KUBO 3 Review – One Step Forward, One Back.

My regular readers will know that I have been following the KUBO series on Evercade, with KUBO 1 and 2 having already been reviewed in the past. I enjoyed the sequel significantly more than the original game. Here with KUBO 3, it’s the first game in the series where I’ve had to pay money to play it. Like some of the other games in the series, KUBO 3 includes platformer and adventure elements. I’ve played it on Evercade-compatible hardware through the Indie Heroes Collection 1 cartridge.

As I began it, I was pleased that KUBO 3 takes place immediately after the events of KUBO 2. I like this because it shows a development in the game’s world and an interest in keeping the series cohesive. The intro shares some of the same assets as its predecessors in the opening story sequence and the sprites that are used in the overworld.

In this one, after returning to town with the crystal from the previous game, a bad guy comes and sucks nearly all the townspeople into a giant carrot. You are then commanded by the villain to get all the crystals and give them to him to rescue the villagers.

Beginning of the Game and Overworld

The game begins with Kubo on an overworld similar to what we find in KUBO 1. In the previous two titles, Kubo was able to fire his gun, which is no surprise since he is a cowboy turtle. Oddly enough, even though you can see Kubo’s holster in KUBO 3, you can never fire your gun.

Instead of using your pistol to defeat enemies, you hop on them like in many 2D Platformers. Yet, that’s only true in the side-view Platformer sections. The overworld in KUBO 3 has no enemies and there is nothing to do in the top-down sections except find the entrances to the 5 stages in the game. This is a shame because at least in the first game you had enemies to deal with in the overworld.

Now technically, there are also vials of some sort to pick up in the top-down sections of the game as well, but I was never able to find a way to acquire them! I think they are intended to be used to restore your health, but I couldn’t get to them.

Platformer Stages and Game Progression

At least with the side-view Platformer stages I found them to be relatively intriguing in that there were multiple areas to explore. Such as one that took place in the sky, another that was under the water, and so on.

Each of these had unique enemies or at least a hazard that was different than in the rest of the game’s stages. They also ended in a boss fight that was unique to that stage. None of these were difficult to defeat, but usually took a couple of tries to finish off.

After being the level, you would get one of the crystals and have your life bar increased by one heart. At the beginning of the game, you lose a life after being hit just twice, but by the end you have 6 hit points. I thought this was great and showed an advancement of the series compared to earlier titles.

This variety in stages and the increasing of your life bar also promotes repeated playthroughs. The reason I say this is because as you play you learn which levels are the easiest to complete. Thereby making future sessions more likely to be finished.

I also found the stage design to be more diverse than KUBO 2, which was good to see as well. For instance, KUBO 3 has a swimming stage that is distinct from the rest of the series.

The game takes about 10-15 minutes to complete, and has no continues or save functions. However, you are given a few lives at the start of the game to beat it. Although initially difficult in its challenge, I grew to consider KUBO 3 to be a pretty good platformer for kids and should be beatable for them with practice.

Graphics

As I’ve shared before, the game shares many of the same sprites as in KUBO 1 and 2. At first glance, there is no improvement in how it looks over its predecessors. However, the diversity of the game is where it shines the most. The overworld is probably three times larger than the first game.

Meanwhile, while KUBO 3’s 5 stages are smaller than KUBO 2, they are still a good length. This third title is at least double the size of KUBO 2.

About the graphics themselves, I can’t really say they look better than its predecessors. At least the color on the screen isn’t as jarring as what was in KUBO 2. Overall, I’d say the graphics are OK for the series, but it doesn’t actually look that good. Again, the diversity of the world is the best thing about it graphically.

Music and Sound Effects

For music, this is another area where the game feels more expansive than the previous titles. It can be a bit harsh sounding, but I kind of liked it. I was also impressed that there was a different theme for each stage. That’s a good advancement for the developer.

I didn’t notice any prominent sound effects, though. They didn’t add a lot to the game.

Final Thoughts

Upon reflection, I recognize that KUBO 3 is generally better than its predecessors in terms of its scope and diversity of areas and music. Yet, it’s also frustrating that certain gameplay mechanics present in previous titles are absent from this game. Namely the shooting of your gun and fighting enemies on the overworld.

So, while I can say that KUBO 3 is a more well-rounded game compared to KUBO 1 and 2, I don’t think I can give it a truly positive rating. I reserve such a metric for titles that I think people should play if they like the genre. Where a mixed rated is left for games that I enjoyed well enough, but if you don’t play them then you aren’t missing out a great deal.

As I shared earlier, please check out my reviews of KUBO 1 and also KUBO 2 if you’d like to see my progression through the series. The Kubo character also made an appearance in the Evercade version of Super Homebrew War, which is reviewed here.

For those who want to read the last two reviews I’ve done, I’ve also checked out Alien Cat 2 and Flea!, both of which are on the Indie Heroes Collection 1 cartridge for Evercade.

Note: KUBO 3 is available for free as a name-your-own-price title on Itch.io. Please see the link below to get it if you’d like.

Title: KUBO 3 (Itch.io)
Genre: 2D Platformer with Adventure Elements
Year Released: 2020
Developer: SJ Games (French Site)
Available On: NES, Itch.io, and Evercade through Indie Heroes Collection 1.
Price Paid: $1.14, or $16.00 for Indie Heroes Collection 1

Remember, we can have different opinions about the games we play. If you like something more (or less) than I do, both of our perspectives are valid.