Mekazoo

Gameplay loop wasn't for me, movement of characters was limited and sluggish while bosses could move with precision.

This game is so gorgeous with its 2.5D style and really fun. Super fast sonic-style gameplay with lots of different challenges and ways to tackle them. If you like platformers at all play it.

I was pleasantly surprised by this game. If you had told me, "Hey, try this platformer where only 1/5 characters jump," I might be skeptical, but Mekazoo makes it work, and makes it fun. You have 5 unlockable characters who have different strengths, and you will complete parts of levels with some combination of one or two characters at a time. The armadillo dashes quickly, the frog uses his tongue to swing and attack, the wallaby jumps, the bear climbs, and the bird flies.

Luckily they never make you choose between all 5 at the same time (I was initially afraid of how that would be accomplished properly). It's rather elegant, because you basically just move, activate their specialty move, or switch to your other character available to traverse the level, completing acrobatics, taking out enemies, or finding objects. In fact, the levels feel very different based upon which characters are activated at the same time.

For instance, one of the specialty badges you earn to unlock bosses and challenge levels (not technically required), is by finding a secret character combination switcher in the level which requires you to traverse parts of the level with a different combination of powers than you may have done before (sometimes it's more fun the other way too).

The plot drives the action, and keeps things moving with no dialogue (very nicely done, and even has a twist), the graphics are fantastic (although I had to disable g-sync and go high fps only, still ran at 120+ so not that big a deal), colors pop, and you earn specialty costumes and colors by earning gems through combat and collection.

Very surprising gem, and I hope there's another game like it!

I came across this game almost by accident, which is odd, because most games of this quality are reasonably well-known. I expected to play a short little budget game, and what I got is a full-fledged, well-polished, full-length platformer. If you like platformers, you're going to like this.

It looks like most reviews here are good, but have a gripe or two in them, which I think is very representitive of the game overall. There are a couple of moments where you'll go "they could have done this better," but when you reach the end, you're going to feel like it was time well-spent.

It's one of those "I wish there was a third option somewhere in the middle" when recommending a game. I'm putting it on "not recommended", but only because of the few issues I had. If they don't look like something you'd be bothered by, go ahead and play it. It's not like it's overpriced. Far from it.

It's a pretty enough game with decent audio and the level design and platforming is fun enough (although rather challenging later on), but there's a few kinks that made it frustrating for me towards the end. The first is that the controls aren't always as great as they should be. When playing as the frog, the length of your tongue is rather deceiving and your direction of momentum is also something a bit off at times. At least for me, could be I just suck at it of course. The kangaroo needs some getting used to as well and the climbing for the bear can be rather glitchy in my experience.

My biggest frustration however, and the reason why I didn't finish it (I played up until the boss level in the Metropolis area) is the content gating. In order to access the bosses, you need a certain amount of "gears" which are like badges for completing a level fast, without dying and killing all certain types of enemies in it. If you just finish all the levels without really bothering with these optional objectives, you can't fight the bosses right away. For the third area I had about 4 gears short to be able to fight the boss which I got with some extra effort, but now I'm 7 short for the one in the Metropolis area. And honestly, I can't be bothered. I'm not good enough to complete the levels fast or without dying and the enemies you need to kill can be tough to find or you only get one chance to reach them in one run. So I can't fight the boss now (and I think he's the last one). So I can't finish the game. I don't really get why that gating is there. It makes no sense. Why not let mediocre people also enjoy the full game?

So if you're good at platformers and are used to speedruns and the like, you might have a better time than I did. But I think it's a damn shame that you kinda have to do those things.

I absolutely adore this game! Really does throw you back to old platformers as other reviews had said.

This may end up being a very long review, but I really liked this game so my apologies for the length, and also a heads-up in case you wanted to play it totally blind - I go over some details like level organization within worlds.

Overall

Gameplay

Graphics

Sound

Summary

I have never written a steam review before, but I JUST have to for this game. There's a lot to say about this game, so grab a drink and prepare for a small novel.

Let's start with the gameplay. I, personally, really enjoy it, but I can see it getting a little frustrating sometimes. As a platformer, Mekazoo will have you traverse a variety of levels as various animals with different abilities,e ach with strengths and weaknesses.
All of the animal's abilities work very fluently in accordance with the level design, but I found that the Wallaby was hard to control at times which made me a little frustrated. I would be ready to land on a platform next to a wall and find myself accidently barely touching the base of the wall, causing me to bounce off and plummet to my death. The Wallaby cannot hop up ramps, which is a little annoying, but not too bad.
Overall, Mekazoo has solid platforming action that is made fantastic by the level design being based around the animals you are given to work with. It is really satisfying to get flawlessly get through a part of the level as you get better with each animal.

For the story...well, Mekazoo does not really have one. I really don't mind the lack of story, though (I am playing this game for the gameplay). It's just a regular "go and save all of your buddies" type of games. However, the some levels tell a story of their own, like how some of the forest levels are being chopped up by the similar forces that kidnapped your other animal friends. If you play games for a major, epic story, look elsewhere.

The characters (i.e. the animals) are not that deep either, but I love them. They are cute and happy, which is a refreshing change-up from most of the dark, dirty games that are put out nowadays. You can customize your characters with different colors and skins which you unlock with gems that you can gather, giving the animals more personality (I like the "Fantasy" costume which dresses the Wallaby up as a wizard).

And finally...the best for last..the music.
Oh. My. Gosh. The music.
I do not know what they did, but the music IS AMAZING! Like, Old RareWare-level amazing.
I have played a lot of this games in my life, but the soundtrack for Mekazoo is EASILY one of the best. While it is not as expansive or elegant as some other games, each song suits the level it is played in so SO well. Even if I got stuck on a part of a level the music would keep me determined to beat it. Some tracks are better than others, but they are all absolute mastercrafts. I cannot stress this enough, but the music is INSANELY good.

Ultimately, with the great platforming control, smooth level design, beautiful level artwork, and the powerful, fitting, memerable music, I would recommend this game to anyone who has been waiting for a new, original platformer to come out. It is fast, it is challenging, it is satisfying, and it is DEFINITELY worth the time and money put into it.

TL;DR:
It's a VERY good game with stunning levels, fluid gameplay, and AWESOME music. I recommend it for platformer fans.

This game has its little missteps every now and then, but it's a definite gaming experience, nonetheless.

One important thing to note: This game does not have tutorials. It doesn't explain its controls or conventions in any way, shape, or form. That being said, you are not expected to know the game right away. You will have plenty of time and comfort to practice and figure things out at your own pace.

Personally, I quite enjoy this. I think it's the perfect amount of hand-holding that games should do: Don't go out of the way to explain, but give the player what they need to learn for themselves.

That's really all there is to say here. Mekazoo is a simple, charming game with plenty to offer. Buy it and enjoy.

I never expect Mekazoo would turn out to be marvellous. It's now under my favourite platformer games along with classics like Mario, Crash Bandicoot, Donkey Kong

First impressions of Mekazoo leave me feeling uncertain. Locating world select and finding each level inside are time consuming, then later finding out I need to replay the levels to collect trophies, as certain amount of trophies is required to unlock next levels. The wallaby boss level was also “too easy”, it got me confused how I defeated it in the first place.

Sometimes character can get stuck mid-air and I was frustrated enough having to restart whole level in the middle of earning trophies. It also leads me thinking why there’s no restart previous checkpoint option.

But thankfully these are my only problems in Mekazoo. Everything else: love it!

Gameplay and levels are their greatest winner. Controls isn’t overly difficult since each animal has its own move, but it’s required to recognise when to switch character and use different move precisely, else making a mistake or mistiming would kill you. Normally themes such as jungle, desert and ice can bore me as it gets overused in various platform games, but here they mixed it up with their own Mekaworld lit with neon colours, gears & tubes.

Each level is unique on its own: 1. there’s never two levels that looked similar and quickly noticed that 2: music is also different every level.

The fact that creators of Mekazoo made 36 catchy, hybrid electronic-jazz soundtracks is mindboggling, and they’re willing to sell their soundtracks on Steam! I never become tired of them, (instead being stuck into my head) given mekatrillion of replays while earning all the achievements.

I normally don’t 100% a game because I hated the nature of replaying levels, but the game must’ve injected me with drugs and got me addicted.

The gameplay is excessively fun, using momentum between animals and levels along with memorable music would immediately rate as a near perfect meka-game, however I can’t ignore its faults and hell it was frustrating sometimes.

8/10.

Simply put, Mekazoo is a simple, charming platformer.

Pros:

• Pretty tight controls (though the Panda can get a bit confused sometimes)
  
• Large, pretty 2.5D environments to explore
  
• Really only two buttons (action & switch), but switch combos (e.g. wallaby's hop into armadillo's boost straight up for great height) give the game depth.
  
• Challenging but fair levels.
  
• Soundtrack complemented the atompshere of the levels well (I really enjoyed Cold Feet), making exploring them more enjoyable.
  

• The levels were so fun to explore, I was left wondering more about the lore of the world. I don't expect much worldbuilding from a simple light-hearted platforming game, but it would have been nice to see.
  
[*]I wish the textures on the character models were a bit more high-res.

This game is CRAZY!

Initial Impression

Controls

Gameplay

(Sry, as we say in german, my english is not the yellow from the egg ;3 )
Well im very surprised that Mekazoo turned into this awesome since i played it at the Gamescom in Cologne, Germany.
First, the music. It might remind you at the good old Donkey Kong or barely every good Rare-Game music for example.
At the next Point, we got a very competitive and sometimes a little frustrating platformer. Thats good, i think no jump n run game should be too easy ;)
But the best feature in my opinion is that you can play with your friends in Co-op.
Every time you think its a good idea to switch to your animal (which all of them have different abilitys) you might f**k up the whole planing of your Co-player, or even work together to get more points and some more collectibles.
I loved it when i got to play it at the Gamescom booth, now that i can play it at home with my friends, its even more adictable.
So heres my advice, just get yourself this awesome piece of gaming history! ;D

Well - I think it's a good platformer and I enjoy it. I love the way you hot swap animals - this opens totally new ways of playing and of course difficulty. I think this is something the game designers are quite proud of as I could preview and see on GC 2016.
Though it's a game especially people who were deep into Sonic will surely enjoy, I have extreme difficulties to get into it and feel a "Wow-effect". It doesn't catch me. This may be because I feel there is not even a small glimpse of a story to tell. The levels are briliant, but they don't have an overall story or theme holding them together. Most of the time I simply don't know my progress and WHY you swap animals or at least why am I doing this? I'm more into platformers with "worlds", "stories" and kind of epic climax. This is one of the biggest downs in Mekazoo: It simply misses immersion and story - as if the developers hadn't much resources to make a "complete game". If you like fast entertainment without much hassle, it's a good game. If you are more into games like Ori or Rayman this may disappoint you. I think in half a year I'll forget about this game, Anyway: Nice spare time killer. But to me it's not more than this. I had bigger expectations when I tested it on GC 2016.

What the f**k? How did this game get so little attention?
I am seriously blown away by how good this game is, if you like inventive platformers combined with the lighthearted charm of n64 era adventure games and a funky soundtrack, well this is the perfect package for you.

WHY DO I RECOMMEND IT?

• Great graphics;
  
• Responsive controls;
  
• Beautiful, intricate stages;
  
• Awesome soundtrack;
  
• Challenging; you better have perfect timing and great reflexes!
  

IF I DID NOT, WHY WOULD I NOT RECOMMEND IT?

• Each new animal has their own unique play style and it takes a while to get used to;
  
• Each stage proposes a new challenge that you have to try a couple of times until you understand how to properly tackle it, and then you're required to be skillful and precise in order to 100% it;
  
• Game is challenging from the get go, even though it does a good job on level design and guiding you through the principles of each character.
  

SHOULD YOU/OTHER PEOPLE BUY IT?

• Do you like platformers?
  
• Do you like challenging games?
  
• Are you skilled in fast, precise controls?
  
• Do you like graphically beautiful games?
  
• Innovative gameplay is important to you?
  
• Do you like animals?
  
[*] Do you like funky soundtracks?

Go there, save the day!

Great visuals that give the game unique look and feel compared to other platformers. Some people may not like the neon colored setting, but it actually fits with the game's theme.

Great soundtrack that evokes the feel of retro games era with its catchy beats.

Control really takes time getting used to, especially because each animal moves differently in very distinct ways. The levels become much more enjoyable once the player has mastered the controls.

Smart implementation of co-op system that encourages teamwork.

Balanced difficulty for both casual and hardcore players alike. Casual players can sit back and enjoy the story levels while hardcore players may prefer the challenge levels which are really hard, requiring precise control and timing.

Very polished level design that offers high replayability. Each level can be replayed with different goals such as speed run, finding secret gems, collecting all small gems, and using different animals to reach the goal. Each of these goals requires the player to figure out the different routes within the same level.

The game is short, with 26 levels in total. Each level can be completed within 5 minutes. However, each level is visually distinct and offers high replayability, making the game's price worth the short duration.

This game is fantastic. I've had this game on my radar for over a year, patiently waiting for its release. I have to say it's extremely fun.

It may feel different controlwise to other platformers - at least for the first hour I had a bit of trouble adjusting. Do stick with it as the game's movement complexity is arguably it's best feature.

Probably the two most important things this platformer can offer in 2016 are: a distinct/unique gameplay feature and a control scheme to deliver said feature well. I never get bored with the simplest platformers when control is top notch, but a lot of players really do get bored of simple gameplay. Mekazoo gives players wanting more complexity something really special.

There are 5 characters unlocked over time that possess a single 'move' or defining mechanic and this really makes this game different. As characters are unlocked, navigation around expansive environments is achieved by your choice of 2 animals at one time, that can be switched on the fly. You essentially just experiment to see what you can do. Once you get the hang of it the flow feels amazing. It takes time but it really gives the platformer genre a bit of a twist that is very welcome for those tired of simpler titles.

Of course a great mechanic needs solid control. I think Mekazoo delivers here. Controls are fluid and quite free flowing (NOT little big planet - more N+ or, slighty floatier than super meat boy). I was worried that I'd find them too floaty but they work well. I can now effortlessly switch between, say, a tongue swinging frog and a kangaroo. It's still precise, just without the extreme agility within the tighter movement of say original megaman.

Overall it's a wonderful game, very fun, with great flowing motion that rewards effort to improve. Lovely to look at too. I really think that with enough attention this will be an important title for platformers in general.

Edit: Ive removed my one minor initial complaint as it's no longer relevant. I stated I lost view of my character in the depth of the lush environments. This doesn't happen if you decide on a colour you like for your animal that has higher contrast to the background. Character colour can be modified to various neon colours and combos.

Last thoughts after more hours logged and all characters unlocked - this game is special and fun. Polished, great level design for slow play or speedruns. Just an amazing addition to the genre. Thanks to The Good Mood Creators for such an awesome game.

Mekazoo is a fast past platformer driven by the concept of hot-swapping between different animals to complete each level, and it is fantastic. It takes a little bit to get used to the whole switching thing, but once you do, you will find that levels start flowing really smoothly. Graphically, Mekazoo has a really nice stylized enviornment going for it, and coupled with the 3D areas, it just looks gorgeous. The music in this game is something else, too, so I definitely recommend picking up the soundtrack if you intend to buy this game. Seriously go and listen to some tracks on youtube if you haven't already. Overall, as a diehard platformer fan, both of the more casual games like Mario, and the hardcore ones like the IWBTG fangames, Super Meat Boy, and Wings of Vi, I can highly recommend Mekazoo to anyone who just enjoys playing good platformers.

I highly recommend this game to anyone who likes platformers. I first found out about it from videogame dunkey and have been curious about it ever since.

Individually, each of the animals you control are unique, but very simple and straightforward, making them easy to play. The real fun of the game is that you have the ability to swap between these animals at instant speed.

The levels are cleverly designed to incorporate opportunities for each of the animals to shine, but if you prefer one animal over another, you're able to stay in that form for the bulk of the levels. Completionists will love this game because it gets more and more "mechanically" intensive, but newcomers and filthy casuals will still find a home simply beating the levels and enjoying the beautiful colors.