Siactro does it again! "It", being making another cool little retro inspired 3D platformer!
While Toree 1 and 2 felt like really cool speedrun games that got a bit of inspiration from Sonic with their emphasis on the fact, Kiwi goes for more of an N64 collectathon inspired design, while still keeping true to what makes Toree what it is. That being, a dirt cheap 3D platformer that you can get through in about an hour or so, and being pretty good! The small handful of levels on offer have enough to explore in order to find all the mcguffins, that you only need 40 of to complete the game, even if the platforming isn't the most insanely intricate or in depth of its genre. Rather, Kiwi focuses on aerial movement, with a single jump, but also a glide and the ability to impale yourself into a wall to scale them. The levels give you plenty of chances to cruise through the air, and it's really fun to just let loose and glide over grand stretches of landmass, like Knuckles in Sonic Frontiers if he was actually fun. The movement really resonating with me in the same way as plenty of the 3D Mario games and the like. The environments might not be as big as the average other title in the genre, but the movement on offer is plenty fun, even if I personally am partial to Toree's more breakneck ground-based gameplay.
But you know what Kiwi really nails? Those vibes. It nails the N64 aesthetic without being hampered by the draw distance issues, complete with a catchy OST. Between the beach, desert and haunted castle, it all just feels like an N64 game that got lost in time, in all the right ways. Its difficulty is also pretty chill, so it's a great game to just unwind with if you're home from work and wanna kill some time before bed. Might leave players in search of a harder experience wanting, but I can get behind the dev team's commitment to making short burst experiences that just about anybody can play. And at the end of the day, even if the game doesn't end up clicking with you? It isn't gonna cost you much in the way of either time or money, so there's no harm in giving it a shot!
While Toree 1 and 2 felt like really cool speedrun games that got a bit of inspiration from Sonic with their emphasis on the fact, Kiwi goes for more of an N64 collectathon inspired design, while still keeping true to what makes Toree what it is. That being, a dirt cheap 3D platformer that you can get through in about an hour or so, and being pretty good! The small handful of levels on offer have enough to explore in order to find all the mcguffins, that you only need 40 of to complete the game, even if the platforming isn't the most insanely intricate or in depth of its genre. Rather, Kiwi focuses on aerial movement, with a single jump, but also a glide and the ability to impale yourself into a wall to scale them. The levels give you plenty of chances to cruise through the air, and it's really fun to just let loose and glide over grand stretches of landmass, like Knuckles in Sonic Frontiers if he was actually fun. The movement really resonating with me in the same way as plenty of the 3D Mario games and the like. The environments might not be as big as the average other title in the genre, but the movement on offer is plenty fun, even if I personally am partial to Toree's more breakneck ground-based gameplay.
But you know what Kiwi really nails? Those vibes. It nails the N64 aesthetic without being hampered by the draw distance issues, complete with a catchy OST. Between the beach, desert and haunted castle, it all just feels like an N64 game that got lost in time, in all the right ways. Its difficulty is also pretty chill, so it's a great game to just unwind with if you're home from work and wanna kill some time before bed. Might leave players in search of a harder experience wanting, but I can get behind the dev team's commitment to making short burst experiences that just about anybody can play. And at the end of the day, even if the game doesn't end up clicking with you? It isn't gonna cost you much in the way of either time or money, so there's no harm in giving it a shot!
Cute little throwback collectathon, give it a go
An extremely bland game that would have been forgotten in the era it was inspired by. The fundamentals are there, I guess - collectables are fun enough to get, and it controls smoothly - but there's no unique conceit or vision here to keep things interesting beyond the introduction.
I've played Toree 1 & 2 + Beeny and this developer's schtick of short but dirt cheap games isn't really working for me, when none of them have been the least bit memorable. Am definitely going to skip them from now on.
I've played Toree 1 & 2 + Beeny and this developer's schtick of short but dirt cheap games isn't really working for me, when none of them have been the least bit memorable. Am definitely going to skip them from now on.