Idk why but I like this a lot more than the first kururin. Gameplay is nearly identical, but the levels feel a lot more fun I guess? But the things this game definitely improve, in my opinion, are the artstyle, music, and overall charm. Music might be some of the nicest I’ve heard on GBA, and the aesthetics are really great. I know squash is probably the fan favorite but as far as portable kururin goes, this is easily the best you’re gonna get. (out of 2 games)
So stressful my hands are shaking
#1 Nintendo Game of All Time
Game Review - originally written by Spinner 8
This is the sequel to Kuru Kuru Kururin, the fun little Japanese launch game that Europeans got to play and enjoy, but not Americans. Thanks, Nintendo! From what I can see, this is just more of the same stuff; you have a spinning stick that you have to maneuver through a maze. Hit one of the sides, and lose a heart. Lose all your hearts, and die. Apparently there are also some little minigames in Kururin Paradise too, maybe.
This is the sequel to Kuru Kuru Kururin, the fun little Japanese launch game that Europeans got to play and enjoy, but not Americans. Thanks, Nintendo! From what I can see, this is just more of the same stuff; you have a spinning stick that you have to maneuver through a maze. Hit one of the sides, and lose a heart. Lose all your hearts, and die. Apparently there are also some little minigames in Kururin Paradise too, maybe.
A couple of weeks ago, Hololive Vtuber "Inugami Korone" did one of her infamous endurance streams, this time playing a game called Kururin Paradise. I don't actually watch her streams, but I have a great deal of respect for the girl for dedicating long periods of time to playing older games like this one, and putting it on the radars of a couple thousand others. Yeah, that's how I got here, and started playing these games. I saw a vtuber playing one. Laugh it up if you want, but I imagine you'll struggle to find literally any other big streamer playing "Kururin Paradise".
It might be odd to start out praising the presentation, but Kururin Paradise ticks all the right boxes this time around. Character designs all have thick, defined outlines, and the world they live in has a groovy 80s look to it, with a color palette of soft pastel shades. Story grabbed my attention too, even if I'm not fluent in Japanese (I can read characters phonetically, but if it's not katakana, I usually don't know what it actually means). Basically, every member of Kururin's family goes off to see a magic show...except Kururin himself, who shows up 15 minutes late, only to find no one there at all. He assumes the worst, leaps into his copter, and goes off to save everyone from this evil magician troupe.
The game's improved presentation extends to progressing the narrative through gameplay, too. The opening world of the game has you spin your way through the various rooms of Kururin's home, ending with a trip through the front yard, including neat background details like other birds having a go on the swingsets. You'll navigate through levels that look like a giant clock face (complete with actively spinning hands and gears), carnival-themed levels with spinning swords, and even through the insides of a tree. It's really charming stuff, no matter how you spin it.
The gameplay has changed just enough to be considered an improvement, even considering how airtight the previous game was. You can now accelerate your rotation speed just a bit by holding R, which is absurdly useful in situations where you feel out of sync with an upcoming obstacle, or need to get a move on and escape a precarious situation. The level design has seen improvements as well, including optional side areas with keys, which unlock alternate routes in older levels, which then lead to harder bonus levels. Every few stages, you play a minigame that serves as a boss fight of sorts. They all use the rotating mechanics of Kururin in weird and unique ways. They're odd, but I feel like they're a good shakeup in what would otherwise be nothing but rotating through mazes. (There's also some sort of feature where you do magic tricks with your GBA I think? I don't read Japanese, so I understand none of them.)
Frankly, Kururin Paradise has got all I need. Addicting core gameplay, fun distractions, a charming style, and incentive to replay and refine your skills. What can I say, I'm easy to please. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to work on perfecting my level times before moving on to the third and final game.
It might be odd to start out praising the presentation, but Kururin Paradise ticks all the right boxes this time around. Character designs all have thick, defined outlines, and the world they live in has a groovy 80s look to it, with a color palette of soft pastel shades. Story grabbed my attention too, even if I'm not fluent in Japanese (I can read characters phonetically, but if it's not katakana, I usually don't know what it actually means). Basically, every member of Kururin's family goes off to see a magic show...except Kururin himself, who shows up 15 minutes late, only to find no one there at all. He assumes the worst, leaps into his copter, and goes off to save everyone from this evil magician troupe.
The game's improved presentation extends to progressing the narrative through gameplay, too. The opening world of the game has you spin your way through the various rooms of Kururin's home, ending with a trip through the front yard, including neat background details like other birds having a go on the swingsets. You'll navigate through levels that look like a giant clock face (complete with actively spinning hands and gears), carnival-themed levels with spinning swords, and even through the insides of a tree. It's really charming stuff, no matter how you spin it.
The gameplay has changed just enough to be considered an improvement, even considering how airtight the previous game was. You can now accelerate your rotation speed just a bit by holding R, which is absurdly useful in situations where you feel out of sync with an upcoming obstacle, or need to get a move on and escape a precarious situation. The level design has seen improvements as well, including optional side areas with keys, which unlock alternate routes in older levels, which then lead to harder bonus levels. Every few stages, you play a minigame that serves as a boss fight of sorts. They all use the rotating mechanics of Kururin in weird and unique ways. They're odd, but I feel like they're a good shakeup in what would otherwise be nothing but rotating through mazes. (There's also some sort of feature where you do magic tricks with your GBA I think? I don't read Japanese, so I understand none of them.)
Frankly, Kururin Paradise has got all I need. Addicting core gameplay, fun distractions, a charming style, and incentive to replay and refine your skills. What can I say, I'm easy to please. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to work on perfecting my level times before moving on to the third and final game.
i went into this assuming they couldn't really improve the original game much. figured there wasn't really any room to grow but boy was i wrong! this game is a huge improvement in every way! it looks great, even more charming visually than the original. the maps themselves are even more fun to play as well. it felt more designed around threading the needle and just barely making it and it was genuinely super thrilling! i had multiple points where i popped off at something cool i did just alone to myself LOL, it was super satisfying. i really liked the little "boss" maps that changed up the gameplay. every idea was fun and cool to see, i was always looking forward to getting to a new boss! the keys were also more interesting collectables in levels, partly because they unlock new levels but also the paths to get them are much more intense and fun. adding the addition of the R button speeding up how fast you spin was an amazing idea, it got me killed endless times but it also made it so thrilling and satisfying to zoom through sections trying to beat the record time.
it's a real shame this one wasn't ported over officially to america, it's so simple that you don't really need to be able to read what's on screen to understand it but it'd be nice to be able to read it for sure. it's a shockingly huge improvement over an already pretty fun and unique time in the original game. highly recommend this one!
it's a real shame this one wasn't ported over officially to america, it's so simple that you don't really need to be able to read what's on screen to understand it but it'd be nice to be able to read it for sure. it's a shockingly huge improvement over an already pretty fun and unique time in the original game. highly recommend this one!
"Oooohhh its the same as the first one ooooohhh"
My brother in christ, birds wear hats in this one, it is simply objectively better.
My brother in christ, birds wear hats in this one, it is simply objectively better.
Tags: Cute, Aesthetic, Puzzles, Mindbreak
Don't speak Japanese so no Idea what these stupid birds were saying but I'm sure it was something cute. For what it is, prob one of the best games I have played, takes the mechanics and premise of the first and just knocks it out the park in every way possible. Adorable artwork too. Real shame this never got ported. Perfect pick up and play experience.
rimango genuinamente allibito pensando allo sforzo immane di svariati titoloni contemporanei che ti portano poi a giocare qualcosa di magari valido e/o divertente ma solo a sprazzi quando poi nella storia dei videogiochi ci sono robe che consistono nell'essere un bastoncino che gira e basta e sono infinitamente divertenti nonché una magnifica scusa per sfidare amici scommettendo soldi e/o il dominio eventuale di una zona all'interno della propria città
This review contains spoilers
In some ways a vast improvement over the original! Better Controls, Items and Visuals are welcome changes. However, A set of challenges that are too geared toward the hardcore, mini games that are mostly uninteresting and level design that can be a lot of unclear guesswork hold this one back from being truly superior to the original.
Visuals are a vast improvement over the original. The previous game had lots of levels whose themes were mostly "Shiny" or "Carnival" , with lots of colors and patterns. Here, Level themes are a lot more clear and have more variety. Desert themes, Outer Space and Flower levels help distinguish the levels better than the previous set of designs. While I enjoy the variety, I personally love the bold color choices across all levels rather than the sometimes drab themes of, say, spooky levels or Factory levels. The color palette is so strong in the series, and a few of these themes just don't have that primary color "pop" that I enjoy navigating so much.
Items in this game are done right this time. In the previous game, items only provided cosmetic differences. This one the items are keys, which provide alternate exits and new levels on the map. Cosmetic differences are unlocked (I believe) automatically and are mapped to the L button, to swap at any time.
Speaking of L button, The controls are also improved! This adds a speed control (the R button) over the rotation of the stick. This makes the easy levels faster, but eventually the level design takes advantage of this added control, which higher level of difficulty.
The level design for this one is somewhat of a mixed bag. At first the levels are fairly similar to the original, with springs and bullets to dodge throughout the level. Later levels turn into "Gimmick" levels, where the walls of the stages become uniquely textured. Wall textures are comprised of the points of stars, flower pedals, Clock parts, etc. Additional hazards of ghosts that slow your stick, fireballs and ice floors add new approaches to navigation. While these are not bad, the "line work" of the paths are now a little less obvious, creating difficulty that comes a lack of clarity rather than mechanics. It isn't an issue per se, but the "smoother" level designs of the original are somewhat missed.
Bosses are also introduced in this title by way of mini games. I was less a fan of these. First is that, antithetical to the rest of the game play, these are supremely easy and can be completed in one or two attempts. Second is that these levels commit the video game sin of a boss introducing a new mechanic instead of being a test of the skills that you have been developing for the rest of the game.
The previous title included Timed goals (completing the level in a certain amount of time) and a star for completing a level with no damage. With the addition of rotation control, the time goals are much more strict, and for myself more out of reach. These goals were the least satisfying in the original anyway, so for this play through I decided to skip them.
The other goal, achieving a perfect on every level, is a requirement to see the ending. Previously, Achieving a perfect on every level unlocked the final three levels in the last title. Here, it only unlocked the first of the final set of 4 levels, and requires a perfect on each prior to unlocking the next set. Though this game is very much designed for players of the original (sometimes feeling like DLC for the last game), I felt this bar for true completion was a bit of a misstep and a high bar for casual players of the series.
Overall I loved it! It's has so many more ideas added to the first game but stumbles a bit from introducing some ideas aren't as good, making the first game more cohesive and consistent. The added challenge from returning players and additional controls were pleasant additions, and I hope that I see the ideas from these two games refined and perfected when I play the Gamecube entry.
Visuals are a vast improvement over the original. The previous game had lots of levels whose themes were mostly "Shiny" or "Carnival" , with lots of colors and patterns. Here, Level themes are a lot more clear and have more variety. Desert themes, Outer Space and Flower levels help distinguish the levels better than the previous set of designs. While I enjoy the variety, I personally love the bold color choices across all levels rather than the sometimes drab themes of, say, spooky levels or Factory levels. The color palette is so strong in the series, and a few of these themes just don't have that primary color "pop" that I enjoy navigating so much.
Items in this game are done right this time. In the previous game, items only provided cosmetic differences. This one the items are keys, which provide alternate exits and new levels on the map. Cosmetic differences are unlocked (I believe) automatically and are mapped to the L button, to swap at any time.
Speaking of L button, The controls are also improved! This adds a speed control (the R button) over the rotation of the stick. This makes the easy levels faster, but eventually the level design takes advantage of this added control, which higher level of difficulty.
The level design for this one is somewhat of a mixed bag. At first the levels are fairly similar to the original, with springs and bullets to dodge throughout the level. Later levels turn into "Gimmick" levels, where the walls of the stages become uniquely textured. Wall textures are comprised of the points of stars, flower pedals, Clock parts, etc. Additional hazards of ghosts that slow your stick, fireballs and ice floors add new approaches to navigation. While these are not bad, the "line work" of the paths are now a little less obvious, creating difficulty that comes a lack of clarity rather than mechanics. It isn't an issue per se, but the "smoother" level designs of the original are somewhat missed.
Bosses are also introduced in this title by way of mini games. I was less a fan of these. First is that, antithetical to the rest of the game play, these are supremely easy and can be completed in one or two attempts. Second is that these levels commit the video game sin of a boss introducing a new mechanic instead of being a test of the skills that you have been developing for the rest of the game.
The previous title included Timed goals (completing the level in a certain amount of time) and a star for completing a level with no damage. With the addition of rotation control, the time goals are much more strict, and for myself more out of reach. These goals were the least satisfying in the original anyway, so for this play through I decided to skip them.
The other goal, achieving a perfect on every level, is a requirement to see the ending. Previously, Achieving a perfect on every level unlocked the final three levels in the last title. Here, it only unlocked the first of the final set of 4 levels, and requires a perfect on each prior to unlocking the next set. Though this game is very much designed for players of the original (sometimes feeling like DLC for the last game), I felt this bar for true completion was a bit of a misstep and a high bar for casual players of the series.
Overall I loved it! It's has so many more ideas added to the first game but stumbles a bit from introducing some ideas aren't as good, making the first game more cohesive and consistent. The added challenge from returning players and additional controls were pleasant additions, and I hope that I see the ideas from these two games refined and perfected when I play the Gamecube entry.
The GBA colour palette tastes like candy and feels like dropping acid onto your retinas. Combine this with a spinning stick and BAM you’ve been hypnotized
Beneath the cute, colorful facade lies one of the hardest arcade-like precision platformers of all time. Playing through the bonus levels with the full sized stick is insane and I can only imagine the calloused fingers of those who braved completion on an original GBA. With that said, I had a blast! The game is kind enough to add a shorter stick "easy" option which is much more forgiving. For such a simple arcade-y concept, they get a lot of mileage out of level variety with various gimmicks such as ice, grabby ghosts, moving walls, and more. Additionally there's a ton of fun little mini games to break up the core loop.
I played the untranslated Japanese version on my Steam Deck and while I didn't understand any text it was fairly easy to get through the entire game as it is such a streamlined level-based experience. It was a lot of fun to replay levels and try to get the gold star for not using any hearts (lost when you hit walls).
With Kuru Kuru Kuruin (the first game) coming to Nintendo Switch Online, I really hope Nintendo ports an English translation of this one to the Switch as it's a blast and more people should be exposed to it. I'm a sucker for level based / time-attack sort of arcade-y platformers (see Super Monkey Ball, Neon White, and Astro's Playroom) and this game scratches that itch in a really nice way. I often found myself squeezing and turning my Steam Deck as I tried to maneuver around tight corners with a single heart left.
I played the untranslated Japanese version on my Steam Deck and while I didn't understand any text it was fairly easy to get through the entire game as it is such a streamlined level-based experience. It was a lot of fun to replay levels and try to get the gold star for not using any hearts (lost when you hit walls).
With Kuru Kuru Kuruin (the first game) coming to Nintendo Switch Online, I really hope Nintendo ports an English translation of this one to the Switch as it's a blast and more people should be exposed to it. I'm a sucker for level based / time-attack sort of arcade-y platformers (see Super Monkey Ball, Neon White, and Astro's Playroom) and this game scratches that itch in a really nice way. I often found myself squeezing and turning my Steam Deck as I tried to maneuver around tight corners with a single heart left.
This 2nd GBA game in the series gets my vote as best, tho they're all great. It dials the concept up to 11 with enhanced level design, goals & controls. On a beach holiday I was so engrossed I got sunstroke.