K is for... Kao The Kangaroo

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Game Information

Developer:	Tate Multimedia	Date Started:	13/12/2024
Platform:	Epic	Fresh Play / Continuation:	Fresh Play
Genre:	3D Platformer	Time Played:	10.8 hours
Theme:	Nostalgic	Date Finished:	15/01/2025
Difficulty Rating:	Casual	Recommendation:	Recommended

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It's a new year and a new entry to the blog! The first game I got to christen 2025 with was Kao the Kangaroo. Sure I started it back in December 2024 but with all that had been happening in that month, I knew there was no way I would be completing it before the New Year.

I had gotten this game as part of the weekly Epic free games. I don't even exactly know when. I have collected so many of the free games, I don't even know what I have in there anymore. But, when I was scheduling what games I wanted to play for what letter, I saw this one and thought to give it a go.

At first, I didn't realize this was a revival of an older trilogy. I had played quite a few 3D platformers back when mascot platformers were a thing - Crash Bandicoot; Spyro the Dragon; Croc; Ty the Tasmanian Tiger; Legend of Kay - and these are just ones I remember off the top of my head! Kao the Kangaroo was one I simply had not heard of until 2024. Though I am happy to know the original trilogy can be found on GoG.com, so maybe one day I will swing back around and give them a try.

As soon as I started playing this game, I was getting strong Crash Bandicoot vibes. At first (because I didn't know of the previous trilogy) I thought the game was inspired by it. However, the more I played, the more it moved away from inspiration and into copycat. There were a lot of elements, particularly around the platforming and level layouts that felt they were taken directly from Crash Bandicoot. The ones that really tipped me that this was a clone, were the net hanging and chase sequences.

Now just because I originally thought it was a clone, doesn't necessarily mean it was a bad game. In truth, it made it easier for me to get into, because I knew what to expect. As I went through the levels, initially I thought it was my experience in 3D platformers that was allowing me to progress quickly, but I soon realized that the game was a lot easier compared to other games in its genre. The lack of difficulty however wasn't off-putting. In fact, it was a bit of a welcome change in pace after playing Hellblade: Sensua's Sacrifice and Industria. Jusant helped temper things too, but not as much as this game. I am actually considering installing the game on my daughter's PC so that she can enjoy the game too.

There were a couple of things however that I would have preferred to be a bit different. While the gameplay was decent, the story and voice acting was... meh. The story was your generic 'young hero sets out to find his missing family member and saves the world in the process'. And the voice acting, you could tell it wasn't the best. Sometimes the characters sounded like they were trying too hard, especially when trying to land a joke. At one point, one of the characters even had a load of background static feedback, which at first made me think it was something wrong with my speakers rather than the game dialogue. Also, considering this is a game with Kangaroos and Koalas you'd half expect ONE Australian accent at least (but this might be me nitpicking now).

Another disappointing thing was the boss fights. They were sadly very uninspired and easy. Once you worked out the gimmick - which wasn't hard - then they could be beaten with ease. Even when they changed up their tactics after enough health was depleted, it barely made a difference.

Still, while the game did not meet the high standards of the likes of Crash Bandicoot; Rayman, or Sonic the Hedgehog it was a good distraction. I even have the DLC for it, which gives me an extra five levels, so I will probably sneak on and complete them. But for now, I will get ready with my next challenge game: Legend of Grimrock.