Kaze and the Wild Masks

 PC
User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 45 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 31 out of 45
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 45
  3. Negative: 5 out of 45

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  1. CRAZYBEE
    May 8, 2021
    10
    It's by far the best Donkey Kong game (that is not called Donkey Kong) I've ever played. It's a blast. Masterful.
  2. Reinhaert
    Jul 18, 2021
    10
    An excellent game inspired by classic platformer Donkey Kong Country (especially 1 & 2, for me the best). I hope they do well, we could use more games like this again. Pure fun, satisfying to complete 100%!
  3. magadub
    Mar 31, 2021
    9
    One of the best platformers of recent years, lots of personality, precise gameplay, balanced difficulty and nostalgia all over the place. If you like classic nintendo/sega games from the 90s you will love this.
  4. f4v3r0
    Apr 3, 2021
    10
    Jogo muito bonito, jogabilidade perfeita e nostalgia pura. Pra quem tem saudades dos jogos de plataforma e antigamente tem um prato cheio, com um plus do time trial pra competir com a Internet
  5. diegoshark
    Dec 5, 2021
    9
    This is basically a Donkey Kong Country game made by an indie dev, with a lot of similar mechanics. You can spin attack off the ledge and jump in midair, similar to certain ape games. Kaze herself is basically Dixie Kong from DKC2 and onwards, sporting helicopter ears, on the other hand, the health system is more traditional, which means the devs get an opportunity to utilize her abilitiesThis is basically a Donkey Kong Country game made by an indie dev, with a lot of similar mechanics. You can spin attack off the ledge and jump in midair, similar to certain ape games. Kaze herself is basically Dixie Kong from DKC2 and onwards, sporting helicopter ears, on the other hand, the health system is more traditional, which means the devs get an opportunity to utilize her abilities without a compromise. The controls are as tight and responsive, and the level design is engaging, with some interesting mechanics and trademark "gimmicks". The titular masks are similar to animal buddies, eagle mask is like Squawks the Parrot, tiger mask allows for forward dash and wall climbing, shark mask enables modern swimming controls similar to new 2D rayman games, and of course, DKC Tropical Freeze, and then there's forgotten mask that acts like a traditional autorunner, though I like to think it's inspired by minecarts, but with additional abilities, like double jump and quick downward dash. The autorunning segments are easily the hardest in the game.

    And of course, there are also collectibles for completionists. There are no lives, but there are crystals that give you a gem after you collect a certain amount, similar to lums from new 2D rayman games, there are KONG letters, I mean KAZE letters that also award a gem, and lastly there are 2 bonus barrels in each stage, I mean bonus crystals that lead to bonus stages. Thankfully, if you fail, you don't have to go back to where the crystal were or have to replay the stage to retry, you can retry the bonus as much as you want until success. Those are required for 100% completion and good ending, which took me almost 5 and a half hours to complete, but there's still a lot of replayability. You can attempt time attack challenges, or try to beat all stages without taking damage for all achievements.

    The only small negative I have is that the story is underdeveloped. After beating the first boss, it turns out we're saving critters, that don't contribute, besides the first world's airship that acts as a world select. It isn't immediatly obvious that besides beating the bad guy, we're saving people. I think it should've been shown in the first cinematic to make the player more invested in beating the evil. Otherwise there isn't much to the story, beat the bad guy and save your friend. There is some historical backstory that you unlock by collecting KAZE letters, but otherwise, yeah. Not much to say.

    While it may seem like the game borrows too much from DKC games, I don't think it automatically makes the game bad. In fact, it's quite the opposite, the game is very fun, as I said the level design is engaging and varied. This game is easily the most fun I've had recently playing a video game, and if you're craving for more DKC-like goodness, and even if you don't, I highly recommend checking this game.    … Expand
  6. PedroK
    Apr 7, 2021
    8
    Muito bom jogo, entretanto, precisa de mais elementos originais e menos elementos ''fortemente inspirados" em plataformas já existentes.
  7. wagnerow
    Apr 13, 2021
    9
    Very beautiful and well done game. It is a 2D game with great challenges, not an easy game. There are difficult puzzles, demanding the maximum from the player. Great game that is not inferior in quality to the famous games of the 90s.
  8. GandalfCzarny
    Mar 28, 2021
    8
    Just great and clever 2D platformer with delightful pixel-art graphics. This is one of these games that are so good, that there's nothing more to say. Just go and play it
  9. DanRomanenco
    Jun 29, 2021
    10
    This game is a real love letter to the 90s' platformers!
    The golden age of gaming is back with Kaze!
  10. miguelpv_YT
    Jun 23, 2021
    9
    muito bom MUITO BOM!. Mais guando ficar em promoção vale mais apena em qualquer plataforma pois o preço é salgado mas o jogo já fala por si próprio.
  11. andreeevieira
    Jul 23, 2021
    10
    Excelente jogo! Me surpreendeu desde o primeiro momento. Meu único contato anterior com o jogo ocorreu através da revista oficial Playstation, a princípio não acreditei que um outro estúdio que não fosse a Rareware ou a Nintendo fosse capaz de desempenhar uma jogabilidade tão incrível como nos tempos em que a Rareware ainda fazia jogos (se é que ela ainda existe atualmente). FelizmenteExcelente jogo! Me surpreendeu desde o primeiro momento. Meu único contato anterior com o jogo ocorreu através da revista oficial Playstation, a princípio não acreditei que um outro estúdio que não fosse a Rareware ou a Nintendo fosse capaz de desempenhar uma jogabilidade tão incrível como nos tempos em que a Rareware ainda fazia jogos (se é que ela ainda existe atualmente). Felizmente estava enganado e SIM o jogo é realmente muito semelhante ao saudoso Donkey Kong, cenários criativos e bem desenhados, os clássicos Bônus estão presentes, a trilha sonora é muito competente, os inimigos com destaque para os chefes são muito criativos e bem animados. E para finalizar como em todo bom Donkey Kong Country as montarias em animais foram substituídas por máscaras que proporcionam habilidades especiais a protagonista, sendo elas fundamentais para o êxito nas fases. O fator Replay vem muito bem representados, sendo extremamente viciante coletar os 100+ cristais durante cada fase, localizar os 2 bônus e como não poderia faltar as letras da palavra KONG... ops KAZE. Para quem gosta de um desafio a mais pode também encarar superar todos os estágios (incluindo os chefes finais de cada ilha) sem levar dano, bem como tentar conquistar a medalha de ouro, prata ou bronze no desafio de tempo (ambos desafios necessários para os caçadores de platina). Enfim é um excelente jogo de plataforma 2D que vai agradar muitos aos retro gamers, se mostrou muito competente no que se propôs a entregar. Minha experiência ocorreu na Plataforma Playstation 4 (Slim).… Expand
  12. Jezzreal
    Aug 3, 2021
    9
    Wow!

    What a fantastic game! If you love platformers you have to play this. It clearly wears its inspirations on sleeve and there isn't much that is "new" here but its a fantastic love letter to old skool platform games. It eases you in, but the difficulty does ramp up pretty fast and there are some really challenging levels later on. A lot of the letters recreated the joy and    Wow!

    What a fantastic game! If you love platformers you have to play this.
    It clearly wears its inspirations on sleeve and there isn't much that is "new" here but its a fantastic love letter to old skool platform games.
    It eases you in, but the difficulty does ramp up pretty fast and there are some really challenging levels later on. A lot of the letters recreated the joy and frustration of Mario World, Special Levels such as Gnarly and Tubular    … Expand
  13. Hopybombr
    Aug 8, 2021
    9
    The nostalgia platforming is great! I picked this game up to take part in the Stadia Summer Community Challenge but was pleasantly surprised at how fun the quirky the game it. The game is a fluid and fast paced trip down my childhood. I can feel the influence from the games that came before it.

    Game is solid, if you are on the fence, take the leap. Funs fantastic on Stadia and Switch.

Awards & Rankings

46
#46 Best PC Game of 2021

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 8 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 8
  3. Negative: 0 out of 8
  1. Eurogamer Italy
    Apr 19, 2021
    80
    Kaze and the Wild Masks is an excellent old school platform which does everything in the right way. It might not be strikingly original or full of wacky, strange mechanics but it's definitely fun and rich of well thought out ideas blending with a wonderful pixel art and solid gameplay and level design.
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  2. Game Rant
    Apr 6, 2021
    80
    Kaze and the Wild Masks is exceptionally average in every way, and never fails to impress. It excels at its goal to create a clean, enjoyable, and nostalgic '90s platforming experience, while simultaneously providing just enough of a fresh take to keep things exciting.
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  3. GameOver.gr
    Apr 2, 2021
    80
    Kaze and the Wild Masks is 10% a nostalgic trip to platformers of the 16-bit era and 90% an ode to Donkey Kong Country from the SNES. It is full of charm, with a vibrant and detailed pixel art and with simplistic, albeit satisfying gameplay. Fans of linear 2D platformers that focus on platforming could not find a safer option for their next purchase.
    Read full review
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