Kaze and the Wild Masks
Developer: PixelHive
There’s something about ’90s cartoons that nothing has quite been able to touch through the years. Waking up early on a Saturday morning - the only day all week you really wanted to be up early - pouring a massive bowl of sugary cereal, then settling down for several hours of animated goodness. Kaze and the Wild Masks is a much-welcomed harken back to those times.
Firstly, the style and setting are so full of warming nostalgia, with bright and colourful characters everywhere, from the sentient vegetable enemies to the cuddly protagonists. There are also no complicated villains - it’s a clear-cut story of good vs evil, around a core of friendship. There’s also a lot of that mild peril that kept every kid gripped to the TV.
Stages are fast, with most easily completed in under 2 minutes if you’re just speeding to the end. There are several challenges available if you’re going for 100% - collecting the Donkey Kong-style letters hidden throughout, grabbing all the gems, finding the two bonus stages, time trials, and finishing with no damage. Because level restarts are fast and checkpoints are available, it never feels like a chore to get back in. In fact, because they’re so short, the game is almost tempting you to give it one more go. The only exception to the checkpoint rule is the boss levels - these are multi-stage, and very much a test of skill.
The titular ‘wild masks’ are power-ups in certain levels, unlocking an ability that needs to be used to get through. There are four in total: the eagle, which grants a Flappy Bird-esque flight and projectiles; the tiger, which allows for air-dashing and climbing certain walls; the shark unlocks swimming in a very Ecco the Dolphin way; and the lizard, which comes with double jump and a dive move, as well as turning the level into an auto-runner. The masks add a welcome bit of variety to the usual platforming and require real skill to complete all the challenges with.
The story, again like many old cartoons, is nice and simple - Kaze and her friend, Hogo, are treasure hunting when they uncover a magic ring that sucks Hogo inside. It also unleashes an evil sorceress, Typhoon. From within the ring, Hogo blasts Kaze to safety. And in true hero fashion, Kaze sets out to stop the sorcerer and save their friend (Hogo further assists by acting as a shield pickup in levels). The history behind the sorceress' imprisonment is revealed through artwork which are unlocked by gathering all the gems. There are also two further unlockable ending videos for fully completing some of the other challenges.
All in all, Kaze and the Wild Masks is an incredibly put-together trip down nostalgia lane, pulling influence from games of the era like Sonic and Rayman. It hits all the right beats of a formidable platformer, whilst maintaining a cute and cuddly appearance. The short levels are assembled in such a way that you can take your time if you want to, but you can also just blast through them with a perfect route. The speed running community around it is equally impressive, often coming down to literal frames between times. This game is an absolute gem that can’t be recommended enough.