A swashbuckling spin on Crash Bandicoot - Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara Quick Review

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PLAY IT OR SKIP IT?

Play it. Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara is a swashbuckling, sea-sailing 3D platform game that features vibrant visuals, catchy tunes, and an adventure filled with mystery and action that’s worth embarking on, especially if you like games like Super Mario Bros. or Crash Bandicoot.

TIME PLAYED

I played Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara for three hours. I managed to complete over a dozen levels, as well as a few friendly races. Each level took anywhere between two to eleven minutes to complete, and usually got much harder the farther I got into the game. I’ve unlocked about half of the map already and visited over ten islands, where I’ve met a handful of the adorable characters.

WHAT’S AWESOME

• A refreshing platformer experience. Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara takes inspiration from classic platformers like Super Mario Bros. and Crash Bandicoot, but adds its own twist on the genre by featuring sea-sailing, pirates, treasure hunting, and a bunch of other swashbuckling themes. This combination creates an oddly familiar yet refreshing title and an experience that feels unique and fun.

• Speaking with locals. Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara’s narrative is light and charming. It dives into the adventures of a child named Koa and her friend Napopo, in which they embark together on a journey across the sea filled with danger and treasure. It’s a lighthearted adventure I’ve found enchanting thanks to the game’s likable characters and short but sweet dialogue.

• Exploring forgotten islands. There are dozens of islands and places in Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara, but none of them look or feel the same. They’re all designed uniquely with different color patterns, environmental objects, and dangerous traps. While that may not seem groundbreaking on paper, it was definitely impressive to play a game with levels that never ceased to surprise me or keep things fresh.

• Scavenging for treasures. I don’t think I ever actually beat a golden time record in Koa because I was so focused on collecting shells and treasures in levels. The simple act of exploring and collecting them was extremely satisfying.

• Sailing the seas. The only way to get from one island to another was to sail the seas, and these waters were filled with loot and unique islands. The simplicity of sailing across a part of the ocean and finding new islands or hunting down shells along the water always felt worthwhile and fun.

• Learning the ropes. I might be the clumsiest adventurer, but thanks to the game’s tutorial that guided me along the way, I didn’t always muck up. The tutorial was very thorough, and even when I forgot some of the controls, I could pull up the menu and there’d be a helpful guide for me to read.

• Listening to catchy tunes. Music brings everything together in Koa to make gameplay a great swashbuckling time. Whether it’s a race or a shell-hunting challenge or maybe just sailing the seas, there was always a tune to hum along too and enjoy.

• Customizing Koa’s clothes. After collecting enough shells, I could use them at stores on the main island and pick out different clothes for Koa to wear on her adventures. I thought this feature was cool and rewarding.

WHAT SUCKS

• Slippery movement. I’m not entirely sure if it was the design of some of the platforms or maybe it was the movement itself, but I’d occasionally encounter moments where I’d slip off places without moving too much and fall down. This issue resulted in me repeating levels multiple times over and made the game harder to navigate, which was mildly annoying.

💬 Are you going to play Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara or will you pass on it? Let me know down in the comments!