I was so excited when I watched the trailer for this game, and I knew immediately that I had to play it. Everything about it screamed Crash Bandicoot, and I wanted in on that action. I was curious to see how it would hold up compared to the big names in mascot platformers, and whether it would try to do its own thing, or just to mimic what’s already out there.
I was lucky enough to get an early copy from the publisher, so I was able to play for a few days before its release. Being one of the first people to play this awesome game felt like an honour… I can’t wait to share it with you all. So, strap in, and I’ll break down what you can expect from this new title in my Nikoderiko: The Magical World review!
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Story – Let’s Get Ourselves Some Treasure
The opening establishes Niko and Luna as treasure hunters who have come to the island to get some rare loot. However, they are set upon by enemies and have to make a hasty exit. Honestly, I do have a slight issue with the premise, because it’s hard to consider us the good guys when we’re the ones trying to steal treasure that doesn’t belong to us. Why do we have any more right to it than the bad guys?
Anyway, after the initial cutscene, the story becomes a little less morally grey. The enemies, known as Cobrings, are terrorising the residents of the island, and so we take it upon ourselves to defeat them. Of course, it’s not exactly a noble cause since we’re motivated by the promise of treasure, but still, at least we’re doing the right thing.
Throughout the journey, you meet a host of fun NPCs, including Rivar the Inventor, who owns the Workshop. We can use the scrolls and fireflies that we find throughout our journey to buy chests that contain unique collectible items. It’s a fun side story to motivate you alongside the main campaign.
Gameplay – A Perfect Blend of Nostalgia and Modern Features
Watching the trailer, there was a part of me that worried that Nikoderiko: The Magical World would feel too similar to other games I’ve played in the past. Fortunately, that wasn’t the case. There were enough similarities to fill me with a warm burst of nostalgia, but it managed to do so without feeling unoriginal. It really put its own spin on the genre and brought in modern elements which made the game feel unique in its own right.
The game is broken up into worlds, and each world contains 4 regular levels, plus one boss level at the end. I was impressed at how well this was handled, as the themes were present not only in visual design, but also in how that interacted with gameplay. You could tell how much attention had gone into shaping the experience for each level so that each one felt different and memorable.
There’s also a whole host of collectibles. Each level has 7 main collectibles, but there are also scrolls, coins, and fireflies. These are used as currency in the Workshop to open chest, or to buy Mounts. Mounts are special beasts that you can summon into a level, each with its own capabilities. These are a really fun addition, and I love getting to ride the Mounts to victory.
Movement and Combat
One thing I absolutely cannot abide in a platformer is poor movement controls. There’s nothing more guaranteed to get me to quit a game. However, I was really impressed with Nikoderiko, the movement felt fluid, and the character responded to my every touch of the analog stick. If anything, at times it was a little too sensitive, and I had to adjust my way of thinking about my actions to make sure that I didn’t overdo it. The character would move exactly where I wanted him to, and it made for an immersive experience. The only criticism I have is that you can’t move the camera, which wasn’t a problem for the 2.5D parts, but was a little frustrating in the 3D parts. The camera positioning was good, but I prefer to be a little more dynamic, and would’ve liked the opportunity to survey my surroundings a bit more.
The combat was simplistic, and is definitely not a main focus of the game despite the prevalence of enemies. You can defeat enemies with a selection of four options: Slide tackle, ground pound, jumping on their head, or throwing an object at them. Different enemies require different tactics, but I found that ground pounding works pretty much all the time, so that’s my preferred strategy. I just jump around attacking the floor until they’re all dead. Not very tactical, but it gets the job done! I don’t necessarily enjoy the combat, but I don’t dislike it either, and I don’t see it as a main focus of the game.
There are also boss battles, and these require more thought and strategy. I love the variety in these, and I think they get the difficulty just right. It’s hard to pick a favourite, each one has its own charms.
Clever Mechanics
I much prefer 3D platformers to 2D platformers, and Nikoderiko: The Magical World spends a lot of time in 2.5D. Despite the background and foreground interest making it feel dynamic, it could’ve easily still bored me. However, it manages to keep even the 2.5D sections really interesting with a range of clever mechanics. These set it apart from other 2D platformers, and make the entire experience feel so varied.
Some of my favourite mechanics are the following:
- Cannons – These fire you between areas, and sometimes you have sections that are a series of manual cannons. With these, you have to time it correctly to collect items and avoid enemies. You have to be quick with your reflexes, and it makes for a fun challenge.
- Ropes – Sure, it’s pretty simple going up and down ropes, but it’s still an interesting change of pace. There are also vines which swing side to side, and offer a similar experience to ropes. For some reason, ropes make me feel a real rush of adrenaline as opposed to jumping on solid platforms.
- Cart rides – Several levels involve riding in a mine cart. It moves itself forward along the track, and you need to jump and duck to avoid obstacles and collect the items. Fast-paced and exciting, these are utilised rarely enough to make them feel special.
- Riding beasts – As well as the Mounts you can summon, sometimes you’re assigned a beast to ride. There’s this one flying beast where you have to tap to go up, or pause to go down, and you have to carefully navigate around spikes and enemies. It reminded me of playing the Helicopter game back in the day. I suppose for you non-Millennials it was more akin to Flappy Bird, but you get the idea.
Audio & Visuals – Upbeat and Colourful
I knew from the moment I saw this game that the audio & visuals were going to be special. Whenever I describe my ideal game to people, the first words I use are “cute and colourful”. Whilst Nikoderiko may not go too overboard on the cute, it definitely doesn’t hold back on the colourful. I adore how vibrant this world is! There are no muted colour palettes, and every asset in every level is beautifully designed. I especially love the blue jumping flowers that give off a glowing appearance.
Now, let’s talk sound design. The music is utterly fantastic. It’s cheerful, it’s optimistic, but it also brings the drama. The soundtrack manages to be unique whilst still hailing to the classic platformers you know and love. I love the range of tunes, but I do wish there were a few more, as there’s not much variety between levels. Still, I’d rather a few high quality tracks than lots of sub-par ones.
Finally, I wanted to give serious props to the voice actors. They really smashed it out the park with this one. The voices are full of emotion and convey the personality of each character. I especially love listening to Niko and Luna bickering with each other, it feels so believable. I’m so glad the developers hired voice actors for all the characters, it makes such a big difference!
Miscellaneous Thoughts
There were a few more things I wanted to say in this Nikoderiko: The Magical World review that didn’t really fit in the other sections. Enjoy the chaos!
- Co-op mode – Sadly I wasn’t able to test this out myself as I didn’t have a player 2 to hand, but the game does offer a co-op mode. You can select it through the pause menu when you enter a level, and play together. I think it’s great that this is offered, since it’s not a feature you often find in platformers.
- Difficulty – I was surprised to find that Nikoderiko: The Magical World was a fair bit more challenging than you’d expect it to be given the cute visuals. I think I was expecting something akin to the Spyro games in terms of difficulty, but it was actually closer to Crash 4: It’s About Time. Too many obstacles resulted in insta-death rather than just losing a life. Definitely intended for adults rather than children, although skilled kids should be fine with it.
- Glitches – These were few and far between, but worth mentioning anyhow. Occasionally the art would blur and I’d clip a little when being fired through a cannon, but usually only when the perspective was changing. Also, there was sometimes a glitch where the game wouldn’t load back after you visited the Workshop, so you’d have to quit and come back. And one time, when I exited from underwater, I kept on swimming through the air… That was a bizarre experience!
- Perspective changes – One really clever thing about this title is the way it blends 3D and 2.5 D platforming, effortlessly switching between the two throughout the levels. It made gameplay feel fresh and interesting.
Verdict
I’m often pretty lenient for mascot platformers, even for the ones that fall short, but no such leniency is needed with Nikoderiko: The Magical World. It delivers over and over again for a consistently enjoyable campaign experience. From the seamless way it flows between 2.5D and 3D platforming, to the range of collectibles there are to find, it’s evident just how much love and care has gone into the this title. If you’re after a platforming experience that’ll capture your attention from start to finish, this is it.
At £25.99, it’s really reasonably priced, as it’s filled to the brim with content, and even once you finish the main story, you can go back to get 100% completion. I get the feeling it won’t be going on sale any time soon, but I’d still say it’s very much worth full price.
Have you played Nikoderiko: The Magical World? What did you think of it? Join the discussion over in our Facebook community, or tweet to us on Twitter!
Nikoderiko: The Magical World (Xbox Series X)
£25.99Pros
- Exceptional level design in terms of both visuals and mechanics
- Seamless blending of 2.5D and 3D platforming
- Fun soundtrack that feels whimsical and nostalgic
- Plenty of content to play through, without feeling repetitive
Cons
- Difficulty is a little inconsistent at times
- Occasionally long loading times