There’s certainly no shortage of indie platformers out there, but Mekazoo manages to set itself apart from the pack in numerous ways. Created by a team of former Digipen students called Good Mood Creators, Mekazoo is a high-speed action/adventure that takes inspiration from some of the best in the genre Sonic, Donkey Kong Country, Bionic Commando, and more and turns it into a beautiful adventure that will challenge even hardened veterans of the run-n-jump.
Mekazoo throws players into a strangely beautiful biomechanical world where they take control of a pack of robotic animals: a frog, a wallaby, a pelican, an armadillo, and a panda. The stages are presented in traditional sidescrolling fashion, but they’re all rendered in 3D polygon visuals, glowing with vibrant color and life. The stages are littered with threatening biomechanical flora and fauna that hinder our heroic “mekanimal” crew, but by using the various elements of the stages bounce pads, speed ramps, mid-air cannons, platforms to latch onto players can guide the animals to safety. Each animal has a distinct ability: for example, the frog can grapple with its tongue, the armadillo can roll around with speed boosts, and the wallaby can spring off walls and high-jump.
It may look cute and cuddly, but the platforming on display here isn’t kid stuff: You’ll need to expertly swap between your critters in mid-action, chaining their varied abilities together to run, swing, and bounce past obstacles and challenges. Just clearing the stages will be an accomplishment for most, but there are plenty of hidden goodies waiting in the wilds for those willing to search, explore, and take risks. Mekazoo is shaping up to be a real gem: it looks gorgeous, has a fantastic soundtrack, and plays like the sort of classic platformer we’d spend every waking second playing in the 90s.
Mekazoo throws players into a strangely beautiful biomechanical world where they take control of a pack of robotic animals: a frog, a wallaby, a pelican, an armadillo, and a panda. The stages are presented in traditional sidescrolling fashion, but they’re all rendered in 3D polygon visuals, glowing with vibrant color and life. The stages are littered with threatening biomechanical flora and fauna that hinder our heroic “mekanimal” crew, but by using the various elements of the stages bounce pads, speed ramps, mid-air cannons, platforms to latch onto players can guide the animals to safety. Each animal has a distinct ability: for example, the frog can grapple with its tongue, the armadillo can roll around with speed boosts, and the wallaby can spring off walls and high-jump.
It may look cute and cuddly, but the platforming on display here isn’t kid stuff: You’ll need to expertly swap between your critters in mid-action, chaining their varied abilities together to run, swing, and bounce past obstacles and challenges. Just clearing the stages will be an accomplishment for most, but there are plenty of hidden goodies waiting in the wilds for those willing to search, explore, and take risks. Mekazoo is shaping up to be a real gem: it looks gorgeous, has a fantastic soundtrack, and plays like the sort of classic platformer we’d spend every waking second playing in the 90s.
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