Kao the Kangaroo Reviews
If you love 3D collect-a-thon platformers, Kao the Kangaroo is worth taking a look at once its bugs are patched. It might not bring anything new to the genre, but it’s a short slice of what makes 3D platforming fun.
I really wanted to love Kao the Kangaroo. And while I did enjoy parts of it, the severe glitch I encountered kept me from progressing like I had expected to and effectively kept me from actually beating the game. Once Nintendo gets around to implementing the patch, I could potentially recommend the experience. But until version 1.2 goes live, I cannot recommend it to other platformer fans in good conscience.
Kao the Kangaroo is a serviceable 3D platformer. Derivative of its peers and totally indebted to them, the game has a hard time standing out, even though it offers solid, if forgettable, adventuring.
It lacks the real quality and finesse of the top games in the genre, but it’s a bright and breezy affair that squarely falls under the classification of light entertainment.
After the disappearance of Kao’s Father, Koby, and his sister Mia, Kao has taken it upon himself to don the Gloves that his father hid from the world to become the hero his home needs. With his coach, Walt the Koala, offering his concerns over the magical set of Gloves, it becomes clear that Kao is no ordinary little Kangaroo, and he is more than capable of giving anyone who gets in his way, the old 1-2 punch combo. This journey will take him through jungles, volcanos, icy mountain tops with hordes of Stinky Bugs, Slimy frogs, and burly Monkeys standing in your way.
The Kao the Kangaroo reboot was unexpected. Although it generally follows the formula of early 3D platformers – and thus will satisfy gamers looking for nostalgic gameplay – it’s light on challenge and long on cheesy dialogue. I do appreciate what they are going for here, but the execution could have been better. Plus, the bugs make this feel like a not-quite-finished product.
Kao the Kangaroo is very flawed, but also very enjoyable. It feels like I’m playing the 2022 equivalent to Gex, Chameleon Twist, or Toy Story 2: a game that smells like jank, but has enough charm and redeemable qualities (namely its excellent level design) to be worth a shot if you’re a fan of the genre. It will probably not going to wow you in any way, or leave a lasting impression, but it is proof that B-tier mascot platformers are alive and well in 2022.
Kao the Kangaroo breathes new life into the franchise with charming new characters and inviting visual designs, although the gameplay may remain too easy for some.
Kao the Kangaroo is not flipping the platforming genre on its head or reinventing the wheel, but it most certainly comes as a breath of fresh air in a space desperate for something other than Crash, Spyro, or even Astrobot. It is a simple and fun 3D Platformer meant for easy going and fun play sessions. It is a commendable goal for a game release in 2022, and it certainly ticks all the correct boxes. Ultimately, the game does not disappoint in its endeavours and is a solid platforming title to play and enjoy with family and friends.
My time with Kao the Kangaroo left me filled with mixed feelings. On the one hand, I enjoyed its simple yet engaging challenges and its world-building, which recalls the cartoons we watched as children. However, on the other hand, I found so many technical flaws that all the satisfaction that the game brings in its essence gave way to frustration. Perhaps with a good update, the game will get the polish it deserves. Until then, it's like a Schrodinger Game: it's both good and bad.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Kao the Kangaroo has become a nice platformer that tickles some memories of my favorite games of the past and that still delivers its own charme.
Review in German | Read full review
A surprisingly well-made platformer with above-average visuals and engaging characters. A perfect entry-level collectathon for a younger audience.
Kao the Kangaroo (2022) is the perfect modernised reboot of the classic early 2000s 3D platformer. The game delivers a lot of nostalgia despite being a new game in the series, taking me back to my childhood when games were simple yet highly addictive and fun to play. The story offers around ten hours of gameplay, more if you’re wanting to grab the platinum trophy, which is a perfect length in my opinion. Whether you played the original games or not, fans of 3D platformers should certainly check this out – it’s just so colourful, fun, and satisfying to play.
Kao the Kangaroo shows the basis for something glorious, but this reboot never packs the necessary punch to be a competent and worthwhile 3D platformer. If anything, Kao the Kangaroo is strong evidence that Tate Multimedia has not learned anything from their previous releases. The newest iteration of their character stumbles through a glitchy and eye-rolly world that only comes off as a could-be cookie-cutter for a better game.
Kao the Kangaroo is a decent offering. While the Kangaroo still has to earn his spot next to the much-beloved Bandicoot or the dwarf dragon in our hearts, the recent revival of Kao, paired with the unlikeliness of us ever getting another Spyro or Crash game in the future makes the marsupial an offering for fans who are looking to scratch that platformer itch. The forced insertion of associating everything with Australian culture, inconsistent and sometimes infuriating gameplay and the very weak story are only a few of the complaints I have, but if you are a fan of platformer adventure titles, and can turn your brain off at certain parts and just enjoy the game as a videogame, there is some fun to be had here.
Kao The Kangaroo is a clear child of his time, for better and for worse, he is far from the great current platforms both in quality and content but his proposal is fresh and pleasant. We are facing a fun, entertaining and well-cared game that transports us fully to the 128-bit era and fans of this type of game are very grateful for it.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Kao the Kangaroo is a well-meaning game, and despite some missteps, it is in my opinion one of the better 3D platformers of modern gaming. Heck, I’ll go as far as to say that I enjoyed Kao far more than I did the recent Crash 4, which was an incredible disappointment to me. For what Tate Multimedia is charging for this game, I say Kao the Kangaroo is easily worth buying for any 3D platforming enthusiast.
Kao the Kangaroo is a polished platformer that, to its credit and detriment, feels like a time capsule. It's so much of a throwback that its simplistic nature is both its greatest attribute while also holding it back from being a great playing game in the year of our Lord 2022.
Kao's 2022 venture is serviceable and by-the-numbers at best. Its developers have their hearts in the right place in using this 2000s mascot in their new 3D platformer reboot, but this sure isn't even a bronze medal effort if we're being honest.
Kao the Kangaroo gave me the nostalgic feels of 3D platformers back in the day and it feels very refreshing today. It felt like seeing that old friend you haven’t seen since school and you’re a little nervous when you see them again. But after you get chatting you soon realize why you became friends in the first place. Kao is a solid collectable 3D platformer but doesn’t do much to evolve the genre. For most, that’s going to work just fine. Even if you have no experience with the series this game is a good jumping on point. Awful dialogue and some performance issues on Switch hold the title back though. But if you love your 3D platformers this is well worth bouncing on.