While there’s no question that the traditional mascot platformers for the most part went the way of the dinosaur quite some time ago, I’ll gladly admit that every once in a while it’s great to take one for a spin when well-executed. Never having played one of the Kao the Kangaroo titles before this one I can’t comment on whether it may live up to or exceed that legacy, but what I am more than happy to say is that despite some issues I had with bugs here and there (which are hopefully all in the process of being patched) this iteration of that classic genre formula feels pretty great going down. One thing I appreciate is that balance it has managed to find in offering up plenty of alternate routes and out-of-the-way items to grab without it feeling like an annoying collect-a-thon, undoubtedly an aspect of the genre that helped put it in the ground years ago. Between that and some solid stages that continue to offer up new enemy variations, traps, and obstacles the game continues along never getting too difficult, making it wonderfully approachable, but not erring too far on the side of being too much of a breeze either. While it may not be fighting in the same class as Mario and some other big-ticket franchises, lacking some of the variety and extra polish that come with them, Kao the Kangaroo is still a colorful and highly-enjoyable romp worth a look by just about anyone.