At first glance,Kaze and the Wild Maskslooks to draw many of its influences from the platformers of yesteryear, with how its titular character stomps on enemies, slides down slopes, and collects crystals. The colorful environment coupled with its cartoon atmosphere is also a throwback to games of that era such asDonkey Kong CountryandSuper Mario World.
In development for five years,Kaze and the Wild Masksis like a love letter to the cartridge era 2D games that many gamers once played in their childhood. With its release mere weeks away, Sony has released a gameplay and story trailer, showing off the game’s impressive visuals and its solid gameplay ahead of its late March release.
RELATED:5 Crazy Platformers to Play Before Balan Wonderworld Releases
Indie publisher SODESCO revealed the story trailer forKaze and the Wild Masksthis morning, with the first half of the trailer telling the events leading up to Kaze embarking on her adventure. The story shows Kaze and her brother entering a tomb in which Kaze interacts with a cursed ring. The ring traps her brother’s soul as the world begins to change around her, including wildlife becoming hostile.
The second half of the trailer shows Kaze utilizing several of the wild masks. One of the masks is a shark, allowing her to swim underwater, while a bird mask allows her to fly. It is unknown how many masks and abilities there are, however, the inclusion of masks granting its protagonist’s powers is not unlike what was seen inCrash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time.
It’s no mere coincidence, as for Brazilian developer PixelHive, these games, and many more from the 90s, served as inspiration forKaze and the Wild Masks. While the concept of an anthropomorphic bunny vanquishing her evil vegetable foes is an intriguing one,Kazepromises to be a solid platformer in its own right and not just a call back to retro platformers,joining the ranks of cult-classicFreedom Planet.
Kaze and the Wild Maskswill release on March 26 for PC, PS4 Stadia, Switch, and Xbox One.
