temporary platform while carefully and effectively avoiding repetitions. There is also the weirdness of solving the puzzle, including one task that Kao needs to join the lines on the crystal to make the whole and clear the pass when completed. At another level, he took clear inspiration from Crash Bandicoot’s Boulder Dash and escaped from an enemy rolling towards Kao with a giant log. Again, nothing is completely original, but traditional ideas are sampled and remixed effectively enough.
There is no end to the hidden secrets, so it is advisable to investigate thoroughly. Is there a secret behind those waterfalls? You bet! Many collectibles are hidden in the level. There’s plenty to get between extra life, heart pieces, coin-filled treasure chests, and diamonds, and you can buy new outfits from the world’s stores on each hub for cash. This also includes Kao’s retro look, which may please the original fans. All levels also hide the three letters that spell KAO, which can be difficult to find, and some enemies drop scrolls that unleash the fresh lore of “Kaopedia.”
If you don’t feel it in another platformer collection, don’t be afraid. As I said before, only runes are essential to progress, nothing else. But that is begging the question. Why are some of these here?The letter can be difficult to find, as it was Donkey Kong Country, So I understand that finding them has a sense of accomplishment. However, throughout the playthrough, we could not find a practical use for these collectable diamonds. This includes the post-game period. This allows you to get back to the creative finals and complete what you missed.
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Thankfully, items aren’t the only secrets found during the exploration. There are 14 mini-bonus levels, called Eternal Wells, hidden within these stages, each of which must complete a set challenge. It can be as simple as defeating some waves of enemies, but more generally, complete a more tricky platform challenge or win more coins, You need to collect more diamonds. Each hub world contains a separate well, so if you find one and have a hard time completing it, you can always go back. You don’t have to dive into the main level and find it again.
That said, even after defeating those wells, Kao takes only 9 hours to complete, an average of 20 minutes per level, a quick experience. If you’re not obsessed with exploration or eternal wells and just stay here to see this campaign, you’ll probably be able to manage it in 7-8 hours. However, for fairness, not many platformers are longer than that.Famous games like Ratchet & Crank: Lift Apart When Super Mario Odyssey One thing, Time hat Also Allie and the secret of the season Clock in with a similar length. I’m glad Kao didn’t overwhelm his welcome-it felt like the right length, and Tate balanced this well.
The main problem is that I didn’t find it particularly difficult and there is no difficulty setting to crank this up to challenge me in the second playthrough. It’s not a complete cakewalk (a dodge roll is useful when confronting a group of enemies), but the extra life scattered everywhere quickly piles up. Death rarely occurred when he began to find heart fragments to improve Kao’s health. But I didn’t care so much. I’m not going to pretend that this structure doesn’t feel stereotyped after the four worlds, but Kao nails the basics.
