Have Game, Will Play: Kalimba Review
It would be fair to say that the renaissance of the puzzle platformer is happening now. If you are less optimistic about it, perhaps it is overstaying its welcome. Nevertheless Press Play’s entry in this (sub) genre delivers an almost perfect balance of challenge and fun. Kalimba, formerly Project Totem, is about a shaman that has been struck down and now must gather up the pieces of her once once towering totem and reclaim her place.
While it might seem as though the shaman would be the controllable character, you are in fact controlling other totem pieces to assist her. Along the way you’ll encounter the consistently fourth wall breaking Hoebear who adds some levity to the game. The levels begin by teaching you to jump(in tandem) and swap characters. But soon you’ll need to be able to grow in size, fly, float, roll, repel, attract and flip your way through the bright and colorful levels. You will die many, many times but the only penalty is upon completing the level you’ll receive a less visually desirable totem. The more tokens you gather during the level the better the totem, until your deaths are subtracted – of course.
While the single player is fantastic in its own right with fun challenging levels and even boss fights there is also a local coop mode. This mode is comprised of entirely different coop focused stages. It offers the same challenge as the single player except now you can yell at the tv and your coop partner. The only caveat is that the coop mode is best suited for players who are at a comparable skill level. Regardless Kalimba is the full package and is not to be missed.
Recommendation: Worth a buy – right now
Full Disclosure: This game was provided to GameEnthus by the publisher.
Genre: puzzle-esque platformer
Developer: Press Play
Publisher: Microsof Game Studios
Platform(s): Xbox One
Price: $9.99
Links
http://pressplay.dk/games/kalimba/
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