While Kaze and the Wild Masks may have been released in 2021, this 2D platformer has a lot more in common with retro classics from the SNES era, most notably the Donkey Kong Country trilogy from the mid-90’s.  Featuring beautiful pixel art and a soundtrack that already feels nostalgic, Kaze must save her friend Hogo from a curse that’s brought vegetables to life all across the Crystal Islands.  Honestly, if you loved the old Donkey Kong Country games, then you’ll love this game, as well.  Because Kaze could almost be mistaken for some long-lost Donkey Kong Country 4 if not for the titular bunny taking the place of our beloved ape friends.

Kaze features four worlds inhabited by comically menacing fruits and veggies.  Kaze herself is a lot like Dixie Kong, in that her long ears can be used in a manner quite similar to Dixie’s hair, including Kaze’s ability to twirl her ears like a helicopter and extend her jumps!  To add to Kaze’s abilities, there are four masks scattered throughout many of the stages, as well.  The eagle mask lets Kaze fly and shoot projectiles, while the shark mask allows her to quickly swim through the water.  With the tiger mask, Kaze can dash forward and cling to walls.  The lizard mask is a bit of a strange one, as it forces you to run forward, but also increases your nimbleness by allowing you to double jump and dash downwards.

Like any good retro platformer, Kaze features plenty of collectibles.  Kaze can collect four KAZE letters in each regular stage, two green gems (which are obtained by completing bonus stages that require you to defeat enemies, collect gems, reach the goal, etc.), and 100 pink gems.  Each level (aside from boss fights) can also be revisited for a time trial, and you can receive an additional crown icon for each stage that you can complete without taking damage.  As far as I can tell, these extra tasks don’t seem to reward you with anything, but the other collectibles will unlock artwork that give important backstory (the KAZE letters), four extra levels (green gems), and the secret ending (pink gems).

Another common staple of retro platformers that you’ll certainly find here is a high difficulty level.  Fortunately, Kaze herself controls very well, something I noticed while attempting to get the gold medal in some decidedly challenging time trials.  And most of the time, the difficulty feels pretty fair.  But there were some segments of the game where I was really not having a fun time of it, whether it be attempting to avoid obstacles while sliding down a zipline or having to spend long periods of time flying nimbly around enemies before I was allowed to attack the second boss.  (Frankly, I despise boss fights where most of the battle consists of avoiding an onslaught of your foe’s minions.)

One of my biggest complaints was that I wish there were more checkpoints, as there were some levels where I had to repeat large portions of it whenever I died, which is really not fun.  I particularly remember having to replay a long, tedious portion of Hurry Hurricane just to retry bouncing on an enemy’s head for a collectible, which was placed in an awkward spot and forced you to rush because of the dust devil following you.

Aside from these negatives, Kaze feels very similar to the DKC games I played in my youth (which also had more than their fair share of frustrating gameplay), with many stages having similar hazards, such as slingshots that are quite reminiscent of barrels, rising toxic waste (similar to Toxic Tower), a windy level (like Gusty Glade), and two levels where you must hit lights to stop certain enemies (like Stop & Go Station and Haunted Hall).  Frankly, there are a lot of similarities that longtime DKC fans will recognize.  Then again, I wouldn’t accuse this game of being a copycat, either, as there are plenty of fresh and unique elements, as well, such as the levels featuring the tiger mask, two tornado levels, and two particularly good boss fights.

With that said, I’d highly recommend Kaze and the Wild Masks to any fan of retro 2D platformers, especially if you enjoyed the original Donkey Kong Country trilogy.  The game is available on every major console and PC for $29.99, though I got it on sale for $9.99.  (Now that’s a good deal!) While I read that the game can be beaten in 5 hours, it can take you closer to 12-15 hours if you want 100%, which will certainly provide you with a much-needed challenge in an age when many games have become a bit too easy.  If they ever decide to make a sequel, I’d love to see where Kaze’s newest adventure takes her!