There was a time when you couldn’t move for 3D platformers. Now? Eh, not so much, and that’s a shame. We’d pay a few bob to have another Banjo Kazooie or Mario 64 to wander around, and we’d even settle for a Gex or Croc. Mail Mole clearly has a love for that same era of gaming, as every level is a love letter to that period. Mail Mole is out now on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5, Switch and PC.
Starting in a hub world called Carrotland, the power goes out and it’s down to you – noble mail mole – to hop into actual cannons, gunpowder and all, and get fired into sprawling 3D levels. You’re on the hunt for battery cells that can power up the island again, in time for the Carrotland Summer Festival. Bless ‘em, Carrotland’s priorities are a little skew-whiff.
These levels are as you’d hope and probably expect: they’re all based on different terrain, so you move from grass worlds to ice worlds to swamp worlds, in traditional platforming style. There are collectible radishes to search out, and objectives based on the time taken to complete the level. Mail Mole also uses the primary characteristics of a mole to reasonable effect: you spend most of the level underground, and you can fly out with a long-press of the jump button.
Clear enough levels and you confront a boss, who is the source of the blackouts. These are more obstacle courses than combat situations, as you race to jump on switches before you get a salvo of spiked balls to the face. There’s three hearts to soak up damage before your mole gets kicked back to the start.
Features include:
- – Explore over 30 levels full of platforming challenges
- – Gather carrots and buy costumes for Molty at Rick’s Store
- – Find all the collectibles scattered around Carrotland
- – Race against a bunch of evil mecha-moles in super fast time attacks
- – Introducing our new hero, Molty the Mail Mole!
All in all, we had a jolly time with Mail Mole, as can be seen in our review. While it doesn’t revolutionise the platforming genre, or even try a cheeky new trick or two, it does its job competently and wiles away a fair few hours. Although, if you manage to complete all of the races that are tucked away as minigames, give us a call – we’re honestly unsure if they’re possible.
Mail Mole is out now on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S and starts at £12.49 from the Xbox Store. It’s also out on PS4, PS5, Switch and PC.
Game Description:
Running through the underground, climbing walls and soaring the skies, there’s no place our hero can’t reach! Traveling with Cannon Lines, Molty will take on the most demanding and varied platforming challenges to reach Carrotland’s furthest and oldest Mailboxes: endless pits, giant boulders, steep slopes, bouncing platforms, sharp spikes….. tough roads! But when the power is out, you can’t send an e-mail! Explore magical worlds, from the calm beaches of Coconut Islands to the freezing heights of Yeti Ridge, make new friends, race against unusual mech-rivals, solve puzzles and find all of the delicious collectibles scattered around Carrotland, as Molty (the mail mole!) embarks on an adventure to make his most important delivery yet… before it’s too late! In Peaceful Plaza, Carrotland’s main hub, you’ll meet a happy bunch of villagers, which are currently worried because of a fishy power outage. But worry not, as Molty will help to fix the power lines and receive some accessories as a reward! An elegant top hat, a goofy straw hat, a lovely bunny headband or a flashy jetpack will make Molty look like the coolest mail mole around!
