Hello friends, and welcome back to another demo review! This time we’re not taking a look at a Next Fest game however! No, the demo for this was provided by the developers.
Today we’re taking a look at Miko Adventures Puffball, a charming little 2D platformer made by newcomer Coriander Games, a lone developer based out of Egypt.
Miko Adventures Puffball follows the tale of the titular character, a raccoon named Miko. One day, while wandering through the forest, Miko stumbles across a portal. And, like the protagonist he is, he decides to touch the mysterious glowing thing in the middle of the forest.
This results in him getting sucked through, spat out into a world full of dangers and threats. And it’s up to you to guide him through the various levels and back home.
The core gameplay Miko reminds me of, curiously enough is Doom. The levels themselves are not linear (aside from the tutorial level), with an assortment of locked pathways that you must find the keys for, and secrets hidden behind false walls. Your only attack is a projectile, no jumping on enemies allowed. If there was an over world or backtracking I’d call it Metroidvania, but instead it’s a more abridged variant of the sub-genre, which is very interesting.
Despite the cutesy art and main character however, gameplay in Miko Adventures Puffball is on the more challenging side of things. There’s spikes and bottomless pits aplenty, and with the game operating on a lives system your freedom to screw up is rather limited. The challenge is increased by the fact that the game doesn’t allow you to change the angle of your shots. You can only fire straight ahead of you, which means you’ll have to take into account the movement pattern of the enemy, the terrain in relation to you, your jump height and air time, and other such factors. Careless rapid firing will not win the day.
It’s also a rather collectible heavy game. Littered throughout the level are colorful gems to collect, which award you with new unlockable levels and medals. You’ll get medals for having all your lives at the end of the game, and for having killed all of the enemies as well. So between the collectibles, the rewards, and the puzzles, there’s good reason to explore the entire map, and to try and find everything.
However, be careful when exploring. The game has a rather unpleasant habit of hiding traps and enemies in secret areas, behind false walls where you can’t see or prepare for them until it’s too late. They’re not everywhere, more often then not you’ll be safe so long as you don’t run headfirst into the area, but still, be careful.
Artistically speaking, Miko Adventures Puffball is fairly simplistic, but not in a bad way. The color palette is bright and colorful, the designs cute and straightforward, and I never had a hard time seeing enemies, standard spikes, or gems in the levels. The music is likewise bright and poppy, and never gets grating.
All in all, Miko Adventures Puffball is a cute, charming, but challenging 2D platformer. It might not be the most casual friendly experience, but if you’re looking for a new 2D platformer to spend some time with, this is far from a bad option!
Images Provided By Coriander Games
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