https://store.steampowered.com/app/8292 ... ild_Masks/
I want to put this here and be up front that as far as 2D platformers go, this is the best I've played since Sonic Mania. I was looking at this one for about 6 months now waiting for it to get finished. It's not particularly daring, but I don't care. It's SO polished with this fine tuned satisfying rhythm to it's level design. The structure of the game is so lovingly focused that it makes the game highly replayable and incredibly approachable. It's deceptive in it's length. Compared to the also incredible Yooka Laylee Impossible Lair and of course Donkey Kong Country itself, it's the shortest of all these platformers at about 1/3 or maybe just under half the levels. But they're extremely fun and have the usual hidden goodies associated with this type of platformer that you end up playing it a great deal. Spell her name, bonus stages, get 100 of something. But the there's a no hit bonus and fairly challenging time trial relics which reminds me of Crash Bandicoot.
There's just enough of a skill ceiling and objectives to make completionists and speedrunners giddy. It has the Roll Jump from DKC (rolling, or rather spinning in Kaze's case, over the ledge and jumping midair), you can string enemies with the spin as expected to get a boost, she can glide at any point in the air as long as she didn't rebound off an enemy. And the masks have their own interesting ways to get speed and consider your routes.
On that note, the masks are fantastic. I really enjoy all of them. There's only 5 and they appear in designated levels built around specifically them, but that's what makes them very special imo. The levels feel more handcrafted and deeply varied that way. Especially later when they start to mix match neutral level gimmicks and "mask gimmicks" in these wonderfully thought out arrangements. This game even makes swimming and autoscrolling levels just these smooth, fun, intense things to play. Level types I usually can't stand even in the best platformers.
Presentation is really clean. The music is thematically fitting and fun to listen to. Almost nostalgic even. There's a story you can piece together by finding the stage goodies which contextualizes even the more mundane things like Kaze being a rabbit, the gems you pick up, and the history of the masks. And while it's not my first choice of enemy archetype, I do appreciate how the vegetable enemies very immediately make their functions apparent and memorable. Most of which very fitting of what sort of vegetable they are. All with lovely, crispy pixel art.
Then Kaze herself. Adorable. Her goofy run, idle stance, and constantly being pissed off is just great to me. lol
I really hope this game does well. I wound up liking this more than Cyber Shadow and I was *extra double* hype for that one. Also every level has time leaderboards which is fucking *dope*.