Kao the Kangaroo Trilogy

With the first episode, I had graphic issues and couldn't see almost anything. It got fixed when I put dgVoodoo2 in the installation folder. After that everything works fine. The rest was running with no problem.

A title that probably taught you nothing if you've seen at least screencaps from these games, but that's all you'll need to truly appreciate them: these are old games! Don't expect them to control smooth as butter, except maybe for the second game- but when it comes to Kao 1 & 3, these are 2000 & 2005 ports; not 2019 updated versions like Kao 2. In this latter one you should have little to no problem controlling Kao with a controller right off the bat. This one's fine. When it comes to Kao 1 & 3, you can feel the years since we got quality of life upgrades and analog sticks. I played Kao 1 with a keyboard and after some time getting used to the controls, it was very okay and surely an enjoyable time. Kao 3 on the other hand is gamepad compatible; but I'm not exactly sure that's the best way to play it. Because of the technology it uses, diagonal input from the sticks doesn't register properly, and you'll have to remap many of the controls (some of them are just weirdly placed). Maybe it's best to stick to your keyboard with this one. Now, that's all the bad I had to say about these games: technical limitations. Everything else ranges from decent to really good. The visuals are nice, music's fitting and enjoyable (now remember these are old games, so if you're only used to 4k 240 FPS graphics with killer GFX you may be a little disappointed with this), and the stories are a good time too! The Kao trilogy has a lot of charm and clever gameplay from time to time. It also has its load of "experimental" gameplay with curious minigames, but again: these are old games. If you can forgive technical limitations and trying something different at times for the sake of experimentation, then you have all the tools to love this trilogy. Otherwise, it may be a little rough on the edges. I know it was for me, but I can recognize these are old games and I should ask the world from them Overall Kao the Kangaroo Trilogy is decent, but get to know what you're throwing yourself into.

I will update my review whenever the next game is complete. The current score is based on Kao 1. Kao 1 is a typical old school platformer. Sometimes you want to collect things, explore themed levels and enjoy colourful graphics. However, the game is showing its age. The controls are not the best even with a controller, the enemies often hit you before you do while you have a hard time getting close, the camera is stuck sometimes where you can’t see where you’re supposed to jump and there are some other situations that cause you to die. Expect to die a lot in the game. And yet I completed the game and unlocked the bonus level. There is a great sense of satisfaction when you concentrate in order to not lose a precious life. The game let’s you decide where to place a checkpoint. You always start with 1 and can find more while you play. When you exit a level, the count resets to 1 again, encouraging you to use what you have. It’s a great idea and super handy. I’m surprised I haven’t seen this with other platformers. If you’re a huge fan of old school platformers, then this is worth playing as long as you know what you’re getting yourself into. The game was literally unplayable without dgVoodoo2. I have windows 10 with a 2012 laptop. At first I played the game with keyboard and it felt awful. I thought the game didn’t accept my Xbox One controller but that’s not the case! You just need to go to the options first, select an action and then select the button that goes with it. You can play the levels but you can’t use the controller in the menu or selecting a level. I’ve read a few reviews mentioning that they can’t use their controllers but I’m worried they just got confused. I know I was.

Disclaimer: I only played Mystery of the Volcano here on GOG, since I've got the other parts of the trilogy on discs. So, there is nothing special about the third installment of the franchise. Jumping feels good, levels are (somewhat) well balanced, the graphics are bearable and the sound is okay. It's just a mediocre 3D platform game. Recommended for the fans of the franchise. Otherwise, I don't think there's much sense in playing it.

I had fun (when wasn't getting angry at Tank controls. My braing just refuses to accept them). Sadly the game don't work on windows 10 just like run and it's all. I had to use deVoodoo to play it. It was a nice trip to the past but wouldn't give this to younger gamers.