Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara is a truly wonderful platformer from Chibig Studios in Valencia, Spain. While it’s not the most difficult platformer, this game is filled with plenty of challenges and enjoyment. Similar to Sackboy in its layout during each level, Koa is accomplishing different challenges and goals in an effort to aid her friends and help them restore their island so tourists will come back. It’s a story about friendship and always being there for people, despite the challenges you face. Author’s note: There is a video review at the bottom featuring gameplay.
The game features plenty of variety in each world and that includes the bosses. Koa won’t face a ton of enemies, most of what you’ll encounter is platforming. There are several bosses in the game and these are similar to Kirby where you throw the bombs they’re launching back at them until you’ve hit them a certain number of times. Each boss battle has been enjoyable, but they also mix them up with boss races.
In these levels, you’ll also face off against one of the titular pirates of Mara. You have to race to an end point and along the way, you’ll have the chance to close different doors and walls that will inevitably slow down your opponent. These races are filled with plenty of quick-reaction segments that will make sure you’re paying attention to every foot you race. The variation between races and battles helps to make Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara fresh no matter where you are in the game.
The game’s biggest feature is the extremely tight controls. Chibig Studios put in a ton of work on the controls and it shows. Koa is a dream to control. While the game isn’t focused on speed-running, there are medals you can unlock for doing the courses under a certain amount of time and I can promise you the controls of this game will be an asset in those situations.
The music of Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara is both whimsical and fitting for its location. The sound designer for this game did a tremendous job overall. Not only does the game use inventive sounds to signal large blocked objects moving in and out or dragging over the area of an object, but many of them are extremely satisfying and remind you of vintage platforming sounds. The soundtrack is so good, you’ll find yourself nodding along or getting tense with the music. It knows how to play on your emotions.
I wasn’t sure what to expect with Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara, but I absolutely loved what I found. Here’s an honest truth many game reviewers will not tell you; we do not finish every game. If game reviewers finished every game they were assigned, most would never be able to do anything else these days. Some games demand upwards of 60 hours. Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara is a Goldilocks length — it’s not too short, not too long; it’s just right. It’s also a game I insisted on finishing because it was so much fun. Cheers to Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara for this gem of a game and here’s to hoping it gets a sequel.
Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara is well worth your time if you’re looking for a cute, new platformer. If you’re a fan of Sackboy or the Super Mario Bros. series, then you’ll feel right at home with Koa. It’s been a privilege and a joy to review this game and I strongly recommend it to anyone who loves relaxing, easy-to-learn games with enough motivation to keep you coming back again and again.
BSO Rating: 9 out of 10
If you want to see a gameplay-infused review, please click below. We’re going to try to make these more common in the future. Please let us know what you like and dislike.
