KAO the Kangaroo: Round 2

There was a time when every self-respecting developer made their own platformer. Thanks to this, there was a real dominance of children’s 3D platformers on fifth-sixth generation consoles. Interest in the genre was also spurred by the success of games like Fish Indication Minus Pare. Of course, there were some pretty good games, like Circle. It was almost a pioneer of 3D platformers, and it had every chance of pushing Bandicoot aside… or maybe it didn’t. Okay, let’s put philosophical thoughts aside – let’s remember Kangaroo Keo. Not long ago, I did a retrospective of the entire series, and we discussed the reasons for its failures.

The Polish developers were always unlucky. Either they chose an unfortunate release date, so Keo couldn’t withstand the competition with other, more famous characters. Or they went into some experiments, thereby completely ruining the series, making the third part essentially the last. In my opinion, the second part was the most successful: it has open locations, interesting mechanics, nice graphics, in a word, everything you expect from a good 3D platformer. And if they reboot the series, I would take a closer look at the second part to take the best from there.

And so 2022 has become a special year for those few fans who waited, hoped that one day Kangaroo Keo would appear on their screens again – beautiful, not at all aged and ready to go on interesting adventures with you. Actually, this is not a remake – it is a reboot, designed to give gamers all this. Did the authors succeed? Let’s find out together.

KAO the Kangaroo Round 2 Free Steam Account

It seems that now is the best time to reboot Kangaroo. Judge for yourself: the genre’s peak of popularity has passed, but at the same time, it cannot be said that it has completely died. After all, every now and then, even large titles periodically declare themselves. Good in terms of indication – Sackboy: A Big Adventure will not let you lie. But that was a long time ago. Keo has practically no competitors left, gamers miss the good old platformers, but at the same time they are waiting for the authors of such games to offer something unusual that will make the game more memorable and interesting. You can’t get away with just colorful locations and a bunch of bizarre characters.

Keo in 2022 begins with the fact that he sees a disturbing dream, and in it his sister is in danger. As it turns out, it was quite real – and the hero goes in search of his relatives in order to save them and restore justice and his native land. In short, that’s exactly it. I won’t say that the authors put a lot of effort into making the story exciting, adding drama and a hint of deep meaning. Not at all in KAO the Kangaroo: Round 2. After a long scene, pure gameplay awaits us, in which there will be no room for thoughts about why we are doing this, whether Keo will have more friends. By the way, we will meet all sorts of other bizarre anthropomorphic characters with whom it is fun to chat.

But what is more important is our find: father’s gloves, which he once left before he went to fight evil. And these boxing gloves are not simple. Magical. Not only do they talk and often like to spew out some funny joke, but they also add a ton of possibilities to our hero.

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KAO the Kangaroo Gameplay: Classic Platformers, Magic Mechanics, and Boss Chases

Along with simple blows and combos, the gloves also have the power of the elements. And this is not just to give finishing blows beautiful effects, but also directly affects the gameplay. For example, thanks to the gloves, you can turn water into ice in order to be able to get to the right place. There will be several elements in total – study them, everything is not complicated at all, intuitively clear. Now you will at least know that there are small puzzles that can be solved with the help of special properties of father’s gloves.

In all other respects, we are waiting for bright locations, built with a good design, which implies that we will carefully explore the area. After all, what platformer without collecting items? You can even collect letters, like in the good old days – Dante Cancan-Shili will appreciate it. And familiar old players will find that the guys from Tate Multimedia remember their legacy very well and carefully thought about what from the accumulated experience could be useful when creating a new game.

It turned out exactly as the players would like. After all, it is obvious to the naked eye how the second part was chosen as the basis, in which all aspects of the exemplary platformer were presented in the best possible way.

We will also climb vines, cling to nets with our ears – the brave remember this bizarre ability of Keo. And in the end, a boss always awaits us. And the best part is that they are not primitive. As a rule, such big guys have several phases, and each uses individual mechanics. Therefore, to successfully complete them, you will need to understand their behavior patterns and be prepared for the boss to do something unusual.

It is noticeable how new ideas are added from level to level in KAO the Kangaroo: Round 2. The game designers clearly did not want the platformer to suffer from monotony. Of course, it is bad when you can easily complete the game in a few hours with just one or two hits without using any tricks. Here, everything is fundamentally different.

Just recently you were jumping on platforms in search of bonuses – and then you see a huge monkey rolling on a barrel right at you. The camera changes its view a little – and now you are running headlong, overcoming obstacles, if only this gorilla does not crush you. I call such episodes chases – they were found both in the old parts of Keo, and in other platformers, for example, in Little D. Cutie and even about Donald Duck on the console. In general, the heart of a retro gamer rejoices when he sees a worthy embodiment of good old gameplay ideas in a modern game.

The structure of the levels is also familiar to fans of platformers. We have a main hub location, from which we will have access to all levels. And to get it, you need to collect – along with bonus items – special runes. As soon as we collect the required number – welcome to the next stage. Nothing inventive, but I think this structure of the game is quite appropriate.

Verdict KAO the Kangaroo Round 2

Well, if we summarize the above, what do we get in the end? Tate Multimedia did not re-invent the platformer genre, but at least successfully revived their series about Kangaroo Keo. It is noticeable what careful work was done by game designers, artists, animators. In fact, they transferred the best of the platformers of the past years, and stretched a nice look over the good old mechanics and ideas. I would not say that it is as polished and beautiful as the latest Ratchet & Clank, but still decent.

Can modern children like this game? Quite. It is much more accessible and beautiful than many other old titles from consoles in KAO the Kangaroo: Round 2. And what about the oldfags? Will they be happy? Definitely. While kids will simply enjoy the gameplay and the gameplay itself, knowledgeable players will pay attention to the details and remember that once upon a time, fifteen years ago, there were such games – and they felt almost the same.

The authors achieved their goal. KAO the Kangaroo: Round 2, fortunately, turned out to be not shameful and quite successful. I am waiting for a completely new part with great pleasure. It is nice that every year we see the return of once famous titles. And although such comebacks happen with different frequency and quality – still, this trend clearly shows that the gaming industry has a great legacy. And you should not underestimate old games. Often, it is in them that a ready-made successful idea is contained, which makes games attractive and interesting for us.

KAO the Kangaroo Round 2 System Requirements

KAO the Kangaroo: Round 2 minimum system requirements describe a computer configuration that can ensure stable launch of the game at low graphics settings.

How to play KAO the Kangaroo Round 2 for free on Steam via VpeSports