Video Game Review - Kao The Kangaroo

Ellie reviews Kao The Kangaroo on Xbox Series S...

Video game mascots based around animals are an endangered spectacle. During the 80s and 90s, we were introduced to mascots such as Crash Bandicoot, Spyro the Dragon, and Sonic the Hedgehog. While these three heavyweights would spawn multiple sequels there are those often forgotten animal mascots too (Johnny Bazookatone, Gex, and Blinx: The Timesweeper). However, one once forgotten anthropomorphic video game character is attempting to make a "bounce back". 

Remember Kao? The cute bouncy boxing kangaroo from the early 00s is back! And whether you have fond memories of his previous outings or not...you won't be disappointed.

Kao The Kangaroo starts in a typical bleak fashion. With his father and sister missing, Kao ventures out from their tropical island home in search of discovery of their whereabouts. Armed with his father's magical boxing gloves and trusty advisor Walt, Kao soon discovers that there's a vast evil attempting to turn the vibrant world into a dark mirror of itself. Not one to let this evil presence take over, Kao then aims to save the world and find his missing sister and a long-lost father.

If you've ever played a 3D platformer then the gameplay of Kao The Kangaroo will be instantly familiar. There's a lot here that fans of 3D platformers will recognise from various other games which makes Kao The Kangaroo feel like a homage rather than a reboot to its gaming past. As you travel deeper into the game, new mechanics get gradually introduced. The game doesn't do anything too intuitive, and as such plays, it's pretty safe. 

Kao also has all the hallmark moves of the sub-genre and can use skills such as a double jump and a spin attack. Away from these staples, Kao can also utilise his boxing gloves for a wider emphasis on combat, such as performing light attacks to fill up his special meter which will then allow you to perform a powerful heavy attack. While the kangaroo doesn't have a ranged attack, you can use the spin move to fire projectiles back at the enemy - ala Crash Bandicoot.

Much like others of the genre, Kao The Kangaroo features plenty of good ol' fashioned boss fights. Each boss encounter features a certain mechanic that tailors the fight around that element. For example, one fight sees you having to outsmart tornados to eventually drop a chandelier onto the unfortunate boss's head. While these encounters look challenging, they do all fall under that same loop of dodging, revealing a weak point, attacking, and repeating. 

Aside from fighting the bad guys, each stage features a wealth of coins to collect as well as runes to unlock new levels and the letters K.A.O. which in turn unlocks new outfits to buy back in the hub. While you don't necessarily need to collect everything, for the completionists amongst us, there's a lot to find. As you progress through the story Kao will start to unlock various elemental attacks to add to his skills. These new powers are also used in some shape or form across the main game as each stage will have something that will require you to burn with the fire gloves or freeze with the ice gloves. Again, it all comes together in a way that makes it worth your while in exploring every nook of the current level - especially if you happen across a hidden extra life, or that last letter you've missed. 

When you're not battling through the stages, you'll be free to explore the hub style overworld. This vast area also features plenty of collectables to discover too, along with the entrances to the next set of stages, and even a shop. The shop is where you'll be able to purchase outfits (unlocked by collecting the KAO letters), and extra lives. These all cost a certain amount of coins, however the sheer amount of coins available means that you don't have to be thrifty. 

Kao The Kangaroo is a very pretty game. The graphics are crisp with plenty of bright colours that give off a Saturday morning cartoon vibe. In terms of accessibility, Kao The Kangaroo is certainly suitable for children as well as adults. My only real concern would be that some areas can feel a little too platform-centric which could see younger gamers to struggle. However, it does mean that an adult could take over with the controller to give them a hand. This is further enhanced by its classic control scheme which sees the eqch action button mapped well to the Xbox controller. 

When it comes to issues, I found that the game plays fairly well. On the Xbox Series S everything runs smoothly and graphics remain fluid throughout. What I found frustrating was the fact when you run out of lives (Kao heads) you have to go back to the start of each level. Although this isn't a major issue, you do lose all of your previously collected items, which can sometimes lead to a lot of tedious backtracking. 

When it's said and done, Kao The Kangaroo is a brilliant throwback to games of the past. I had a blast following Kao through his massive adventure. While the level design does feel a little linear at times with plenty of invisible walls and gated off areas - the wealth of collectables outweighs this. For those yearning for that slice of 90s-00s platforming with the modern enhancements of 2022 - Kao The Kangaroo is a game I'd certainly recommend! 

Rating - 8.5/10

Kao The Kangaroo is available now and can be purchased via the Microsoft Store by clicking here.

A code was kindly provided for this review. 

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Ellie Woodcock - For more comic book and video game chat why not follow Geek Culture Reviews on Twitter and Facebook @GeekCultureRev