Kao the Kangaroo

Exploration, search for collectibles, clashes against enemies and bosses… the formula is ultra-known, but the work of Tate Multimedia offers a great adventure thanks to its successful graphics and an immersive cartoon atmosphere.

Kao is back with with a fun game, that can’t really match the best platformers out there, but still can be a good choice.

Kao the Kangaroo is an often-delightful throwback to a simpler time, paying homage to the 3D platformers of yesteryear while retaining just enough of its own identity. Most importantly, its platforming and combat are both on point, and thanks to its likeable characters you’ll want to see it through to the end.

Kao the Kangaroo is a fun throwback to platformers of the noughties, but it has a few issues that really hold it back.

Kao the Kangaroo may be too lacking in originality to stand the chance of being a game of the year contender, or even the best example of its genre this year, but it does excel in what it set out to achieve - to celebrate the golden age of the 3D platforming genre. Thanks to this reboot, Kao has every reason to proudly stand alongside Crash, Spyro and Mario as bastions of the genre. There’s lots of fun to be had running, bouncing, jumping, sliding, climbing, skating, and fighting yourway to completion, and if a sequel is announced, I know I’d play it in a heartbeat. Kao the Kangaroo has officially bounced back in style.

The jolly kangaroo is back in a brand new adventure, and it's quite enjoyable. This thanks to the fine gameplay and fun combat, making it a successful adventure. The diversity in environments and fighting moves provide variety in gameplay, but on the other side, the game has annoying bugs, the voice acting is not good and the audio will regularly drop out. So there is still some polishing to do, but if you look past that it is an entertaining platformer.

Kao the Kangaroo is a fairly decent, if unspectacular, platformer that harks back to a golden age of the genre’s 3D era in many ways. Sadly, it falls short of being a notable addition to a heavily stacked part of gaming’s history. That could well be its strength when it inevitably becomes an unexpected platforming touchstone for a new generation of young gamers in the way Croc, Gex, Crash, et all did for previous ones.

We applaud how Kao punches above its weight with great form, but its more ambitious strikes fail to land, making this feel lightweight at best. [Issue#16, p.138]

The return of Kao the Kangaroo offers a decently enjoyable action-platform experience with nostalgic graphics and soundtrack, unfortunately flawed by several bugs, glitches and a difficulty level too low for experienced platformers.

Kao the Kangaroo offers a pretty solid platforming experience and its graphics and soundtrack offer a pleasant nostalgic experience. Its environmental design is so charming, and the characters are loveable despite their poor voice acting. However, this experience is stopped short by bugs, repetitive gameplay, and poor storytelling. With a number of fantastic 3D platformers released in recent history, it's hard to recommend Kao the Kangaroo. If Tate Interactive would have kept this game in its developmental pouch a little longer, a lot of its big issues could have easily been resolved. Heck, we already waited almost 20 years for this game, we could have waited a few more months.

Kao The Kangaroo is platformer comfort food, not boasting any exceptional traits but still managing to be a genuinely enjoyable time for crowds desiring a simple, low-stakes experience. The engaging puzzles and varying aesthetics aid in keeping the stages somewhat diverse in execution, though the superficiality of the powerups and combat needlessly pads out these areas. Moreover, the subpar voice acting and lackadaisical narrative don’t ruin the package, though they’re certainly aspects players won’t be clamoring for more of as they progress. Regardless, it’s a fun time if you’re yearning to punch stuff as a kangaroo.

A short adventure, Kao The Kangaroo is worthy of long-time 3D platforming fans, but it doesn’t quite do enough with its ideas to stand out amongst the crowd of iconic mascot platformers.

Kao the Kangaroo makes his big return in 2022, but the game feels like it's leapt straight out of PS2's back catalogue. Despite many rough edges and old-fashioned design principles, it ultimately succeeds in delivering a fun, breezy 3D platformer for fans of the series. It manages to evoke feelings of nostalgia despite being a brand new title with its simple gameplay and colourful worlds. It does fall apart under modern scrutiny, but it just about gets away with it, thanks to its harmlessly old-school approach.

Kao The Kangaroo’s imperfects are numerous, but while each in isolation isn’t destroying the experience, combined, it makes you appreciate the games shorter duration.

Kao the Kangaroo is an inoffensive and very occasionally charming platformer, but it's uninspired and incredibly rough around the edges. It might hold the attention of some younger gamers and old-school platforming fans but by that same token there are far better games out there for both crowds.