The platformer genre is a favorite of mine, thanks largely to its wide array of colorful settings and characters. This reboot of the 2000 game of the same name manages to fulfill what makes the genre such an entertaining piece of media, but with a few stumbles that make it far from a worthy experience for everyone.
First of all, Kao the Kangaroo offers two largely different experiences: one that is lively and fun, while the other is cringe-inducing.
The best parts of the game is, of course, its gameplay that provides a childlike wonder and enjoyment. This is further true thanks to its sampling of gameplay mechanics from the Crash Bandicoot remakes and gorgeous artstyle of the remakes of Spyro the Dragon trilogy.
And although there are only a small amount of worlds and levels to explore, they all take around 15 to 20 minutes to finish, and there are also some hidden collectibles and secret challenges to discover as well.
However, despite the fun nature of the gameplay, the story and voice acting's terrible quality take away from what would have otherwise been a promising platformer.
Many games from previous years have offered an immersive experience that rivals that of seen in movies, so it came as such a surprise to hear just how terrible all of the voice actors were in this game, not helped by just how terrible the script is. The jokes, if you could call it that, are references, but some of them are so out of date that I don't even know what they are referencing, and when they do reference something recent, it ends up being cringy. The delivery is also so terrible that most jokes don't land at all.
I haven't even started with its numerous technical issues, from severe pop-ins to a lack of animations for environments and taking damage.
It's also so weird how, literally, not 5 seconds after the credits rolled and you talked to Kao's mother, she mentioned how your missing father and sister still haven't returned. The endgame content is so underwhelming that the developers didn't even bother changing the characters' dialogue after finishing the game.
Kao the Kangaroo is a platformer game with a lot of potential but needs a little more time in the oven if it wants to stand between its contemporaries.
First of all, Kao the Kangaroo offers two largely different experiences: one that is lively and fun, while the other is cringe-inducing.
The best parts of the game is, of course, its gameplay that provides a childlike wonder and enjoyment. This is further true thanks to its sampling of gameplay mechanics from the Crash Bandicoot remakes and gorgeous artstyle of the remakes of Spyro the Dragon trilogy.
And although there are only a small amount of worlds and levels to explore, they all take around 15 to 20 minutes to finish, and there are also some hidden collectibles and secret challenges to discover as well.
However, despite the fun nature of the gameplay, the story and voice acting's terrible quality take away from what would have otherwise been a promising platformer.
Many games from previous years have offered an immersive experience that rivals that of seen in movies, so it came as such a surprise to hear just how terrible all of the voice actors were in this game, not helped by just how terrible the script is. The jokes, if you could call it that, are references, but some of them are so out of date that I don't even know what they are referencing, and when they do reference something recent, it ends up being cringy. The delivery is also so terrible that most jokes don't land at all.
I haven't even started with its numerous technical issues, from severe pop-ins to a lack of animations for environments and taking damage.
It's also so weird how, literally, not 5 seconds after the credits rolled and you talked to Kao's mother, she mentioned how your missing father and sister still haven't returned. The endgame content is so underwhelming that the developers didn't even bother changing the characters' dialogue after finishing the game.
Kao the Kangaroo is a platformer game with a lot of potential but needs a little more time in the oven if it wants to stand between its contemporaries.