Kao the Kangaroo reboot demo impressions: Packing a decent punch

Kao the Kangaroo is a little-known franchise of 3D platformers, with the original releasing for PC, Dreamcast, and Gameboy Advance in 2000. With a recent resurgence in the genre, a reboot is set to be released later this year under the original Poland-based studio, Tate Multimedia.

A free demo is currently available on the game's Steam page for fans and curious folks to check out. Is the latest entry in the gloved marsupial's journey a return to form for the series after a hiatus, or is it a half-hearted tug at nostalgia?

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Kao the Kangaroo is back in action

Visuals

It's a visually pleasing UE4 title (Image via Kao the Kangaroo)

The visuals were the first thing to grab my attention on booting into the game. This Unreal Engine 4-powered game is a looker. The cel-shaded aesthetic fits the whimsical tone, and character models have a decent level of detail.

Animations are also good, and I was surprised to see the skipping rope idle animation make a return.

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Premise

As expected, Kao's plot is simple but gets the job done (Image via Kao the Kangaroo)

From what the intro sets up, Kao is tasked with finding the lair of Terror. This task takes him through the first (and only) level of the demo. These levels are decently sized and broken into platforming, combat, and puzzle-solving segments, not to mention interspersed with collectibles like coins and diamonds.

All in all, it's a classic 3D platformer design and has the exact blueprint that the original Kao the Kangaroo games are based on.

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Gameplay

Collectibles littered around the game are a joy to collect (Image via Kao the Kangaroo)

The kangaroo's moveset is also left intact from his debut adventures. He can run, roll, punch, jump, do a 360-degree attack in the air with his tail, and ground stomp.

Platforming elements are varied but familiar, such as stepping stones on water bodies to hop across. There are also segments with purple crystals that can be activated to unveil floating platforms that Kao will need to traverse across to progress.

He also gets access to a boomerang in certain areas of the game, which helps solve puzzles and deal with enemies.

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Combat

The enemy design is goofy (Image via Kao the Kangaroo)

There are a handful of foes to contend with. The small roster that Kao the Kangaroo has on display for the demo is varied enough to keep things entertaining.

From the winged Stinkers and hoppity Frogsters to thorned vines that have a mind of their own and lunging spiders, the foes are surprisingly aggressive. One section, in particular, has fish that pop out of the water to shoot a homing fireball that can be tricky to avoid when making your way across the pond.

Combat allows Kao to combo up punches using his boxing gloves, eventually filling up a gauge on the top left that, when flashing, lets him unleash a powerful area-of-effect punch. It's as mindless as the LEGO games in that regard.

The title also hides certain collectibles behind areas or puzzles that require a little extra effort to get. On that note, despite the largely linear level, exploration is heavily encouraged because the game hides coins and other goodies in every nook and cranny.

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Fans of the genre won't find anything here that would blow their minds away, but Kao the Kangaroo's demo shows potential. It's a neat little romp that's bound to take some of you back in time to your childhoods.

The title is planned for release on PC, PS4, PS5, XB1, XSX|S, and Nintendo Switch. No release date has been confirmed yet.

Note: This article reflects the author's views.