Kao: Mystery of the Volcano is the 3rd installment of the Kao franchise which regresses in some aspects from Kao 2, but is still a better game then Kao 1. Whilst the game expands on some of Round 2’s mechanics and even ads a few new mechanics of its own, the game strips away a lot of the ideas of the second game to focus more on fluid, uninterrupted exploration using nothing more then what’s on your belt and the full control of Kao this time around. On top of that, the game is significantly shorter then both Kao 1 and 2 with a total of four fully fleshed out levels, four mini-games, and one boss fight, and whilst I think there is a lot of substance to this rib, it is, overall, less meat compared to the first 2 entries clocking in 4 hours of game play total.
Story: The story this time around is a rescue mission for your pelican co pilot who fell into the mouth of the volcano forcing Kao to collect all four keys whilst battling the giant Lava Monster that wreaks havoc on the island. It is nothing to wright home about, it is just a serviceable plot (like the last two games) that exists to add context to your adventure.
Gameplay: the gameplay here is the typical formula for a 3D platformer. You are dragged through a linear level progression with new mechanics being introduced as you progress through the game. You have the ability to glide, double jump, throw dynamite, and punch enemies as well as crawling through boxes, ground stomps, and lock-ons in order to make your way through the game.
Art: the art style of Mystery of the Volcano is, in many ways, a continuation of Kao the Kangaroo: Round 2 which are low poly models with mildly detailed, painterly textures; however, it is less reminiscent of children’s illustrations this time around and more of the devs’ own spin on tropical island paintings. By in large part, you can see the datedness of the modeling and the texturing (especially in its smudgy, mid resolution on some of the assets like rocks, houses, and vines) but it still keep is charm because the devs do a great job making the island feel adventurous through good use of environmental design which makes the island feel like a wild and tropical, pleasing colors that make the rough edges look charming and fun, and Simplification that helps make the datedness not feel like an uncanny mess… Mario in Unreal levels of discombobulating.
Music: Mystery of the Volcano scores some of the best music in the franchise, although, there are not many to speak of. Firstly, I like the menu music as we pan through Pelican Village; its upbeat, soothing tropical vibes really fits well with the ambiance of the island, on top of that, the day-and-night cycle changes the ambiance to something more ominous and moody… this cycle stays throughout most of the game’s levels since most of them stay outdoors, but there are extra tracks for indoor sections as well. My favorite track in this entire game is the Volcanic Well/Volcano jam which has this low-beat, melodramatic tropic percussion with a light, smooth synth topped off with this bold, deep bass drop reminiscent of Billy Paul Williams’s “AAAAAAA” in Nothing to Lose – Miles to go. It doesn’t just sound good; it sounds like an adventure which is what the rest of the ost accomplishes very well. Nothing here overshadows the ambiance of the levels nor does it feel like an obligatory track to fill up your ears, everything here works to set a mood and keep the momentum of an adventure moving forward.
Minigames:
The First mini-game has you flying your plane through a bunch of hoops one-by-one whilst you are on a timer. The controls are ok and the challenge into anything difficult, but it can go on for a bit too long.
The Second mini-game is a linear tube racer where you have to reach first place whilst trying to drive over speed boosters and avoiding bumpers and lasers… it is the absolute wort minigame on this list. It is infuriatingly hard to steer your racer especially on super sonic speeds, The tubes are bended and twisted making it hard to see sometimes what is coming up, and worst of all, the other npc racers are not held to the same standards what so ever (they phase through obstacles like they have the genie on their side or something.) This feels like a mini-game you only win through shear luck as well as a bit of skill on your side.
The Third Mini-game is similar to the first one, but you use a speedboat instead of a plane. This one can be a bit tricky to master, but it is the best mini-game out of the 4 as you race your boat from checkpoint to checkpoint with the islands around you creating these barriers shaping the course into this fun race against time. You are able to to use turbo to boost your boat and jump over islands as well as collect turbo charges to keep up your speedy pace.
The Final mini-game is a dogfight over the island skies where roving bands of sky pirates swarm the island, and you are tasked to shoot them all down. This game can be mildly entertaining to play-through as you destroy enemy planes and dodge out of the way of their bullets, but the enemies are a bit bullet spongy, going from a wave of 2 pales to 6 planes (4 total) as well as having no checkpoint, so if you die, you have to play through this from the start. It can overstay its welcome depending on how much patience you have.
