It’s an
ordinary day in the Kung Fu Rabbit dojo when it’s suddenly invaded by Aliens
who kidnap the rabbits to eat later. One brave rabbit remains and it is now up
to you to rescue your friends. It’s a 2D platform game somewhere between Super
Meat Boy and N+ with a toned down difficulty (compared to those two), and
rabbits. If that’s got your interest then read on.
Starting
life as an iOS game, Neko Entertainment has given Kung Fu Rabbit a few
alterations to make it more suitable for the Playstation Vita. The most obvious
of these is that in app purchases have been replaced by in game collectible
currency in the form of carrots. The carrots can then be used to buy upgrades
and new equipment to help you in your quest. The resolution has also been
upgraded and the controls changed to make everything that little bit better. Some
touch controls have also been implemented but you’ll likely just stick to the
buttons.
The game is set out into around
sixty small levels, with further bonus levels unlocked as you progress. The aim
of each stage is not only to reach the captured rabbit at the end, but also to
collect the three normal and one giant carrot found in each area. This starts
out simply enough but soon requires real skill to achieve.
When you
die you have to restart the stage from scratch and any carrots collected will
need to be picked up again. This creates a nice risk/reward scenario where you
will be always weighing up if you really need that last carrot right at the end
of the stage.
Dying is also fairly easy.
Enemies patrol the levels and will kill you with one touch. They can be taken
out by our fearless rabbit, but each enemy needs to be approached in the
correct way to do this. Attacks are carried out automatically and mistiming
your approach will often end with the bad guy coming out on top.
Aside
from the enemies there are numerous pits, spikes and toxic substances around to
stop you as well. All this means you need quick reflexes and strong platforming
skills to win the day. The main ability (aside from jumping), that our hero has
is the ability to stick to walls and then hop up them. Using this technique is
vital when trying to time your leaps properly. It also gives players time to
assess the situation and plot their journey through the multitude of moving
traps. When you complete the three worlds, even harder remix versions of the levels
are unlocked to further test your skill and sanity.
Levels
get more difficult quickly so you will need all the skills you have available.
New dangers and obstacles are introduced every few levels and precise timing
becomes more and more important as you progress. If things do become tough then
you can take a trip to the dojo in order to stock up on items to help you.
Items such as claws, extra chances and even an easier difficulty are available.
You can also get new costumes for your rabbit and items to help reveal hidden
passages.
Aside
from the instant deaths, Kung Fu Rabbit is a beautifully cheerful game. The
music sets a nice oriental mood (although one or two of the tunes could do with
not looping quite so quickly). The look
of the game is also striking in a minimalist way. Graphics are clear and
colourful and create a pretty, oriental, look throughout most of the levels.
The design is simple but highly effective and it creates a focused style that
works well.
Overall,
Kung Fu Rabbit is a bit of a surprise. We didn’t expect much from it at first
glance but this is a really good effort from the development team. Controls are
intuitive and slick, and the game world is bright and charming. It’s a
thoroughly enjoyable platform game that really deserves attention from Vita
owners.
8/10
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