Super Kiwi 64 (is yet another low poly birdy platformer)

(Posted: Sunday, April 9, 2023)

This game (like Toree 3D) is all about going for that low poly exploring platforming aesthetic, and it does it really well! Super Kiwi obviously goes more towards the N64 side, and I think it hits it really well!

tldr Ratings:

First Time Playing Yup
Play Time 45mins
Difficulty N/A
100% Completion No
Fun 6 / 10
Bird Fun 8 / 10
Jank 3 / 10
N64 aestheticcccc

Where Toree 3D was more about getting to the end of the level, Super Kiwi 64 is more about a non-linear open ended approach. You are slapped into a level and can do any of the ‘objectives’ in any order you want, similar to something like Super Mario 64 or Banjo Kazooie. The controls are very simple, you can jump, glide, attack, and stick your nose into walls and climb things infinitely (similar to the woodpecker ability in Super Mario Odyssey).

What the game ABSOLUTELY NAILED was the animation. The way these plane wings come out of your backpack (with a tiny little propeller), the way you jump and your legs and feet spring, it all works REALLY REALLY well, and makes me feel like I’m part of the Kiwi. Everything just felt so fluid that gliding around an empty map wasn’t a bore at all.

N64 aestheticcccc

If anything I wish the game was longer, or had some kind of level editor where the community could share and upload levels. This seems really ripe for a Mario Maker-like design where you have a lot of simple mechanics and let people design maps and levels around them.

As far as easy/super cheap/quick platformers go, I liked this a lot more than Toree 3D. Everything was just so well designed and smoothed and it was a total blast.