Today we are going to take a look at Kaze and the Wild Masks. This old-school platformer wants to take you back into the nineties and let you enjoy platforming as it was back then with all the colorful graphics and cute protagonists. Whether it can deliver on this promise is the question we will try to answer today. Kaze and the Wild Masks is available on Steam for 19 Euros and 99 cents or your regional equivalent.
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Déjà Vu. It’s not just the feeling Noe had when two exact same cats walked by. I get it quite often as well. It’s almost like the gaming industry is becoming an old recipe that has been transferred from generation to generation. But it’s only logical. I don’t think any of us are surprised to see gaming mechanics being reused, themes looking similar and even games feeling like just a reskin of something you’ve played before. Sometimes is just random but at other times this it’s intentional and the developers are trying to give homage to some of their own favorites. And this is exactly the case with Kaze and the Wild Masks.
The studio PixelHive took all the unwritten rules in the platformer genre and decided to write them down into their game. You start with Kaze – the cool-looking heroine with big floppy ears that just fits with all the all-time favorites like Sonic, Jazz, Spyro, Crash, or Yoshi. Kaze doesn’t live on a highway trying to avoid oncoming traffic. Instead, she lives in the Crystal Islands that had their fate sealed by colorful vegetables. And Kaze uses a variety of masks that allow her to transform into different animals such as a lizard, shark, eagle, or even a tiger. And yeah… never forget the magical helper! All of this in an attempt to get everything back into order.
So… yeah… Originality is not exactly in the repertoire for Kaze. But, does it even matter? Hell no! It’s the exact opposite! This sense of familiarity is ever-present and makes you feel like you’re playing something you played as a child. But you didn’t! It’s like finding an old family album when cleaning up your cellar and then suddenly you find photos you’ve never seen before. But you remember all the events from which they come.
As much as Kaze looks great it is also as much difficult. Get ready to throw your controller, smash your keyboard and punch your monitor. This game doesn’t hold back just like the original platformers didn’t. It’s not as infuriating as some of the games currently on the market but I am getting that big of a Cuphead feeling in terms of difficulty. Most of this feeling comes from each level having only a single checkpoint and the three currencies you need to gather. First, the crystals – the most commonly available currency. They just lie in your path and don’t require you to do any real exploring. Then, there’s the letter K, A, Z, and E. A bit more hidden but still nothing you won’t find quickly if you try. But then there are the two bonus wheels that turn into a magical rock and are truly hidden. And those of you who are familiar with old-school platformers already know that plenty of bonus content – including bosses – requires these to be accessible. But I do truly appreciate the fact that you have an unlimited amount of lives so you can spend an excessive amount of time searching for all the hidden stuff.
I should also say that there is an easier mode available with more checkpoints. But this is the mode you should pick for your children so they can play as well. But any true fan of platformer will never choose it as it would get rid of that feeling of achievement when you finally finish everything available in Kaze. Then, on top of all this, you also get speed-running features! And the design of the levels makes speed-running truly fun as each of them is designed to be easily playable at full speed without ever stopping for even a second.
To get quickly to the end of the level, you obviously need some buttons to mash. And these buttons will obviously be tied in with your abilities. The core abilities are your spin attack, jump, and floating with your ears. Then you have the specials tied in with the masks but these can only be used at selected areas for a limited amount of time. But when you put all of this together you get a nice skill-set and a good amount of variety.
One of the few weaknesses of Kaze is actually the soundtrack. And this makes me really sad. A good soundtrack can truly elevate a game and especially a platformer. It tied in well, you can just get into that rhythm when you flow through the level. Especially if you get into speed-running. But, the soundtrack isn’t that bad and since the majority won’t go with the speed-running route I guess it doesn’t matter that much.
The nice thing about Kaze is the fact that you actually do want to come back t it. This is because of its fun gameplay, lovable cute characters, and a good variety of themes. Again, the decision to stick with the classics – in this case seasons of the year and natural elements will make your nostalgia kick in faster than a football player falling after being touched. Yet, compared to the games you played when you were young Kaze shows it comes from modern times in one important feature. Controls. The controls are perfectly precise on the ground and to add a bit of difficulty is added through the movement in the air and water being a bit harder.
The one thing that truly disappointed me were the bosses. They are nicely disgusting and fit into the game but their difficulty was just too low. They have a pitiful repertoire of attacks and even a small child will soon know how to defeat them. So, don’t consider them to be a challenge but more of a bigger regular enemy.
And lastly, before we conclude this review… the absolutely worst thing about Kaze. It won’t take you twelve hours to finish. Not eight. If you are at least a decent platformer player you will spend only about six hours in before you beat it. That in itself would be fine, I really enjoyed a good number of short games. But the length just doesn’t correspond well with the price.
Conclusion
So… in conclusion: Kaze and the Wild Masks is a pretty nice platformer for all of those who love old-school and feel nostalgia for the times when platformers ruled the world of gaming. It’s even a good choice for those who want to introduce their children to this world as it has more than child-friendly graphics and themes. It has flaws but what truly drags it down is its price. 5 dollars less and I’d recommend it to anyone. 10 dollars less and I would be yelling at you to buy it now. And that’s my advice. Wait a bit until it's on sale and then enjoy.
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