New Super Lucky’s Tale (Xbox One) Review – A Swift Transition

New Super Lucky’s Tale Review

Lucky’s Tale is a series of games that have bridged the gap between platforms since its start back in 2016 as an Oculus Rift pack-in game.  It wasn’t long before Microsoft got Playful Studios to make a 3D platformer in the Lucky universe for the Xbox One, which became known as Super Lucky’s Tale. Xbox fans were quick to pick up on the orange fox as a platforming mascot, and it wasn’t long before Nintendo Switch owners were able to play their own version of Super Lucky’s Tale known as New Super Lucky’s Tale. Now Lucky is returning to Microsoft’s Xbox One with an improved port of the Nintendo Switch’s New Super Lucky’s Tale in the most optimal way to experience a Lucky adventure to date.

New Super Lucky’s Tale is essentially the same game on Xbox One as it was on the Nintendo Switch, with some big improvements. The game offers improved frame rates and resolution on supported hardware, with 60 frames per second available through beautiful and crisp 4K visuals. The world of Lucky’s Tale has always been vibrantly colourful, but the improved frame rate and 4K visuals combine to make this the most beautiful Lucky’s Tale title to date. New Super Lucky’s Tale is a complete re-imagining of the original Super Lucky’s Tale which has already gained popularity on the Xbox One and it has been a 3D platforming staple of the Game Pass lineup since it released. New Super Lucky’s Tale features redesigned levels alongside brand-new levels, making it worth playing for even Lucky’s Tale veterans. The camera has been fixed since the original Super Lucky’s Tale, with New Super Lucky’s Tale offering a fully rotatable camera, resulting in far less frustration than the original iteration of this Super Lucky adventure. There are many aspects of Super Lucky’s Tale that have been overhauled with New Super Lucky’s Tale such as the story, dialogue, cinematics, music, and more, making it an essential buy for any Super Lucky fan who wasn’t able to give it a try on the Nintendo Switch.

Crash Vibes

New Super Lucky’s Tale invokes memories of the finest 3D platformers in console history such as Crash Bandicoot, Super Mario 64 and Banjo & Kazooie. Super Lucky is also known as Lucky Swiftail and he’s on a quest to help his sister Lyra protect the Book of Ages, and defend it against a cat named Jinx, a mysterious villain who is trying to steal the Book of Ages and use it against Lucky Swiftail and his sister. There is a colourful cast of characters throughout New Super Lucky’s Tale, most of which will be familiar faces to fans of Super Lucky’s Tale, such as Greg The MailGolem and the other helpful Golems, Master Mittens, Tess, and Lady Meowmalade. The Golems are a feature of nearly every level, with giant ones unlocking hidden areas, and much smaller Golems being completely perplexed by small puzzles. These Golems are both the comedic relief of New Super Lucky’s Tale, as well as an endless source of guidance and support. Greg The MailGolem in particular reminds me of Gir from Invader Zim, but the giant Golem isn’t quite as funny to earn that comparison.

Master Mittens is the first character in New Super Lucky’s Tale that presents challenging gameplay through boss battles that involve platforming more than actual combat, similar to the Dr. Robotnic battles across Sonic the Hedgehog titles. These fights involve jumping over fireballs and maneuvering around a platform like a grid as certain parts of the platform slowly become too dangerous to stand still on. When Master Mittens is eventually defeated after multiple battles, there are other cats such as Tess, Lady Meowmalade, and eventually, Jinx himself to overthrow in an effort to complete the Book of Ages. Tess is my favorite of the Kitty Litter bosses to fight due to the Marble Madness nature of the fights which will feel very fluid and natural for Super Monkey Ball fans. With each boss changing up the gameplay in their own unique way, and each character having their own voice, New Super Lucky’s Tale ensures that nothing feels quite like a repeat even if you’ve thwarted a specific enemy already.

Luck of the Irish

Lucky Swiftail transitions from one hub world to another in his effort to piece together the Book of Ages. There are five hubs in total, with each one offering individual stages to conquer one at a time similar to Crash Bandicoot. The important levels have an archway that indicates what aspects of the level have been completed. This is communicated through certain symbols that either confirm that you’ve collected all of the coins in the level, you’ve collected the letters to spell Lucky, you’ve discovered the secret Clover hidden in the level and that you’ve completed the level itself. If everything in the stage has been completed, the archway will be lit up like a Christmas tree and you no longer have to play that level. This is a useful inclusion that puts platformers such as Spyro to shame, preventing needless backtracking. The hub areas also include puzzle rooms that are located inside fox holes that Lucky Swiftail will dive into, giving gamers a little bit of a break between platforming segments to solve some rather simple puzzles.

Premium Platforming Fun

New Super Lucky’s Tale is the best Lucky’s Tale title to date. The colorful visuals are now in 4K at 60 frames per second, something nobody can complain about. The cast of characters are complemented by impressive voice acting. While Lucky’s Tale may have originated as an Oculus Rift pack-in game, New Super Lucky’s Tale has really evolved after originally debuting on the Nintendo Switch last November. The transition from Switch to Xbox is impressive. When Yooka-Laylee released back in 2017, I expected it to reinvigorate my love for the 3D platforming genre similar to how Super Mario Odyssey did, but I had to wait until New Super Lucky’s Tale to truly feel that satisfaction.

***Xbox One code provided by the publisher***