Super Kiwi 64 Nintendo Switch Review

As someone who hates the Nintendo 64, I'm the worst person to review a game that emulates it to a fault. On top of that, Super Kiwi 64 is both extremely cheap and extremely short. We're writing review poison here. Therefore, much of this will read like a forgone conclusion, but it needs to be said. You need to know about Super Kiwi 64.

Evidently, the game with the number of processing bits appended to its name wears its heart on its sleeve. Along with the blown out, muddy textures and the protagonist's backpack, its vision is to mirror as much of games like Banjo-Kazooie as possible. As such, the goal is to go to a bunch of different stages and pick up items, in the traditional "collect-a-thon" way. There are eight environments, each with six gems, plus several other pick-ups.

 

Platforming feels immediately self-evident; flying, sprinting and lunging towards objectives. There is no acclimation needed, unlike anything on Nintendo 64, which would require wrestling with the abomination that console called a controller. Almost thirty years later, we've figured out how to inject a second nature into handling characters and this platformer utilizes those benefits fully.

Collecting one of the six gems in an area will make the titular kiwi turn towards the camera, like when Mario does the "item get" animation. Every inch of Super Kiwi 64 will be reminiscent of a Nintendo 64 game. This tribute is as straight of a reference reel as possible, every single time. Don't expect a reinvention, like Yooka-Laylee. In fact, staying in its lane is a boon for Super Kiwi 64, because it never sticks its foot in its mouth.

Playing it safe doesn't mean that this homage is humdrum, however. In its short run time, the game manages to pull off a select few clever subtleties. For instance, a climbing mechanism is never explained, but instead illustrated with a puzzle. The lunge attack can stomp bullseyes, but it can, at the same time, also stick the kiwi's beak in a wall. Once stuck, that action can be repeated to climb. Voilà, now a whole new world of possibilities opens up.

 

Another feather in the game's cap is the level design, which urges a singular, flowing run in almost every stage. Items are laid out as such that the next step is usually positioned exactly in the peripheral frame. Considering the game's verticality, it's incredibly useful to do the majority of the collections once and not have to climb up and down multiple times.

There is a general line to go through the motions, capped off perfectly with the final gems leading back to the exit. In and out in fewer than ten minutes; that's the Super Kiwi 64 motto. Some more open stages can hide the progression behind a wall or a button, but it hardly takes more than a minute or two to figure out what's going on.

A full playthrough will, at most, take an hour to complete fully, including the hidden puzzle at the end. It's a very short game. Don't go into this for length. Super Kiwi 64 is like a delightful gas station snack: a perfect experience for the few bites it lasts. In fact, the run time is more enjoyable particularly because it doesn't overstay its welcome. The game knows what it's about, lays out what to expect and then lets players come to a fitting conclusion, before the whole gets stale. That's why this platformer retails for only three bucks.

 

Super Kiwi 64 is cohesive, down to a tee. Every blip of this game is molded to nod towards old platforming games, visually and practically. It may be tiny, but the experience is short and sweet, rarely hitting any snag at all. Even without any previous nostalgia, this small tribute manages to showcase solid game design, for an overall enjoyable time while it lasts. Anyone with pocket change and an hour to kill should consider completing Super Kiwi 64.
 

Daav Valentaten (@DaavPuke)
Editor-In-Chief, NoobFeed