Game review by Jeremy Hardin
Game – Kung Fu Rabbit
Version – Wii U eShop ($4.99)
Rating – E for Everyone
Obtained – Review Code courtesy of Neko Entertainment
Story and Plot
As you might expect, there isn’t too much going on in the way of a story here, but it’s at least a quirky intro. So you and your bunny pals are just chilling at the dojo, when all of a sudden, evil, hungry aliens invade and snatch up your pals for a bunny banquet – not as the guest of honor mind you, but as the main course! Now, it’s up to you, Kung Fu Rabbit with all your skills, to save your bunny pals from the gullet of the evil aliens.
Gameplay and Controls
Gameplay is broken down into 3 worlds and 1 bonus cavern, each world houses 20 levels apiece. Your goal in each level is to reach the trapped bunny at the end of the level, and since one hit kills, you must take care to avoid enemies and obstacles alike. The levels are laid out in such a manner that you must be precise with your jumps and time them accordingly. One of your only Kung Fu abilities, is being able to cling to a wall, while slowly sliding down, and wall jump. This wall-clinging, jump ability is actually your greatest, if only strength and every level is designed to challenge your ability and skill. Oddly enough, for a rabbit with the Kung Fu label, you’re quite weak when it comes to evil aliens. In fact, you’re nothing more than a pushover when face to face with an enemy however, get behind an enemy and you’ll dispatch of them with one swipe of your paw.
In addition to saving your bunny friends, you’ll find 3 normal carrots and 1 golden carrot placed around each level. By collecting all the carrots, especially the golden one, you not only improve your score, but you also earn in-game currency to buy items in the dojo. These items will make your quest easier and are well worth the extra effort to collect all 4 carrots in each level. The levels are short in length, most of them taking a couple of minutes or so to complete. This design makes Kung Fu Rabbit a great game to pick up and play, especially when your time is limited. For those of us who are short on time and patience, you’ll be glad to hear that restarting a level is quick and painless and even further encourages you to replay levels.
Controlling your Rabbit is quite easy as there are multiple controls schemes supported. I only played with the Gamepad, and I found it quite easy to run and wall jump about. I would say that anyone could pick up and play Kung Fu Rabbit within a matter of minutes, it’s really easy to control. You can use either the d-pad or left thumb-stick to control your rabbit, attacking is done automatically, so long as you are behind an enemy’s back, and jumping is done with A, B buttons.
Graphics and Sound
The graphics are, for the most part, simple, yet effective in creating an engaging atmosphere. That is not to say the simplicity is a negative in any way, by no means is that the case. In fact, the visuals are quite pleasing in their simplicity. Your character and yes, even the enemies are all designed to look cute and each have a cartoon quality about them. The environment itself has enough detail to make it interesting and look alive. Visually, I was pleased with the small details, and yes, even the simple design and layout.
The audio, while charming, suffers from a lack of variety. I have no doubts that you’ll surely enjoy the sounds of Kung Fu Rabbit as he ‘pitter patters’ across the levels and shouts with glee as he rescues his trapped bunny friends. I suppose, that isn’t even really where the repetitive nature of the audio will bother you the most, but rather in the background music of each level. Other than this one little gripe, I enjoyed the audio presentation of Kung Fu Rabbit. I only wish I had more to enjoy. This slideshow requires JavaScript.
Final Score: 9 out of 10
Neko Entertainment did a great job of porting what was originally an iOS game over to the Wii U eShop. Kung Fu Rabbit proves to be an entertaining , fun, and challenging game with visuals and gameplay that are sure to please everyone who plays. Considering the base amount of content, plus the unlockables and challenge mode, $4.99 is a great price for everything being offered. I strongly encourage you to plop down the $5 and save those bunnies!
+ Easy to pick up and play
+ In-game purchases (upgrades)
+ Visually appealing (looks great in HD)
+ Off-TV Play supported (mirrored)
+ Hours of content
+ Unlockable Challenge Mode (increased difficulty and tile swap of all levels)
- Repetitive audio
– No online or local leaderboards
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