New Super Lucky’s Tale Review – Luck Has Nothing to Do With It

New Super Lucky’s Tale Switch Review

The classic platformers never really go out of style, do they? Games like Crash Bandicoot, Super Mario Odyssey, and Yooka-Laylee have all been recent releases that have garnered success. With success comes failure though, as there always seems to be a new platformer that tries to capture that winning formula. Most rely on a cute character who is sent out to collect items of various types in a platform filled world. Not all succeed at making it an enjoyable task though. So, with all this in mind, New Super Lucky’s Tale has recently hit the Nintendo switch; is it lucky enough to warrant your attention?

Originally an exclusive title for Xbox One, Super Lucky’s Tale was developed by Playful Studios. The Nintendo Switch version was completely rebuilt from the ground up, which showcases the developers dedication to the title as they have made a lot of improvements from the Xbox One version released in 2017. But this is not Lucky’s first adventure, as his debut game titled Lucky’s Tale was released in 2016 for the Oculus Rift.

The game follows the story of Lucky, an adorable fox who needs to stop an evil gang of cats, known as the Kitty Litter, from stealing the pages of The Book of Ages. This book is said to have magical powers and Lucky will have to travel to different worlds to defeat the kitty gang and return home. While the story is simple, it serves the purpose of giving you some motivation to explore the various areas found in the game. In each level you will meet a variety of side characters and other villains who help push the story onward. Surprisingly, the dialogue is quite witty and lighthearted, which fits perfectly with this game. Expect plenty of cat puns and self awareness humor. So much so that I actually found myself laughing out loud at some points. Even the loading screen dialogue boxes are clever. Some provide helpful tips, while others simply contain a joke to make you smile.

Lots of Variety With a Pinch of Cuteness

Visually this game is brightly colored and plays up the cartoon style very well. You will see a lot of details in Lucky himself, right down to his animated eyes that react to everything that happens within the game. Levels are all unique as they are used as hubs where Lucky travels to in order to collect the items in an effort to move on to the next area. There is a ton of variety in this game, some levels are 3D, while others are 2.5D side-scrolling. Some allow you to roam around a huge open world, while others are a “temple run” style where you are constantly running. You are encouraged to think outside the box and try new things and this can result, at times, with unique mini-games to collect even more items.

However, with all the game’s levels and visuals you will notice there are a lot of loading screens that can feel overly long and overused. There were times when I would die, get a loading screen which felt like it was taking forever, only for me to die again. You will learn to overlook this though because of all the positive elements of New Super Lucky’s Tale.

Sound design is pretty standard with enough variety to match the tone of each level. Characters all have unique voices and the varied levels have appropriate and accompanying sound effects, which you can’t help but notice the cuteness of what you hear. The most innovative part of New Super Lucky’s Tale is Lucky himself and his ability to burrow underground. Lucky will jump up into the air and then move under the ground for a short period of time. This innovative move allows you to collect things or avoid danger too as you move under an enemy and pop up behind them.

Cute and charming are perfect words to describe this game. The sign of a good platforming game is one where players want to explore and collect all the items that are found around each level. I found myself wanting to do this and more. New Super Lucky’s Tale delivers a platformer for the whole family to enjoy by being easy to play, visually appealing and introducing a new and clever mascot to the Nintendo faithful. I sure hope we get to see more of Lucky in the future.

*** Switch code provided by the publisher ***