Hop, skip, and punch!
I love me a good old fashioned child-friendly action-platformer. They’re inoffensive, easy on the eye – and on the brain – and it’s a genre I grew up with. And in my opinion, any half-competent developer should be able to put together a half-decent cutesy platformer.
The formula is simple: grab yourself an animal, make it the star of the show. Alliterative naming conventions are optional but never hurt. Use lots of bright colours, give players things to smash and things to collect, as well as some fairly simple combat and level exploration, and by golly you’ve got yourself a half-decent game.
Game Information
Release Date: Summer, 2022
Developer: Tate Multimedia
Publisher: Tate Multimedia
Availability: Microsoft Store, PSN, Nintendo eShop, Steam
Kao the Kangaroo, at least from the 20-minute demo I’ve played, seems to hit each part of that formula, though it’s a little rough around the edges. I’ll give the developers the benefit of the doubt, though – this is an early demo and the game isn’t due out until summer 2022, so there’s still time to plug in the gaps and polish up the experience.
Still, in its current state, it’s really good and I was gutted that the demo ended so abruptly. That’s always the case, sadly, and it’s how they hook you in. And I’ve been hooked.
You play as Kao, a kangaroo who much to my absolute horror does not have an Australian accent. Honestly, this is probably the biggest flaw I found with the game. But considering that I was immediately reminded of Ty the Tasmanian Tiger when I started the game, perhaps the change in accent is for the best, so as not to draw too many comparisons to Krome Studios’ excellent little ripper.
But the comparisons will be made and you can bet your last shrimp on the barbie that I’ll be the one to do them.
Obviously inspired by the late 90s/early 00s action platformers, Kao the Kangaroo felt really familiar as I jumped, doubled-jumped, and punched my way through the murky level. I’d have liked a more colourful location, maybe like the beach shown in the trailer, but whatever. I’ll take what I can get. And as for its inspiration, I actually did a quick bit of Googling as I got to this part of the piece and… apparently Kao the Kangaroo was a part of those early 00s – there have been several previous games, and in my 31 years on this planet, I’ve never heard of them. But I’ve seen two girls one cup several times. This week. That should tell you enough about me as a person…
As the game’s level loaded in and I was handed the controls, I was reminded of Spyro the Dragon – my absolute favourite action-platformer series – as well as that over-rated long-snouted pillock, Crash Bandicoot. And of course, Ty the Tasmanian Tiger. Heck, you can even use boomerangs in Kao the Kangaroo, but they’re irregular pickups rather than being the main method of attack, a la Ty.
Instead, Kao lives up to his name by being a boxer. Sporting great big boxing gloves, he can punch and pummel his foes until they disappear in a puff and leave behind some coins or health hearts. I like it and it’s easy to smash around levels, breaking barrels and vases to collect coins, as well as the occasional door to let myself in and ruin somebody’s home so I can get a few more coins for the purse.
Kao the Kangaroo didn’t present much of a challenge in this short demo, though I still managed to snuff the poor bugger out a handful of times. But that’s not a bad thing, and I’m only looking at a short vertical slice of the full experience. If Kao the Kangaroo truly is half-decent, or better, it will have that one level that everybody hates because it’s so damn annoying and difficult. That’s the mark of a truly good 3D platformer – you suffer that one shitty section because the rest is so good. I suppose I’ll just have to wait until summer rolls around to find out.
If you’re looking for a Spyro-like 3D platformer, or just a way to keep the kids busy – and more importantly, quiet – over the summer holidays, I would definitely keep an eye out for Kao the Kangaroo. I know he’ll be acting as a surrogate parent when I want to do some day drinking this summer. Again, that tells you enough about me as a person…
Kao the Kangaroo will skip onto PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch this summer. You can try out the free demo on PC via the Steam Next Fest even that is happening right now.
Disclaimer: This preview was carried out using a demo version of the game provided by the developer. For more information, please read our Review Policy.
Primary version tested: PC