The Nintendo 64 holds a special place in my heart and the hearts of many. It was the first 3D console that understood 3D like no other console had before. The invention of the thumb-stick changed the game, while Sony was still trying to let you experience 3D spaces with a 4-way D-pad. In the case of Corn Kidz 64, the game takes inspiration from that console generation to create a pretty darn impressive 3D platformer that isn’t afraid to test your skills that will undoubtably lead to many rage moments while playing. Truly, Corn Kidz 3D understands the love hate relationships we all had with 3D platformers.
Corn Kidz 64 from developer BogoSoft is a real treat. You take on the role of Seve, a one-horned goat stuck in a recurring dream every single night. In order to save him from this nightmare that is slowly eroding his Corn powers (no clue what those are), his friend Alexis has managed to portal into his dream and serve as his guide in order to get out of this dream. Alexis pulls double duty as whenever she appears her portal can serve as a save point, so if you die you probably won’t be set too far back. She also gives you hints on what you need to complete next as she always portals in near one of the games objectives.
Gameplay wise you have a fair bit to work with. Your horn serves as your main weapon/tool that allows the world to open up as you upgrade it. You can dash forward, upwards, and downwards in order to hit enemies or use abilities. You can also use your little goat fists in order to kill enemies that block your path. Later you gain the ability to dig as well. Health is shown in the form of a Mountain Dew- like soda bottle. Every time you take damage from an enemy or from falling a great height, you’ll lose some of that good green stuff. Scattered throughout the world are several soda machines that you can attack to give you sodas that can refill your health. You’ll quickly memorize where these are, and like Alexis, they are placed near the harder areas of your adventure.
Visually the N64 visuals are spot on. The game is locked to 30fps, although they claim it should have been 24 for accuracy, but I’m not complaining as the game is silky smooth. You can play in 4:3 but other options for widescreen and even stereoscopic 3D are available. Animations are very fluid, and everything has a stretching and warping effect that gives it a really fun look. There is a lot of motion that helps to give the game its unique looks and feel. The world is also an important aspect to the game as there are a lot of puzzles that you’ll be required to solve in order to open up other areas of the stage. Some of these puzzles require a fair bit of thought, with many having me scratching my head for clues.
Corn Kidz 64 is a fantastic experience for those of us who grew up on the 3D platformers of the era, and it will certainly test your platforming skills. I can see this one being a really fun time for the speed-running community that loves Super Mario 64 and other games of that same nature. And while Super Mario 64 and Banjo Kazooie are great examples that Corn Kidz 64 takes inspiration from, the game has a couple of issues that serve to hold it back from being great. That really all comes down to the world itself, or rather, the 1 main world, 1 tutorial world, 1 smaller end world, and a couple of Super Mario Sunshine bonus towers and challenges.
The entire game will take you around 5 to 10 hours to complete, a decent number for an indie game that only $6.99 on Steam, but those hours are going to be mostly relegated to one area. Because you are going to be spending so much time in the main world, Corn Kidz 64 is quickly going to wear on you. You can see the entire world from the moment you enter, and you’ll simply be running through a number of smaller sections within that large area without any breaks. Imagine Super Mario 64 except the entire game took place in the castle courtyard. Sure, it’s a gorgeous little place and there is a lot to do, but the lack of variety really drags the experience down and oftentimes feels claustrophobic.
A goal system would have done the game wonders much like it does in Super Mario 64. Jump into the world and be presented with a number of objectives, and once you complete one you get kicked out and it becomes checked off. Corn Kidz 64 lacks this and so you instead get all your goals from Alexis when she portals in at designated spots in the world. And because she will appear at all these no matter what you are trying to accomplish, it’s easy to get distracted and lose track of what needs to be done. There were long stretches of time where I was simply running around the world just trying to figure out what I needed to do next and what I has already completed. And because of this the music will really drive you batty and I played a fair bit of the game on mute because of it.
In a perfect world I would have broken up the several sub-sections of the main world into their own areas that you opened up as you collect the games XP cubes you get from completing objectives and finding them in various puzzles. Breaking up the game would have really helped keep the game from running into that mid-game slump that will certainly turn away a number of players. Corn Kidz 64 really needs more variety and more than a single world to really make it something special. I can only hope that the team behind the game see this and sell enough copies to show that a larger experience would make a future entry in the series a true gem.
Corn Kidz 64 is darkly comedic and charming 3D platformer that captures the look and feel of N64 era platformers
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