For decades, Kao the kangaroo has languished in the purgatory of platform mascot obscurity. Unfortunately, his big comeback does little to change the status quo. Its latest adventure is competent, but uninspired design and glaring technical issues make for a hollow outing that inspires mild indifference at best.
Kao (pronounced “KO”) is a young kangaroo in search of his missing sister and father. He enlists the help of his shriveled martial arts teacher and acquires a pair of talking magic boxing gloves. While clearly geared towards younger players, the storyline, writing, and performances are bland and immature. The story isn’t remotely interesting, and Kao herself can be particularly unnerving thanks to poor comedic performance. Hit the mute button or start your favorite podcast because you probably won’t feel like you’re missing out on much of the experience.
The gameplay takes its cues from the old 3D collectible athons, but the design feels mundane. You’ll spend hours roaming sizable but unexciting overworlds collecting coins, heart pieces, lore notes, and runes to unlock platforming levels. It satisfies the part of my brain that likes to tidy up icons, but it’s a hollow sense of nostalgia. The four overworlds, which include your home island, a tropical jungle, and a snowy mountain peak, lack exciting secrets or activities beyond grabbing easy-to-find runes or purchasing cosmetic items to dress up.
Entering a platforming level increases excitement, but only marginally. Kao hits weak enemies with a simple series of punches. Regardless of the enemy’s shape or size, they don’t require much finesse other than pressing the attack button until they fall. Boss fights don’t fare much better in terms of interest or challenge. Kao is on an old-school life counter, but I can count on one hand how many times I’ve died. I don’t brag; If you know your way around platform games, swim in life because the game doesn’t present a worthwhile challenge. Go for mostly generous checkpoints and a short running time, and Kao is a breeze to get through.
Imbuing Kao’s gauntlets with fire, ice, and wind magic grants abilities such as igniting flammable barriers, freezing water, or pulling distant platforms. However, the game only has two basic ideas for each power and constantly repeats them without mixing up puzzles or letting you use your powers in more convincing ways. The only other major mechanic is activating crystals that make platforms disappear/reappear. Like the rest of the game, this idea feels like it’s stuck in first gear.
Kao is not without merits. It controls well, the presentation is colorful if uninteresting, and it executes its basic ideas adequately. However, technical glitches often rear their ugly heads. Certain actions are missing sound effects, making them less impactful. Fragile coin pots and enemies occasionally despawn when hit. Certain boss fights and cutscenes lack music, making them awkwardly silent affairs until the soundtrack randomly kicks in. Conversely, during a post-fight movie, the theme of a boss continued to sound loud and muted the dialogue. These issues make Kao seem even more like a budget title in the worst possible way.
Initially I thought that Kao the Kangaroo would at least be a great recommendation for younger players. Then I remembered that I and generations of kids cut their teeth with games like Mario, Crash Bandicoot, or Ratchet & Clank — kid-friendly platformers that still offer plenty of mechanical depth, polish, and design creativity. Kids are far more capable than we sometimes realise, and Kao’s design by numbers would likely bore all but the aspiring players. Kao the Kangaroo is by no means a total disaster. It just feels aggressively average and unforgettable, which unfortunately has been the case for the mascot for years.