Review: Nikoderiko: The Magical World (Switch) – A Gleeful DKC Tribute, But Light On New Ideas

Nik from the best.

It’s now been over a decade since the last new Donkey Kong Country game released (yes, you’re that old), and while the world continues to wait for Nintendo to remember that its beloved ape used to star in a really good platforming series of his own, other developers have stepped up to try to fill the void. Indie releases such as Kaze and the Wild Masks, Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair, and Marsupilami: Hoobadventure have all done an exceptional job of emulating the things that made DK’s old side-scrolling romps so enjoyable and now another contender has stepped up to the plate.

Nikoderiko: The Magical World, the inaugural release of Cyprus-based VEA Games, not only does a great job of recreating DK’s best adventures with its own twist, but it takes things a step further by also calling back to the gameplay style of some other classic platformer mascots. And while, yes, one could make the argument that Nikoderiko is a little too comfortable riding the coattails of the classics without adding many of its own ideas, it does such a good job of capturing what made those games great that it hardly matters. Nikoderiko doesn’t eclipse the projects that served as its clear inspirations, but it provides an enjoyable and challenging platforming adventure that we’d suggest to any fans of the genre.

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