Although the 3D platformer genre had its heyday in the late 90s and early 2000s, recent years have seen a bit of a resurgence of interesting new genre entries. Titles like Glyph and Lunistice have shown that smaller platformers can be just as compelling as the more famous examples, and now we have BogoSoft’s Corn Kidz 64 continuing that trend with something decidedly retro. Following the adventures of a feisty goat named Seve, this title aims to emulate the spirit of the N64 platformer as closely as possible. It mostly succeeds; Corn Kidz 64 actually feels like a lost game from this era, and while it has some notable flaws, this is an overall enjoyable and fun retro game.
Corn Kidz 64 is a true collector at heart, tasking you with picking up various decorations found in every imaginable corner of these modestly sized playgrounds. Your main collectible is a large collection of cubes that give you “XP” for each one you grab—once you get enough of them, you’ll be able to unlock doors that open access to harder challenges that hide even more cubes. In addition, there are other things to do, such as knocking over all the trash cans in the level or finding a small collection of bottle caps to exchange for corn syrup, which raises your maximum health.
Although you’re ultimately directed down a relatively linear route, you have plenty of room in each area to focus on. Much like Banjo-Kazooie or Donkey Kong 64, there are things to grab all over the place, so it’s really just a matter of seeing something interesting and climbing or running across it to figure out what’s hidden around it. This approach feels natural, and we appreciate that it lets you decide what you want to face – if you find navigating those jumps too frustrating, just wander off somewhere else and come back to try again later.
Seve’s moveset isn’t nearly as versatile as Mario’s, but he manages to get a lot of mileage out of homing and ground moves. The homing shot can be used to dislodge bolts or catch bomb birds to throw at vulnerable walls. There are plenty of gimmicks scattered throughout the environment that also help increase his abilities, such as a series of floating rings that allow you to repeatedly use your supposed strike without touching the ground, or a certain type of wall that you can endlessly jump on. .
With the way everything is organized, Corn Kidz 64 works well, never wasting space or unnecessarily filling the experience, which some platformers are notoriously guilty of. Each level is packed with things to do without getting tired, and new tricks and challenges appear regularly to keep things fresh. A complete run should only take you eight to ten hours, but Corn Kidz 64 makes the most of every minute.
For its presentation, Corn Kidz 64 looks like it came out of 1997, even giving you a boxy 4:3 aspect ratio and fuzzy scanlines. You can go into the settings to adjust these display options to resemble something more modern, but we preferred the lo-fi approach and felt it fit the art direction quite well. The art style itself features all the blocky models and blurry textures you’d expect from an N64 platformer, but we appreciated the darker, almost menacing vibe of the visuals. Something about these worlds is just turned off in a wonderfully creepy and weird way, which creates an interesting atmosphere as you explore deeper.
The soundtrack similarly has that vintage MIDI feel to it, with a short collection of cartoon songs that also fit well with that ominous atmosphere. It’s not a particularly memorable collection of songs, but it fits the aesthetic perfectly and helps add an extra layer to the retro immersion.
However, there were a few significant issues we ran into that detracted from the experience. First off, there’s a pretty noticeable input lag on this version of the Switch, which gives the gameplay a sluggish and unresponsive feel. You do get a bit comfortable with the lag, and the level design challenge is generally relatively low, but we experienced plenty of times when more precision was needed and the controls just weren’t up to the task, leading to some frustrating missed jumps and wasted efforts.
Additionally, the camera is another issue, making the Corn Kidz 64 perhaps small also it’s reminiscent of the retro games it clearly channels. There are many instances where the camera control is limited or fixed, and the perspective often doesn’t give you a comfortable view of the platforming challenge. Even when you have more control over placement, there’s a clunky awkwardness that makes you feel like you’re struggling to get it in the right place. You could say that the poor camera is almost charming considering that it is a real brand for the era, but still, we would like to see this aspect improved.
Conclusion
Corn Kidz 64 feels like a true title from the N64 era and we commend the developers for their ability to successfully recreate that retro experience. The perfect length, good pacing, and varied design work in this game’s favor, though sluggish controls and a clunky camera hold it back from greatness. Still, it’s only seven bucks—we’d recommend this to anyone looking for a decent new 3D platformer for their library.
