A Colourful ARPG Journey
How many ancient worlds have you explored as a gamer? How many miles have you clocked up walking across plains, battlefields, and deserts? Every time I load up a new open-world adventure, I take a big breath and think, “Okay, here we go again.” It’s very much like taking in a week-long walking holiday or nailing a marathon, but mostly with monsters trying to kill you.
KAKU – Ancient Seal is an open-world ARPG game that puts you in the shoes of a young adventurer ready to head out and take on a mystery, cook some food, and travel a long way. It’s a colourful game full of action and some nice surprises along the way.
A Child’s Crusade
In an ancient land in an ancient time, you play the young boy Kaku, who from the beginning is only trying to find his pet flying pig after a hunting encounter. As he looks, he gets embroiled in a huge quest to save the world. Of course he does. The creator, Saga, keeps the world in balance by controlling four different elements of nature. An evil force is afoot – you know, standard gaming fare – and Saga is nowhere to be seen. So it’s up to Kaku to go and sort things out, taking him across four different biodomes and restoring balance to the world.
It’s a fun and colourful story, full of interesting and fun characters. It’s more Spyro in its context than it is The Last of Us, which is a good thing and reminds of playing these types of games in the late 90s and early 2000s. And in terms of story, it definitely could be aimed at a younger audience, coming across as a bit of a family-friendly affair. It’s certainly a nice, refreshing change from some of the darker stories out there.
Combat, Cooking, and Companions
KAKU – Ancient Seal works as a third-person action adventure, where you will be out in the world doing quests, finding secrets, solving puzzles, cooking, crafting, and fighting monsters. The exploration side of the game is great, as you traverse the four differing biomes, exploring every nook and cranny. Like any good open-world game, you can take quests in any order and find fun things along the way to distract you. I was very impressed by the size and ambition of this open-world game.
Combat is frequent, and most quests are the usual ‘Go here, fight this, fetch that’ in style. In combat, the game starts with some simple moves like light attack and heavy attack, dodge, and the like, but as you go on, you get new abilities and additional skills, complemented by various bits of gear that make it more complex and enjoyable to engage in. There are elemental attacks and interesting skill trees to work through, as you look to focus in on how you want to play. Sometimes the enemies can be a bit stupid, granted, but on the other hand, the boss battles are tricky old things. You also have your piggy companion who can lend you a hand.
Dungeons and Difficulty
Dungeons allow for a chance of puzzle-solving and platforming, complete with a big boss battle at the end. The puzzles are fun to find and solve, and while they are rarely hard, they are deep enough to give you a bit of a challenge.
The thing is, the platforming was my least favourite part of the game, mostly as it all feels a bit too floaty. And frankly, KAKU – Ancient Seal feels a bit too long for what it is, especially in terms of hours to complete. I personally lost some interest in the middle section. But overall, it’s a hoot to play, with lots to do.
Cartoon Charm
Visually, you’ll find a lovely cartoon feel to matters, with a beautiful, colourful world to explore, different environments and things to find. The art style is unique and fits perfectly into the family-friendly market this should be aimed at. And then the soundtrack has an emotive and epic feel to it, with a complete orchestral arrangement that fits perfectly with the environments and the action on screen.
An Ambitious Open-World ARPG
KAKU – Ancient Seal comes with some big ARPG ambitions. Yes, there are times in which rough moments pop up, and for me, the platforming elements are too floaty. But nevertheless, this is a great game with a wonderful world to explore, pulled along by some decent combat and Zelda-like puzzles.
It’s a big game, with a lot going on and tons to discover, so if you want an open-world game at a good price, then KAKU – Ancient Seal is one to put on your wishlist.
Important Links
A Lonely Boy, a Loyal Pig, and a Legendary Adventure: KAKU – Ancient Seal is OUT NOW! – https://www.thexboxhub.com/a-lonely-boy-a-loyal-pig-and-a-legendary-adventure-kaku-ancient-seal-is-out-now/
Critically Acclaimed Action-RPG Kaku: Ancient Seal Soars onto Xbox & PlayStation this October – https://www.thexboxhub.com/critically-acclaimed-action-rpg-kaku-ancient-seal-soars-onto-xbox-playstation-this-october/
Buy from the Xbox Store – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/kaku-ancient-seal/9p84ddmzlz5z
