Welcome to our review of Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara, a game that is probably heaven for speedrunners but I just found it to be very disappointing.
Join series favorite Koa and her friend Napopo on an action-packed journey through the world of Mara! Traverse wild islands, dodge cunning traps, and defeat the pirate bosses in this loving tribute to classic platforming adventures.
Eight worlds to discover and explore. Each level has its own theme, traps, and bits of story. Sail through the ocean and upgrade your boat to reach every corner of Mara. Full of memorable characters. Meet all kinds of characters and help them. Discover all kinds of hidden secrets, challenges, and collectibles! Upgrade and customize the city of Qälis and get a lot of new skins and backpacks for Koa.
Unlock an archipelago piece by piece. From sandy beaches to bubbling volcanoes, there’s no shortage of charming and colorful islands to visit, each one chock full of secrets and collectibles. Each level offers beautiful visuals rich with detail and depth. Relax and unwind – or knuckle down and challenge yourself! From newcomers to speedrunners, Koa and the Five Pirates is a buccaneering adventure for all.
Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara is a game that is basically fundamentally flawed. Its base speed is horrible and well, without holding down the running button, this game is probably a disaster for most casual players as this hinders normal gameplay a lot. Long jumps are pretty much impossible in most cases without said run button smashed to the bottom and well, just so many things wrong with it.
Mind you there are some other things that truly irked me along the way. You know how when characters jump, you get to see their shadows? Well, at times these are unclear or invisible and bam, another one of your hearts is gone. Despite being a clearly more younger audience-targeted game, there are just some things that are sad. I personally disliked the way Koa moved around as well, the entire hopping just got on my nerves from the start, and sigh…
It did not even stop there, I had some weird issues where the camera moved along one time and did not move the very next time. Resulting in me standing behind a building that I was completely out of sight, … Just many things wrong. I can see how speedrunners will like this game as everything just seems like it is a game catered for only them.
Wishing things were very different, heck, there are so many amazing games out there that cater to kids without ruining the experience…. My little Pony comes to mind as a near-perfect example of how you can make things perfectly suitable in every way, not the hot mess that I experienced. Maybe it is the old day speaking, but I just could not enjoy this game. It just irked me more than I wanted.
In conclusion, Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara might be for you if you like speed running, I just found it to be meh.
