Sometimes I like going into a game so blind that I don't even know the basic premise of said game. Now this is probably a bad idea for games since sometimes you'll be slamming down 40 to 60 bones on some games but in the case of something like this which was 7 dollars I figured 'Eh if it sucks it's not that big of a loss" so I booted it up and tbh I don't know what I was expecting with this game but I was still pleasantly surprised.
Corn Kidz is yet another fan made attempt to replicate the look and feel of 3D platformers of the early 3D 5th gen systems with this one mostly going for N64 (duh the title). I've played many of these tribute games and while I always appreciate the effort the devs put into their games it always feels like less of a tribute games harkening back to that early era and more so trying to mimic the style and falling prey to all the worst parts of that era like bad camera, slippery controls, and a monotonous amount of collectibles that all feel have haphazardly placed. Corn Kidz falls somewhere in between these types of games but more so on the side of which I like more.
For one thing the game nails that 5th gen polygonal graphics to a T and even does a good job formating the game in the proper 4x3 aspect ratio which I really don't see many of these tribute games try to pull off. The most impressive part of the general look of the game are the filters used to mimic that hazy CRT tv look. I'm very picky when it comes to my CRT filters since most times then a game or emulator tries to add in filters to mimic old CRT component cables. It always looks fake or too digital or so blurry you can't even tell what you're looking at. Corn Kidz did the impossible where the filters used not only don't look like complete dogshit but also do a nearly perfect job replicating that CRT haze that the N64 had. It's not perfect. You can still clearly tell that this game is using filters most of the time and it still has that digital sheen that gives it away but I think that only applies to nerds like me who can tell regardless, overall it's an amazing achievement given how small the team of this game was.
The gameplay is also extremely fun which is probably the most make or break when it comes to these 5th gen tribute games. It really doesn't strive to do much to differentiate itself besides having its movement be more forced with precise platforming akin to others like Hat in Time or Mario 64. The animations are really well done and overall it's just fun to move around and collect random stuff which is at the end of the day the main goal for 3D platformers.
The only thing I wish the game did better was having a more consistent thematic style. What I mean is a lot of the game's levels don't really make much sense for why it's there or what it's purpose is; but since it takes place in a dream I guess you can say it just fellows dream logic where nothing makes sense, so this playground/house/water dungeon/tower...thing????makes complete sense. I'm not even saying the 2 levels this game has are bad, it's more so I would've like the levels to stand out with an interesting aspect to them that makes me remember them more, like how Banjo or Conker did it. This problem also falls with the characters of the game as well. Again I don’t think the characters of this game are bad just like how I don't think the worlds themselves are bad, I just would’ve liked it if the characters had more layers to them besides the one note archetypes they've been given. Besides some jokes that are kinda whatever they don’t really have much long lasting memorable elements to them besides their roles in the game’s mechanics. Hell, I finished the game a few days ago and I’m struggling to even remember the main character's name. They’re fun in the moment to moment gameplay and serve the purpose for the game’s design but don’t stand out as memorable characters in their own way; at least to me. I also would've liked it if it had more than 2 worlds rather than just one normal world and the other being the tutorial world, but given how this was a small team I'm not gonna say it's a real problem.
I think overall the devs succeeded in what they set out to achieve with this game. If they set out to make a loving tribute to 5th gen 3D platformers of the era they did a fantastic job at it. It surpasses in a lot of areas that I've seen other games fall flat on and it also excels at almost everything else, I just wish there was more to the game itself and it had a more consistent identity to it's levels and characters besides the surface level "oh it's a spooky 3D platformer". As it stands, it's a really great fan game that really needs to find a more concrete identity of what it wants to be outside of mimicking the N64's visual style and game structure.
Corn Kidz is yet another fan made attempt to replicate the look and feel of 3D platformers of the early 3D 5th gen systems with this one mostly going for N64 (duh the title). I've played many of these tribute games and while I always appreciate the effort the devs put into their games it always feels like less of a tribute games harkening back to that early era and more so trying to mimic the style and falling prey to all the worst parts of that era like bad camera, slippery controls, and a monotonous amount of collectibles that all feel have haphazardly placed. Corn Kidz falls somewhere in between these types of games but more so on the side of which I like more.
For one thing the game nails that 5th gen polygonal graphics to a T and even does a good job formating the game in the proper 4x3 aspect ratio which I really don't see many of these tribute games try to pull off. The most impressive part of the general look of the game are the filters used to mimic that hazy CRT tv look. I'm very picky when it comes to my CRT filters since most times then a game or emulator tries to add in filters to mimic old CRT component cables. It always looks fake or too digital or so blurry you can't even tell what you're looking at. Corn Kidz did the impossible where the filters used not only don't look like complete dogshit but also do a nearly perfect job replicating that CRT haze that the N64 had. It's not perfect. You can still clearly tell that this game is using filters most of the time and it still has that digital sheen that gives it away but I think that only applies to nerds like me who can tell regardless, overall it's an amazing achievement given how small the team of this game was.
The gameplay is also extremely fun which is probably the most make or break when it comes to these 5th gen tribute games. It really doesn't strive to do much to differentiate itself besides having its movement be more forced with precise platforming akin to others like Hat in Time or Mario 64. The animations are really well done and overall it's just fun to move around and collect random stuff which is at the end of the day the main goal for 3D platformers.
The only thing I wish the game did better was having a more consistent thematic style. What I mean is a lot of the game's levels don't really make much sense for why it's there or what it's purpose is; but since it takes place in a dream I guess you can say it just fellows dream logic where nothing makes sense, so this playground/house/water dungeon/tower...thing????makes complete sense. I'm not even saying the 2 levels this game has are bad, it's more so I would've like the levels to stand out with an interesting aspect to them that makes me remember them more, like how Banjo or Conker did it. This problem also falls with the characters of the game as well. Again I don’t think the characters of this game are bad just like how I don't think the worlds themselves are bad, I just would’ve liked it if the characters had more layers to them besides the one note archetypes they've been given. Besides some jokes that are kinda whatever they don’t really have much long lasting memorable elements to them besides their roles in the game’s mechanics. Hell, I finished the game a few days ago and I’m struggling to even remember the main character's name. They’re fun in the moment to moment gameplay and serve the purpose for the game’s design but don’t stand out as memorable characters in their own way; at least to me. I also would've liked it if it had more than 2 worlds rather than just one normal world and the other being the tutorial world, but given how this was a small team I'm not gonna say it's a real problem.
I think overall the devs succeeded in what they set out to achieve with this game. If they set out to make a loving tribute to 5th gen 3D platformers of the era they did a fantastic job at it. It surpasses in a lot of areas that I've seen other games fall flat on and it also excels at almost everything else, I just wish there was more to the game itself and it had a more consistent identity to it's levels and characters besides the surface level "oh it's a spooky 3D platformer". As it stands, it's a really great fan game that really needs to find a more concrete identity of what it wants to be outside of mimicking the N64's visual style and game structure.