Corn Kidz 64 Review: A Dream to Play (PC)

Developed and published by BogoSoft Corn Kidz 64 is an indie 3D retro-inspired platformer. In this retro revival you take on the role of Seve, a one-horned goat trapped in a strange recurring dream. With the help of their friend Alexis, they must escape this dream once and for all, and maybe get some nachos along the way. You’ll jump, headbutt, and use a range of unlockable skills to try and win the day.

Let me tell you dear reader, if I had a penny for every time an N64-inspired retro-style 3D platformer released in 2023 starring a goat-style protagonist I’d have two pennies. Which I’ll admit isn’t much, but it is weird that it happened twice. Jokes aside whilst there are similarities to that other title Corn Kidz 64 is more than able to stand on its own two feet and present a fun and cartoony experience that is honestly one of the best platformers I have played this year. With all that said let’s get to the review.

Corn Kidz 64 is out now on PC via Steam and Nintendo Switch for £5.89 or your regional equivalent.

Story – Bleat Dreams

Corn Kidz 64 sees you take on the role of Seve, a single-horned emo goat kid trapped in the world of dreams and searching for nachos. Aided by fellow single-horned emo goat kid Alexis he must use his ‘corn powers’ (you know, like unicorn though not because goat) to save the day, escape, and maybe, just maybe, get those nachos. As you can tell this is a quirky and silly adventure. With dialogue and side-missions that reflect that. All without feeling like it is getting too self-referential or too silly for its own good. This isn’t a story that is deep, heavy, or rich in sub-text, it is just a goofy time that you can sit back and enjoy.

Corn Kidz 64 is nacho average platformer.

If I am to be critical I feel that it can be difficult to skip some text sequences, especially if you have already read those sections previously. To pivot into nitpicking for a moment I am not a fan of the blocky and digital font which is used here. As I feel that it lacks character and there are times that it can be hard to read. With key information blurring into some of the sillier pieces of dialogue. How funny or not you find this is a matter of taste. But it does have a feel of late 1990s early 2000s Saturday Morning/After School cartoons about it. It almost feels like something you’d expect to see on Cartoon Network or Nickelodeon back in the day. This is something that I do enjoy and helps make this feel more in keeping with the era it wishes to evoke.

Gameplay – Whole Corn

As mentioned at the head of this review Corn Kidz 64 is a Nintendo 64-inspired 3D platformer. Whilst your overall objective can vary from world to world the core loop remains the same throughout. Explore the level, headbutt baddies, find and solve puzzles, unlock new areas, collect EXP Cubes, repeat. It is a simple but effective loop that is kept fresh by the developers by having the game take place in some often wacky and challenging locations. With said challenge building gradually as the game progresses. Well, up until the final level where the difficulty does spike. But it is the final level after all.

Corn Kidz 64 features challenging bonus levels.

The control scheme for Corn Kidz 64 is easy to pick up and to learn. It gels well with the core gameplay loop. I am honestly struggling to think of any moment during my play-through where I was frustrated or annoyed by them. Camera placement can be an issue at times. And there was more than one occasion where I found myself dangling on a pole unable to see where I had to go next. However, this issue isn’t as lethal of a problem as it can often be for 3D platformers. There are no lives, and once you die you get a game over, but you can resume from your most recent check point. Which isn’t the most modern quality of life change but it is a welcome one.

Goatsperience

The Corn Kidz’s worlds are fairly large. For a period-appropriate comparison, they are larger than the levels found in Super Mario 64 and maybe about as large if not slightly smaller than the levels in Donkey Kong 64. Well, minus that particular game’s backtracking which padded that one out. Whilst there is some backtracking in Corn Kidz 64 it wasn’t quite as obnoxious as in DK64. There is some backtracking needed to get some EXP Cubes but those are largely optional. The levels themselves are well realised and have a very period-appropriate look and feel. But I’ll talk about that in greater detail later.

EXP cubes can be hidden in hard to reach areas.

The EXP idea is an interesting one. Certain areas are blocked off by doors which can only be opened once you reach a certain level. And the only way to level up is to get EXP Cubes. Given how relatively short the game is (it can be completed in about four hours). So the EXP mechanic helps to extend things out in lieu of having more levels. And it isn’t too hard to find them. So it isn’t like you are grinding constantly to get them. And it just feels almost like the note doors in Banjo-Kazooie. Honestly, If there was a major mark against Corn Kidz 64 it is just how short it is. The game is brilliant fun and the developers of it have shown a fantastic amount of talent here.

To Boldly Corn

The level design in Corn Kidz 64 is rather impressive. With each of the worlds having a distinct flavour and style to them. And as stylistically pleasing as they are, they are never too strange or abstract. There was never a moment where the design or flow of a level left me confused. Nor did it leave me feeling lost. With that said, whilst the level design didn’t leave me feeling lost there were times when I was unsure where to go next and what to do next. More often than not I found myself stumbling into the right area by happenstance rather than as a result of conscious exploration.

There are dragons, so this must be the right way, right?!

Granted this feeling of being lost didn’t last for too long when it did come up. Given the player character’s move set it means the solution to most problems is almost always close by. And all you need to do is figure out which move to use. Or get the timing right on a certain jump. And whilst I do like that there is something of a spirit of exploration here. There are times when it feels like a spirit of exploration and more of a spirit of loitering and hoping for the best.

Tune in Next Week!

Similar to Psuedoregalia upgrades to unlock for Seve. However, here there are only to to acquire. And that makes it feel as though that hints at a bigger game that never was. Don’t get me wrong, I loved playing Corn Kidz 64 for my review. It is one of the best titles I have played this year, and upon reflection is one of the better platformers released in 2023. Which given what came out last year that’s saying something. But in the end we get one fairly neat but unimpressive tutorial world, a well-designed (if slightly overly long) second world, and a very challenging final world. There is only one boss fight. And as a whole this makes Corn Kidz 64 feel like a proof of concept more so than a fully realised game.

The final level is a marathon of a challenge.

But even with that in mind, it is still one of the better titles I have reviewed as of late. Aside from trying to unlock the hidden level once you have done the base game, there isn’t much else to do. You could try playing it with an N64 controller. As the game can be configured to do that which itself may add a whole new level of challenge if you are brave enough to try that. But overall, Corn Kidz 64 is fantastic fun for the short period that it lasts. Though once again, it could have and probably should have been longer. As the talent that we see from the developers here really shines through and makes me excited to see what they may do next.

Graphics & Audio – Not Kidding Around!

As you can see via the screenshots throughout this review Corn Kidz 64 really goes out of its way to evoke the feeling of a Nintendo 64 game. And this goes further than just sticking a CRT filter and having polygonal character models, as it feels some other similar titles just limit themselves to doing. Everything, from the sound, texture quality, art style, character design, and more feels like something of that era in the best way possible. This makes it clear that the developers and their art team either have a very clear understanding of that era from personal experience or did their homework to get this done.

Corn Kidz 64 really looks like something I’d see in N64 magazine back in the day.

It is possible to play with the retro graphical quirks if you wish. Goodness, it is possible to make it look even more N64-like if you knock the blur on. As you will have seen in the screenshots I have played it as close to looking like the N64 as possible. Because I feel that just rounds off the fantastic job that has been done here. All too often there are retro-inspired games that make things look far worse than the average game on the system they are trying to replicate or make it look too good. And quite honestly there are times when Corn Kidz 64 looks so much of its era I forgot that I was playing a modern indie title.

Pop Cornz

As far as the soundtrack goes Corn Kidz 64 continues to feel very much of its era. Though does not lean into popular music genres that were big at the time. No Techno, Ska, DnB, Garage, Jungle, or Nu-Metal here. The soundtrack feels very gameic. For better or for worse; the soundtrack is great and feels perfect for a video game, though I can’t say that I’d go out of my way to listen to it after the fact. It does convey the mood and feel of the era though. And frankly whilst it isn’t going to be on my playlists any time soon it is still great in the game itself.

The only issue I have with the audio is that the enemy monster sounds are often far too loud in comparison to the soundtrack and other game elements. And some have sounds that are frankly unpleasant to listen to given how shrill and piercing they can be which makes me want to actively avoid them. Even if it means I have to go to the other side of the map to get an easy supply of health. Simply being able to turn that down a little would have made it easier to deal with them.

Corn Kidz 64 was reviewed on PC.