Kukoos - Lost Pets

Written by Eric Hauter on 1/31/2022 for PC  

Kukoos: Lost Pets Preview
I’m not sure what it was about Kukoos: Lost Pets that first caught my eye. Maybe it was that elusive Nintendo “sheen” that hovers over Kukoos’ shockingly polished visuals. It could have been the cute little characters that remind me of a cross between Minions and Fall Guys’ little bumbling jellybeans. Or maybe it was the bit of PR content that told me that this game was inspired by such classics as Banjo-Kazooie and Mario 64.

Whatever pulled me into Kukoos: Lost Pets, I’m glad that the game did turn my head, because I’ve been having a blast playing through its surprisingly challenging platforming levels. If you’ve thought that the platforming genre had little left to offer in the way of new mechanics, then this is the game for you.

Things in Kukoos get off to a rousing start. After participating in a community contents of sorts (which doubles as a tutorial), the player witnesses complete carnage when a mechanical frog malfunctions and starts chomping down on Kukoos indiscriminately. In addition to eating the Kukoos king and queen (and a few randos), the frog also sends out signals into the collars of the Kukoos' beloved pets, causing them all to go berserk and run off. The player is tasked with cleaning up the mess, freeing the pets from their weird altered states, and bringing down the frog that caused all the chaos.

Take a look at the first hour of gameplay for Kukoos below. You will quickly see how polished the game is (particularly for an indie release in early access), looking for all the world like a high-end first-party AAA platformer. Sure, there are some slightly strange camera moments, and all of the characters have interesting accents (developer Petit Fabrik is based in Brazil), but for the most part this game looks and feels like a high-res version of something you might have found when you slapped a cartridge into an Nintendo 64.

You’ll note that I did struggle slightly with the controls at the beginning of that session. After getting accustomed to them, I was much better able to make jumps and activate my pet-powers. The controls are actually quite simple when you get used to them. On an Xbox controller, the A and B buttons both jump, the X and Y buttons both dash, and you activate your pet abilities with the right bumper, performing specialized moves with the right trigger.

The pet abilities I’m referring to are some of the most fascinating mechanisms in the game. Your character has access to a few different pets, each one of which brings its own interesting mechanics to the table. In Kukoos’ first world, the pet of choice is a firefly, which brings all sorts of light/dark puzzles to life. In addition to standard platforming, the player is challenged to control the light source in each level, sometimes needing to turn the lights off and navigate in the pitch black.

I’ve frankly never seen a mechanic like this used in a platformer. While it is sometimes challenging to remember where everything is when you turn off the lights, it is super rewarding when you pull it off and get to where you are going without bumbling off a cliff or into an enemy. The game leaves it to the player to figure out when it is best to kill the lights – often done to keep from waking a sleeping enemy, or to prevent spiky guys on the floor from impaling your Kukoo. It’s a great, clever, and – before now – utterly unheard-of mechanic in a platformer.

The next world is just as clever. The player gains a pet that works like a portable platform. You run around the level with a little box carried above your head, completely unable to jump. But when you need to, you can throw the box outward, and it expands into a platform to help you reach higher areas. And since you aren’t holding it anymore, you are now free to jump on it. You can also hang from a tether at the bottom of the platform and use your momentum to fling yourself across larger gaps.

You know what? Here. Just check this out:

The mechanics in Kukoos just keep pivoting from there. Each world latches onto one mechanic, and then iterates on that mechanic with every progressive level. It’s a great structure for the game that keeps it from getting old, and there is no particular need to “unlock” abilities as you play the game. You are just organically granted new abilities, and then left to your own devices to figure out how to use them.

One last thing I want to mention – if you are interested in trying out Kukoos: Lost Pets for yourself, there is currently a giveaway/bundle being offered by PC hardware company Neo Forza. You can read the details here, but basically, if you purchase (or already own) a Neo Forza product, you can enter the serial number here to receive a free copy of Kukoos: Lost Pets. Not a bad deal, if you need some RAM or something, you can get your new part and a boss new game to go with it.

There isn’t much negative I can say about Kukoos, particularly given its Early Access status. By the time this game goes full release, I expect that we will have a new classic on our hands. The controls are tight, the character work is fantastic, and this game has enough new ideas packed into it for five platforms. It is clear that developer Petit Fabrik understands the platforming genre, as this game is packed with love and care. Get in now, so you can say that you played Kukoos: Lost Pets before anyone had heard of it.