I’m sure it’s the case for most gamers, but occasionally, I get tired of the same old thing.
Perhaps after four decades of playing games, that is bound to happen, but I’ll admit that there are times when I roll my eyes at a new shooter, or walk away from some new open world life eater. It even happens with my most favourite of all gaming genres too, the racing game, yet perhaps that is more recently due to the ineptitude of Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown than anything else.
But then things switch. Just as I feel myself falling out of love, something hits to drag me back in. Aaero2 has done that recently. And so has Nikoderiko: The Magical World. Granted, this fun little platformer fails to nail absolutely everything that it tries, but at least it has a hell of a good time trying.
To me, Nikoderiko feels like a bit of a love letter to games gone by. There’s most certainly some Crash Bandicoot about it, and occasionally it feels a little Sonic-y too, although rarely with the same speed. But mostly it’s Rayman vibes that emit brightly from this gorgeous little game, as the development team at VEA Games look to deliver a lovingly created new platformer to the market.
In Nikoderiko you play as one of two mongooses. Niko is the star of the show, accompanied by his friend, Luna. It doesn’t really matter who you use to help you traverse and navigate the fun stages here though, as each are equally as adept at jumping, bottom bouncing, dashing, crashing, sliding, swimming and running, as the other.
Your goal is about as stupid as it needs to be, attempting to save a world from the evil Baron Grimbald. Remember, this is a game that has obviously been influenced by some utter classics of the platforming world, and as such it needs a tale to go along with it. We’d argue against it to be honest, mostly as it verges a bit too much on the side of cheese more than anything else. Instead, we’d have been happy to dive in without that narrative, but it is what it is and others will require a reason behind their adventuring.
It’s the platforming which is the star though – and the secrets and collectibles that are hidden through the stages. As a general rule, Niko and Luna are left to make their way from one end of a stage, to the other, navigating obstacles, traps, various pathways and more as they go. Jumping is key to that, as is a bit of gliding to slow any fall, whilst bouncing from one enemy to another is just as important. A slide also helps, with the attack you use depending on the enemy type you are faced with. It doesn’t take long for you to understand what is best used for each situation.
Those left to right stages are vast, with hidden pathways taking you away from the main goal for a few seconds as you look to gather up certain collectibles, filling the pockets of Niko and Luna, pretty much for no reason other than that this is a love letter to those 90s platformers. We’d have preferred to see more use for the plethora of things that can be picked up, but they only really come into their own when you look to go filling out the Treasury, ticking off character art, environments, concept pieces and glorious melodies. With five (yes, five) different currency types, Nikoderiko goes deep with the gleaming offerings, prizes ticked off randomly, dictated by the RNG gods found in the camp Workshop treasure chests.
The levels fast change up though. Classic running soon turns into the screen and away from the action, as 3D elements come into play. Much like how we struggled back in the day with Crash and his run for life, towards the screen, we’ve found those same points in Nikoderiko to feel similar; far from as tricky, far less frustrating, but occasionally annoying. We’d have much preferred the more 2D aspects to stay in place.
There are secret mini levels too, as coin collecting becomes a goal, whilst underwater areas excel and automated cannon shooting excites. When you consider that Nikoderiko is spread over many stages and various worlds (Skyward Falls, Cobring Mines, Sky Vines, Snowland, Magic Wood and more), each with their own unique characteristics and elements, it’s easy to see how this one has had pretty much everything thrown at it. And thankfully the vast majority of it sticks.
Keys, the spelling of NIKO, gems, boss battles, seamless drop in/drop out cooperative play and more fills this adventure out, adding tons of replayability in the process. The occasional ‘friend’ pops up in cutscenes/conversation form to continually provide reason to the platforming adventure as well. Again, much like the overarching story, we’d quite happily have skipped these immediately.
We could probably skip the summoning of various animal mounts too. But to do so would mean losing some serious charm of Nikoderiko. See, occasionally our mongoose protagonists need a helping hand and those come in the form of multiple rideable animals. If you need the power of Boaris the Boar, you got it. Equally, Todd the Toad lets you leap higher, whilst a personal favourite is that of a snapping Dino, happily gobbling up foes, spitting them back out, causing chaos as they go. Rely on them you probably shouldn’t, but each bring a different take to stage traversal and should therefore be appreciated.
With everything present, Nikoderiko turns out to be an extremely well accomplished platformer; one that comes alive from the get-go, pushing the player to uncover one more secret and to complete just one more level. And it does so with plenty of colour, crisp visuals and clear levels coming together brilliantly. It’s a visual delight, that again leans directly on the inspiration from decades passed, full of cheese to really hammer those vibes home.
What isn’t cheesy is the audio and there’s a soundtrack from heaven that powers the plays found in Nikoderiko. Hats must go off to David Wise, previously behind the tunes of Snake Pass, various Donkey Kong games, Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts and tons more. It shows as well, with the soundtrack of Nikoderiko right up there alongside those over powerhouses.
It means that if you have previously found love with Sonic or Mario, Donkey Kong, Crash or Rayman, you’ll find yourself having a fabulous time with Nikoderiko: The Magical World. Beautifully bright, full of secrets, collectibles galore and some superb platforming moments will see this one appeal to pretty much all.
Nikoderiko: A Magical Platforming Adventure Arrives on Consoles – https://www.thexboxhub.com/nikoderiko-a-magical-platforming-adventure-arrives-on-consoles/
MY.GAMES launch publisher Knights Peak Interactive with a five game portfolio – https://www.thexboxhub.com/my-games-launch-publisher-knights-peak-interactive-with-a-five-game-portfolio/
Buy Nikoderiko on Xbox – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/nikoderiko-the-magical-world/9mwrwgkjxjb7
