Kung Fu Rabbit

Genre: Platformer

Players: 1

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Review:

Kung Fu Rabbit is a Platformer released on mobile devices in 2012, ported to PlayStation Vita and Wii U in 2013 (sadly since delisted on the Nintendo 3DS), then ported to PlayStation 3 and Nintendo 3DS in 2014. In this game, players take the role of a martial artist rabbit running, jumping, and wall-jumping through obstacle course-style stages trying to get to the young rabbit in a bubble at the end of each stage.

The gameplay in Kung Fu Rabbit plays like a somewhat more slow-paced take on challenging Platformers like Super Meat Boy, with some well-crafted Platforming gameplay and some good level design. One interesting element that sets this game apart is its buttonless attack mechanic, where your character will automatically attack nearby enemies if their weak point is within range. This is an interesting addition to the formula that helps to distinguish this game among others in the genre. Really, the only flaw I can point to in the gameplay is the aforementioned lack of speed, which removes some of the challenge and drags down the pacing a little.

The presentation here is tonally a bit of a mixed bag. The game uses 2D visuals that have some nice detail to them, but are also somewhat cartoonish and abstract. The most obvious example of this is that your character is basically a square with bunny ears. In addition, this game uses a somewhat subdued soundtrack that was clearly at least partly inspired by the sort of traditional Asian music you expect to see in something within the martial arts genre, but any sort of serious mood is broken by the bunny characters’ silly pitched-up voices. None of this presentation is bad, but it definitely feels like this game can’t decide whether or not it wants to be taken seriously.

Still, despite the confused tone of the game and the lack of speed, Kung Fu Rabbit is a delightful Platformer that satisfies with strong gameplay and good level design. If you’re a fan of the genre, or especially if you enjoy games like Super Meat Boy, I think you’ll find that this game is well worth the small $5 price tag.

tl;dr – Kung Fu Rabbit is a Platformer with strong Platforming gameplay that comes across like a slower alternative to Super Meat Boy. The lack of speed does mar the game’s pacing somewhat, and the presentation doesn’t seem to know what tone it wants to strike, but despite these issues, this is a highly-enjoyable Platformer that’s well worth its small $5 price tag.

Grade: B

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