Kitsune Tails review

2D platformers have been around for longer than most of us have been alive at this point, but for me they remain my favourite type of video game to play. Jumping between platforms and stomping on enemies is simply timeless, as can be proven by playing any 30+ year old Super Mario game and having an absolute blast. Discovering that Kitsune Tails was a new 2D platformer inspired by these games of old got me particularly excited, and now that I’ve played all of it I can confirm it’s pretty much everything I’ve ever dreamed of.

Our protagonist Yuzu begins the game enjoying life as a purple foxy girl, going on adventures while her parents are away. After meeting a new friend though the drama starts to amp up, as lifelong bestie Kiri becomes jealous of their blossoming romance. An act of jealousy kick-starts the action and sends Yuzu on a rescue mission, which will take her through all the platforming worlds you desire.

Those of you who love retro games (or better yet grew up with them) will immediately feel at home with Kitsune Tails, as it’s remarkably similar to the NES classic Super Mario Bros 3. With a theatre set design in the stages, an overworld with square numbered levels and a P-meter that measures your run speed, nothing I have ever played has ever felt closer to my all time favourite video game. Even controlling Yuzu feels similarly wonderful, and there aren’t many higher compliments I could pay a platformer.

Early stages of Kitsune Tails are fairly straightforward, but will get you used to the familiar platforming of the game. Jumping over gaps, smashing blocks and stomping on bugs and possessed umbrellas becomes second nature in no time, and before long the challenge starts to amp up. You won’t get far without taking advantage of all the wonderful power-ups hiding in chests around the world, which there’s a serious variety of.

With a humble apple you’ll be granted the power to perform a spin jump that smashes boxes below you and can deal with enemies that would otherwise damage your little fox feet. Next up the soldier power up will grant you a spear to attack with as well as the ability to stab it into walls to make a platform. Further on you’ll get to experiment with a bird outfit with fantastic jumping abilities, a shark outfit that enables you to swim at top speed, and a lollipop that gives you ice powers that turn enemies into solid blocks. Each world has its own unique power up that’ll help significantly with the levels that it’s made of, and trying them all out is a blast.

As well as variety due to the plethora of power ups, there’s also plenty of variety in the stage design. There are stages where the gimmick is chasing a platform as it winds around obstacles, stages with rising lava, and even ghost houses full of spirits ready to chase you. The worlds themselves ensure those seeking new ideas are catered to, with the classic ice world, water world, sky world and fire world all bringing their own threats and surprises. The classic Nintendo design of always adding something fresh in each stage is absolutely present in Kitsune Tails, and it means you’re always excited to see what’s next.

Not content with throwing level after level of exciting platforming at you, Kitsune Tails also features some entertaining overworld content. The arcade is the most exciting of these, as it constantly adds new mini games to play which earn you coins for the shop. The shop sells power ups you can use between or during stages depending on which difficulty mode you decide to play on. There are also occasional power up winning games of chance like matching cards (again just like in Super Mario Bros 3) or spinning a roulette wheel for a cheeky bit of luck based fun.

Perhaps wrongly, when I started up Kitsune Tails I was expecting a fairly short runtime due to its indie nature and low price. That absolutely was an incorrect assumption, and if anything the game is longer than most other platformers. There were multiple times when I thought the end was in sight only for another large slice of the game to unfold in front of me, so there’s plenty of bang for your buck here.

Although Kitsune Tails is a wonderful platformer, it’s hard to deny one thing – it’s not particularly original. Almost every idea the game throws your way will be something you’ve seen before, and while that’s certainly intentional in some ways it does slightly dampen the experience.

Kitsune Tails is a seriously enjoyable retro style platformer full of varied worlds and power-ups. If you love Super Mario Bros 3 as much as I do you’ll fall head over heels with this lovely platformer, and although it’s not the most innovative game you’ll play this year’s it’s a hell of a fun one.