Super Kiwi 64 feels like it’s up to something. There's a tricksy energy about it that’s impossible to ignore. Players of Siactro’s earlier games might be expecting that, but this isn’t just more of the same. Super Kiwi 64 is weird in its own special way, presenting a fresh guided tour of this indie developer’s mind.
Kiwi opens in a hub area that connects eight main levels for N64-style non-linear item-collection platforming. It looks like it’s been perfectly preserved in glacial ice since the Silicon Graphics Reality Coprocessor era of the N64. It could have been released in 1999, copycatting equally Banjo-Kazooie and Donkey Kong 64. Even back then, though, we'd have been slightly wary, since the level of polish is not up with those titles. But despite that, it just feels like there is something going on – something weird.
From the very first level, messy edges were right in our face. The camera, for instance, has a laissez-faire attitude to solidity of objects in the environment and will happily just clip through any scenery you like... But is something going on with that? We naturally used the camera to spy through walls and see where we should be trying to get to. Was this by design? Are there game mechanics built out of apparently broken 3D fundamentals? Or is that actually an anarchic punk aesthetic where you need to just chill out about the camera and your bourgeois expectation that it should participate in the charade of a solid environment? Is the camera deliberately flawed as a parody of itself and an examination of player expectations of value in AAA game production? Or could it, maybe, just be a bit rubbish?
That last possibility doesn’t hold up very far. Too much of Super Kiwi 64 is too polished for it all just to be a big mistake: the controls are responsive and fun, the movement gimmick of spiking your beak into the wall and jumping to climb up (a Mario Odyssey reference?) is satisfying. On the other hand, the level design is incredibly simple, with red-key-opens-red-door gating and a clear tally of collectibles that are rarely hidden well, if at all.
However, the defiant simplicity of everything is so controlled that Siactro must surely be doing it consciously. The microsecond celebratory pose of the kiwi as it collects a jewel is comically undersold compared to Mario’s – now rather overblown – twirl when collecting a Power Moon. Blink and you’ll miss it but, taken as a joke, it’s pitch-perfect. And like the Toree games before it, the sparsity of Super Kiwi 64’s levels is excused by their brevity and very low difficulty. That said, while you could finish the whole game in one-to-two hours, it does have a set of genuinely mysterious secrets buried in it. Without spoiling, let’s just say they convinced us that the truly cursed vibe of the piece was not just in our heads.
Our experience of Super Kiwi 64 comes down to this: we were having a good time, but couldn't always tell if it was despite the game or because of it. Either we've found a gold coin in a muddy field or we've found the face of Elvis in our porridge. If you're giving this a go, be sure to bring your imagination along with your £2.69.
Comments 36
Where's the Moose?
I really don't know what to make of this.
I feel like I need -some- spoilers to understand why this game is. . .good? Special? Good?
Can you actually tell us if there is anything more to it?
I played this game. It's ultimately harmless and simple fun, but there's also not much depth to the experience. For a $3 game that lasts two hours, you could do worse with your day, but you could also do better. Decidedly average overall.
The manual camera control is just a hair too twitchy after adjusting a notch. That's the only flaw.
What is this, a reviewer going through an existential crisis? I’ll just buy it because it’s cheap and looks decent but this review is a big nothing burger in terms of telling anyone anything, it feels. I don’t know if I find it charming or annoying in that way… but hey, it sure piqued my interest.
@Kiwi_Unlimited - In context, this is a solo dev that makes mini nostalgic games as such. It's been very hit and miss for me, but he seems to have some notoriety from making very nostalgic 64 styled titles.
I feel like you're taking the camera thing a bit too seriously. Super Kiwi 64 is just a homage to N64 collectathons, faulty camera and all, there's no complex or parodical reasoning behind that.
I didn't think this one was anything amazing either, it had the polished controls of the Toree games but lacked the charming NPCs of Macbat, but I never got the impression that it was trying to be anything more than what it was: A brief but solidly enjoyable dose of nostalgia.
We all have high expectations for this developer because Toree 3D was so good, but this new game definitely didn't meet those expectations. Honestly if it wasn't for the Toree hype, Super Kiwi would likely be just another 'ok' eshop game which didn't even get a review or even get noticed amongst the dozens of games per week.
I bought beeny which contained a short demo of Super Kiwi 64. The demo wasn't 'bad', but it was unexciting enough that I decided the full game wasn't even worth the paltry $2 asking fee to me because I could be playing better games with my time.
Welp that's 2 games I've downloaded today because of this site, Imma need compensation.
I actually scrolled past this on Eshop, paying it no mind thinking it was shovelware, so I'm grateful for this review, always love a couple hours of simple, fun platforming inbetween bigger games.
I just finished this one, and it is a bit more unpolished than the others that saw Switch releases. I don't think that a commentary on anything. It just could have used some work especially on the camera.
@EaglyTheKawaiiShika Bongo
How much acid did you eat before reviewing this $2 game??? Hey - it made me wanna play it - just feel like I gotta hit my friend Hippie John up first.
Good review. I tend to prefer the mini-review format. Just the main points and let me get on with it.
Got the game as well, and I’m sure I’ll enjoy it. I have a soft spot for the style.
For just under £3, there’s really nothing to lose so bought the game. There’s something about N64 graphics I just love.
@Paraka
I think it's just the review's phrasing that leaves me confused.
Overall, it definitely looks nostalgically like one of my favorite eras of gaming.
And i might have to support anyone representing kiwi birds.
The first stages seemed fun, so I put it on my list. The music is nice and nostalgic. And I love the title of the game.
seems a bit lackluster
This does seem like something which could be very special if it gets a sequel.
the base gameplay is really fun to control and it would be nice to see something which expands on this.
overall i didn't regret my time with this, its a quaint little game with a cute bird.
@WeirdAlUHF334
Exactly, reads like he was a bit high when writing this, lol. Interesting review though.
I feel like the game should have something for getting all 50 of the main MacGuffins, like a secret ending, or a
finalbossFor those familiar: How does this compare to MacBat 64? I'm not expecting the tight platforming of Toree, but a better MacBat and I'd be all for it.
@Toshiro_Baloney I'd say this is a better game than Macbat 64, with a few caveats. The controls are probably the best out of any Siactro game, way faster and more versatile than what Macbat was capable of. The music and visuals are much better too. It's also a lot more consistent in quality, pretty much every level is your standard collectathon with no half-baked minigames like the racing or 2D stage thrown in.
However, if you really liked the charm and NPCs of Macbat 64, Super Kiwi 64 doesn't really have that. Most of the levels are pretty empty and the game goes for more of an isolating tone. Whether or not that's a good thing is up to you. And while Super Kiwi 64's main campaign took me longer to beat, the postgame and 100% completion isn't nearly as lengthy as Macbat's.
I’ve been enjoying these throw back n64 style games. They are like potato chips.
@Handy_Man
Sounds good.
I’ve really been enjoying these little cheap games. So I’m definitely trying this out. I do wish retro wouldn’t mean ugly all the time. Lunistice showed that nostalgic can also be pretty polished.
Its NOT that deep. Its a 40 min N64 inspired platformer with some cute mini gimmicks accompanied by some really solid controls. Kiwi feels really good in this. For a cup of coffee indie game it hits the spot. Not a good review at all.
I liked it, but also couldn't help but feel like it was a tech demo for something much more ambitious.
@Dumb_Woof I have to disagree. There's really nothing wrong with the review itself or the final score. I think a lot of publications have been giving these indie games a little too much slack as of late. I actually enjoyed the game myself and would have probably given it a 7, but it's definitely a "bare minimum" effort. Sure, Lunisitice was also rather short but there's plenty of reason to go back to it.
Super Kiwi 64 is pretty much a one-and-done experience that takes a single hour to experience. It left me wanting more, and not necessarily in a good way. Glad I supported it, but all the same, I think this would have been better off being expanded and made into a 5-10 hour game. As much as I liked it, I'm going to be honest and say I've probably played freeware games packing more depth years ago.
On a side note, having a game this easy and short can't be a good thing for the dev on Steam. Surely, there are going to be people who experience everything this has to offer before that two hour limit and then abuse the refund policy. Of course, this can't be done on the Switch (where I'm sure a lot of the sales are going to be) but still...kinda baffling.
I feel I'd have more respect for these types of games if they were atleast created with the limitations of whatever hardware they are trying to "capture" we had those graphics because we had to not because we wanted to, I can understand wanting to do things for the aesthetics but why make the game play like crap too
I've now played halfway through it, and can definitely say this feels a lot less 'finished' than their previous games. I'd prefer to see the developer grow. Right now it's a bit uneven. The rough level edges don't really add much. If it's on purpose, I need more sarcasm or something to make that clear.
If the developers are reading: Super Kiwi 64 is just a couple 100 hours of effort away from being truly special.
Look at Rayman 64, that game still hold up today. I'd love to see you recreate the best of the N64 era, with the same slightly disturbing atmosphere and more polished character design.
The music is fantastic and totally fitting. And there's some great ideas in every level. But I'd rather pay 5€ and get something slightly more substantial.
Haven't played super kiwi 1 to 63 so I don't know what's going on in the storyline
@ComfyAko True, I had no idea that there was 63 previous “Super Mario” games before Super Mario 64 was released - I only knew about the first few.. and I grew up in the 1980s / early 1990s.. 😮😄
@PinderSchloss This sums up my feelings perfectly. I enjoyed the experience, but it was missing a true spark.
Cool seeing this and Super Sami Roll for some interesting 3D platformers with old ideas and expanding on them fairly well.
While not played I remember N64/PS1 levels in platform games being empty sometimes, the Indie part eh I mean if they are a small team/not that experienced it's a bit rude to say and otherwise too easy. I mean sure but some old games are confusing. I couldn't even get past parts of Conker in Rare Replay it was unclear how to do them besides that I have never beaten a Rare game because they have awkward moments in them whether Banjo, Kameo, Perfect Dark/Zero, Jet Force Gemini and Conker.
Spyro I'm surprised I beat and my sibling couldn't tell how to do certain things in Reignited because it's old design is still there and confusing. Playing Elden Ring yesterday who thinks to hit trees to see an NPC? That's like bombing the Zelda 1 areas for the first time. Sure in some entries you have the sound effect to hit the walls with your sword but other older ones you don't. Memorised/asked over the phone/used a Nintendo Power Guide sure but first time how would you know unless you were really into trial and error and not everyone is?
Because some things aren't clear to modern players playing old or remade games but for veterans that played it and know it inside and out it's know problem. I think 'easy' is fair I mean I suck at 2D platformers even if played many old and new school ones. But at that same time how much is it an N64 style game but modernised or actually an N64 style game and it's awkward quirks of the era too for being unclear, confusing, hard just for the sake of compared to those of early 3D or otherwise with certain design elements. Playing niche games or the big ones I never did I've understood how dated, clear or unclear things are in them. Some old things don't age well regardless of what people enjoyed in the past go back and you'll be surprised. It may be easy though and that's fair but some hard things aren't fun either just boring/tedious and a waste of time. I find many Mario games unplayable for me I suck at them other people that isn't the case. Others do even besides camera controls of the time/tank or not being a factor but not likely here.
@Handy_Man if you bought Kiwi 64, then you can have the Bee game (Beeny) for free. 😁
what just why nintendo
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