Mobile Review: KAMI RETRO
Game: KAMI RETROFormat: Android (version reviewed), iPhone, iPad
Developer: Pawprint Games
Publisher: GAMEVIL
KAMI RETRO by GAMEVIL is one of the more visually delightful games available on Android market, with a tagline of “platform puzzle madness”. It’s a 2D platformer where the objective is simply to get your ‘KAMIS’, who appear out of a portal at point A to an exit at point B. The problem is there are a lot of obstacles to overcome, such as spike pits, ghosts, crocodiles, rolling barrels and even jump pads, everything we’ve come to love from days gone by.
You’ll overcome these by flicking the touch screen over the KAMI in the direction you want him to go - you need to be quick and have a keen eye because more KAMIs will spawn as you play. If you want a higher score you need to make sure they all survive the level and that’s no walk in the park. The control is about as good as it gets on Android; easy to understand with good feedback.Thankfully you only need to get at least one of the KAMIs to the exit to continue to the next level. The challenge and replay value is boosted exponentially by collecting stars which are scattered throughout each level. Collecting enough of these stars will unlock another stage for you to play through, adding further incentive to replay levels.
As the title suggests, it has a ridiculously charming retro theme, similar to the 8-bit platformers of yesteryear. Kami Retro has a diverse and bold colour pallet with some top notch sound design which also inspires memories of the Nintendo Entertainment System and the Sega Master System. For a mobile game the sound effects are really impressive, if a little repetitive. It’s loud, fun and doesn’t get tiresome as you work your way through the five different stages.
Each of the five stages has their own theme (Countryside, Funfare, Spooky, Candyland, and Disco) , made up of twelve levels, as well as a bonus level. As you progress, levels rapidly become harder, meaning this game has one hell of a difficulty curve to overcome. This is one of the more hardcore games available on this casual platform.
Android owners should definately try it considering it’s low price tag of zero pence at the sacrifice of about 12mb of memory, which should be no problem if you have a large micro SD card. iPhone owners can pick it up for the low price of 69p, and iPad owners a mere £1.99. Considering the hours of fun you will have with it, I’d say it was a safe investment to make.
Review Round-Up
Graphics – 4/5 Vivid Colours, Dynamic Backgrounds and a great retro feel which appeals to everyone, definately one of the better looking games on the Android market.
Sound – 2.5/5 Effects and Music are all appropriately retro themed, reminiscent of the NES and Master System. It’s a joy for your ears which never gets boring however the game does lack a little bit of diversity.
Gameplay - 3/5 Gameplay is fun and easy to pick up, with some nice, simple controls. It’s addictive and a great game to play while your on the train or even at work.
Longevity – 3/5 Being one of the more hardcore games available on a mobile platform you’ll get plenty of hours worth of gameplay just from the difficulty alone. Beating your personal high score proves to have pulling power, keeping you coming back until you just can’t stand it anymore.
Overall: 3.5 out of 5
Kami Retro is a fantastic little game, original and challenging in a fun way with a great visual style, it’s one of the better games available on Android, iPad and iPhone. The game can be frustrating, it’s not like there is much depth there but you won’t be disappointed.
- Adam Radcliffe
You nailed it on the second paragraph. }
