Kaze and the Wild Masks is a modern platformer disguised as a retro SNES game.  The game makes little effort to hide the fact that it took clear inspiration from the original Donkey Kong Country trilogy from the 90’s, which many would agree are some of the best retro platformers of all time.  In fact, there are a few instances where Kaze almost seems to blatantly copy these games…and you know what, that’s not exactly a bad thing.  And so I’ve decided to make a list of my favorite stages from this game, including two copycat levels that I’m more than happy to play again with a fresh coat of paint. (Oh, and in case you’re looking for a less positive post, the worst levels were published yesterday.)

5: Gusty Cliffs – This game features two instances of Mother Nature apparently holding some kind of grudge against poor Kaze because you will be chased not once, but two times, by a tornado that seems strangely bent on your demise!  The first of these is Gusty Cliffs, which requires you to flee from said tornado using my personal favorite mask, the tiger mask, whose abilities include dashing forward and clinging to walls.  Just as tigers are known to do.  While being pursued by a tornado would be a nightmare scenario in the real world, in this game, it simply makes for a rather memorable level when no lives are actually at stake.  Well, none except for Kaze’s, but she has unlimited lives, so I wouldn’t worry too much about her…

4: Olaf’s Lair – For me, most boss fights feel like a hindrance to overcome before one can return to the good stuff.  But in this instance, I thought I’d include the third boss battle against an evil red onion on this list.  Not only is this battle against one of my favorite veggies (because let’s face it, onions make everything tastier), I actually really enjoyed the fast pace of this battle as you use the tiger mask’s abilities to avoid an onslaught of toothy veggies.  This battle really keeps you on your toes, and the last phase even has you clinging to the sides of a pit!  It seems like this should be a level that I really hated, but instead, it actually became my very favorite boss fight in the game!

3: Lights On Lights Off – Considering this level is a blatant copycat of Stop & Go Station from the original Donkey Kong Country, you’d think I would have felt far less positively towards it.  Fortunately, this level is much less terrifying, as the crab…pineapples that you’ll be avoiding in Kaze aren’t nearly as creepy as the Rock Krocs of DKC.  As I used the glowing flowers to make the roving crabs temporarily curl up, I couldn’t help but smile at this reminder of one of my favorite childhood games…even if the stage that inspired it was undoubtedly nightmare fuel.

2: Pumpkin Pyre – This stage features a burning forest in the background and no shortage of flaming jack-o-lanterns (that were either unfortunate victims of the blaze…or caused it).  I really liked the atmosphere of this nighttime level.  The glow from the fire, the eerie visage of the pumpkins, and the strange music, with its drums and chanting voices, made this whole stage feel quite unsettling as Kaze used the updrafts to traverse one of the most memorable levels in the game.

1: Sprint of Spirits – I had mixed feelings about the levels featuring the lizard mask, as this particular mask forces you to move forward at all times, leaving relatively little control to the player.  Nevertheless, this constant movement actually makes for a rather fun chase between you and a ghostly anglerfish in a level that I can’t help but compare to Haunted Hall from Donkey Kong Country 2.  In that stage, you rode a rickety old roller coaster and had to hit green barrels (and avoid the red ones) to elude the terrifying Kackle, a spectral Kremling haunting an abandoned library (don’t question why a library contains a roller coaster…).  This level is quite similar, including the inclusion of blue and red flowers that make the anglerfish slow down or move faster, respectively.  Seeing as Haunted Hall is one of my absolute favorite stages from the whole DKC trilogy, it should be no surprise that Sprint of Spirits was, as far as I’m concerned, the best level in Kaze and the Wild Masks!