THE NEWZEALAND STORY: Untold Adventure

A fun reimaging of the 80s classic. I don’t have anything negative to say really, it’s a fun blast from the past for anyone who remember the original and a solid, classic style platformer for any fans of the genre. For the price I would have like to have seen some additional features, like concept art, music player, the option to switch between old and new graphics and audio. Then it would have been the definitive game for fans. As it stands however, it’s still a fun play!

No es el mejor remake del mundo. Por gráficos, usar un motor 3D da fluidez y permite algunos efectos majos, pero se resiente un poco la parte artística. Y en temas jugables, no tiene muchos añadidos. No obstante... El juego sigue siendo muy divertido. Las nuevas físicas nos piden reaprender a jugar y manejar a Tiki, incluso aunque nos conozcamos la recreativa original con los ojos cerrados. Los pocos añadidos, funcionan bien. Jefes con nuevas fases de combate, poder movernos por un mapa que hasta nos indica cuantas "warp" nos quedan por sacar de ese nivel, y el quinto nivel inédito antes del Monte Cook. Sí, se podría haber hecho más. Pero lo que hay es bastante recomendable igualmente. Acción, plataformas, diversidad de niveles y mucho carisma y simpatía.

Enjoying an old classic

If you grew up with the original 1988 arcade classic, you know the deal: it’s a game that lures you in with a cute yellow bird and then proceeds to break your spirit with some of the most challenging platforming in gaming history. For years, I was "50/50" on this series—I loved the vibe, but I could never quite conquer it. After dying more times than I care to admit in this new Steam version, I finally "gave in" to the grind, and I am so glad I did. The NewZealand Story: Untold Adventure is a beautiful, polished love letter to Tiki’s journey that manages to keep that "hard as ever" DNA while making it feel right at home on a modern PC. What Makes This One Special: The Challenge is Real: They haven't watered it down. It still requires precision, quick reflexes, and that "one more try" attitude. Finally beating a level after being stuck feels like a genuine achievement. Stunning Modern Visuals: The 3D-engine-meets-2D-gameplay looks crisp and vibrant. It’s exactly how you remember the game looking in your head, just optimized for 2026 screens. The "Untold" Content: The brand-new fifth stage (Kaikoura) and the colossal Wormageddon boss are fantastic additions that fit perfectly alongside the classic stages. The Vibe: Everything from the commandeering of enemy balloons to the frantic rescue of Phee-Phee is captured perfectly here. If you’re like me and struggled with the original, don’t let the difficulty scare you off this time. This remake gives you the perfect excuse to finally sit down, master the mechanics, and see the adventure through to the end. It's a nostalgic masterpiece that proves some legends never get old—they just get a better frame. Highly Recommended! A huge thank you to the team at Bitobit for letting me do a first impressions video for the game! It was a blast (and a challenge!) to showcase Tiki's return to my audience. Thanks for keeping the arcade spirit alive! you can watch the video on my channel below. if you would like to subscribe and like and comment that really does help me out in trying to grow my channel more and more so i can bring you more amazing content. https://youtu.be/8qNyIOtG90o?si=T4i3Q9IcdD6HHn_2

I really don't like being down on a game but my reaction to this remake is, frankly, a deep disappointment. I keep having another go, only to be disappointed all over again. * The music is off * The gravity on your player character (Tiki the Kiwi) is wrong * Enemy hitboxes seem broken in some sprites * Weapons upgrades feel a lot worst than the original arcade counterparts (Bomb and Laser, I'm looking at you two in particular!) * Spike redesigns make them blend into some level geometry of backgrounds * Feedback on hits isn't positive * Some enemies rush you from offscreen at 1000 miles per hour (particularly world 3) * Boss battles have been changed up.....and not in a good way! * SFX are missing or have been changed to be annoying * Speedup powerup makes Tiki almost slippery, like every level becomes an ice level * Enemy behaviours have changed, mostly making them dumb as rocks * The game is badly optimised, chugging and skipping frames on a steamdeck or Surface Pro 9 with an i7 processor and 16GB RAM I could go on and get into the specifics of level design issues, the 3d work and so on but you get the point, I'm sure. I prefer to be positive so let me show you some good stuff the game does: * The graphics are crisp and look great (shame it's only when it all stands still) * 1-hit kills are no longer a thing, as Tiki gets hit points now (shame the dodgy controls and hitboxes make this MORE difficult than clearing the arcade original) * You can save your progress through the levels now, starting on the world map where you left off * Adding hats to Tiki when he swaps his weapons is a neat visual touch * There's an extra world to explore! (Shame it suffers the rest of the issues I listed) * Getting EXTEND now gives you a last chance saloon when you climb heavenly clouds to meet god for a resurrection (shame the controls and lack of guidance make this neat idea worse that just giving us the 1-up) * It will run on your steam deck (badly in places, but it will run OK) I can sum this one up thusly: Someone tried to give us more New Zealand Story. Someone cared enough to try but not enough to give us a product that lived up to the original or that was reasonably functional. It's as if Taito didn't play this before shipping it. If you love Taito platformers, Bubble Bobble 4 Friends is so much better than this effort. If you love the New Zealand Story, just buy the arcade archives release of the original instead - you'll thank yourself later. Such a shame. I hate to say it, but avoid this one. :-(