started: 12/28/23 | finished: 12/29/23 | reviewed: 12/31/23
played on: nintendo switch (digital) | release year: 2021
this one has been on my wishlist for a long time, and i picked it up during the eshop sale since it was $6. i wasn't sure how much i would like this game, so i figured this was a safer bet than the $30 physical. i ended up being really pleasantly surprised!
if you like donkey kong country, chances are you'll enjoy this too. the gameplay is really fun because it does a very good job copying dkc lol. the platforming is fun and gets pretty challenging towards the end of the game. the art is very colorful and nice to look at, and the characters are pretty cute. (i'm not familiar with this guy - i guess he's a french comic strip character. he's cool though. i'm always saying that more animals should have spots!)
this game shines the most in the hidden world, which is a set of levels that were added as a free update. they are all dinosaur-themed. they have the most interesting visuals and level design and the best music. you can see lots of funny cartoonified dinosaurs too. (though i didn't like how there are sick dinosaurs that you have to ground-pound on to get them to move? wtf)
the game's weakest point is the story. i know nobody plays platformers for the story, but for this one it might as well not be there. you get an opening cutscene where our main guy is chilling on a beach and finds a sarcophagus. a skeleton comes out and starts controlling animals. then once you beat the skeleton at the end of the game you get another cutscene where main guy and his friends are again chilling on the beach. you never even learn the name of the main character (i assumed it was marsupilami but i guess that's just his species). the lack of story gives the game kind of an empty, lonely feeling. like yeah the gameplay itself is very fun, but why am i just running around and eating fruit??
finding the hidden collectibles is very fun, but i think this could really do with one or two more collectible types to find. thinking of donkey kong country returns, there are bananas, banana coins, kong letters, and puzzle pieces. in this game there is just fruit and feathers (or eggs in the dinosaur levels). plus the crazy amount of fruit you collect means lives are pretty much worthless. i had 30 or 40 by the end of the first world, and almost maximum when i beat the final boss. (side note: i really like the end credits song, it's really relaxing and cute!) the amount of time you waste by dying and going back to a checkpoint is a much more significant cost than a life.
finally, this game is very short! i finished it in four and a half hours, and i took my time collecting everything i could and playing bonus levels. if you ignore fruit and bonus levels, you can beat it in half that time. still, i had a really fun time with it and i recommending getting it on sale if you like 2d platformers. it's also great for young kids since there is a difficulty level where you can't get hurt.
score: 8/10
(would be a 7 if i had played it before the hidden world was added)