When it comes to the Switch adventure and metroidvania libraries, there have been plenty of titles both good and bad out there. For every top-notch title there seem to have been several pretty poor ones, but then there are those that fall somewhere in between as well, ranging from merely acceptable up to reasonably decent. Makis Adventure sits somewhere in the middle of that pack, and at least has some ideas and moments it can call its own.

I think what I found the most charming about the game is simply its willingness to fully do its own thing, even perhaps to its own detriment. Full of weird mini games, an eclectic mix of action beats, and more traditional play, it at least doesn’t let you settle into samey boredom easily, as long as you’re down for the ride. I suppose you could also commend it for knowing that the scope of its ambition was relatively limited, so rather than drag things out it simply lets you drink from the firehose for the most part, and is then over in a small handful of hours.

Of course, aside from the relatively short length, the game has its overall weaknesses. While I do appreciate the odd mix of mini games, I do wish they weren’t there simply to waste my time as a distraction, not having anything of value to offer for doing well at them. Even some simple cosmetic reward would have been nice. While the 3D overworld navigation is a nice change of point of view, I do wish more had been done to take advantage of it in some way. Its inclusion just ends up feeling more like a flex than of real value, and perhaps more in that space could have given the experience more meat on its bones.

Its budget price and overall degree of enthusiasm help to make this pretty humble game into something that may not be exceptional, but is at least novel. It won’t be winning any awards, but it does have some distinct flavor, and at least plays well as a whole. Despite my misgivings over some of its elements, I’ll admit that it at least didn’t feel like more of the same, something I can’t say for many of its competitors in the space.