New Super Lucky’s Tale review on Switch

Lucky, the cute and cuddly fox, is back in his third outing—New Super Lucky’s Tale on Nintendo Switch. Lucky first appeared on the Oculus Rift VR headset and was one of the Rift’s stand out early launch titles. Then, thanks to the support of Xbox Game Studios, Lucky made his second outing for the Xbox One X launch in a fully fledged sequel.

Now, Lucky is making his debut on the Nintendo Switch in an expanded version of his Xbox One adventure. As a fan of 3D platformers, I was more than excited to hear Lucky was coming to the Switch. Ever since the Switch launched, I felt that Lucky would be a perfect match for the system. And, boy was I right! If you’re looking for a fun, breezy platformer the whole family will enjoy, New Super Lucky’s Tale fits the bill nicely.

New Super Lucky’s Tale Details

Platform: Nintendo Switch
Developer: Playful Corp.
Publisher: Playful Corp.
Genre: Platform game
Modes: Single player
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10+)

Take out Jinx and the Kitty Litter

3D platforming games aren’t known to have an engaging storyline. More often than not, they boil down to collecting a certain amount of stars, moons and whatever else you can think of. Fortunately, Lucky’s outing on the Switch features additional story segments and as a result, New Super Lucky’s Tale’s story is a little more substantial than the norm.

In a nutshell, you goal is to stop Jinx and the Kitty Litter from getting their hands on the almighty Book of Ages. Filled with entire worlds and characters, the Book of Ages is all powerful. And, Jinx along with the Kitty Litter (Jinx’s mischievous children) are trying to steal it for their own evil purposes.

When Jinx does get his hands on the Book of Ages, to protect itself, the pages along with Lucky and Jinx get sucked into a mysterious portal. With the help of Lucky’s sister Lyra, they must recover the pages of the Book of Ages and stop Jinx and the Kitty Litter once and for all.

Classic 3D platforming gameplay

If you’ve played any of the classic 90’s 3D platformers, then you have a good idea what to expect with New Super Lucky’s Tale. The game features several worlds that are presented in the form of hubs. These hubs are used as a means to travel to each of the world’s levels. Each world is distinctive with their overarching theme and lovable inhabitants. From a spooky carnival, to a floating cloud kingdom, to a sprawling veggie-filled village, there’s no shortage of pleasant sights.

Ultimately though, it’s what’s inside these worlds that really stands out. There are all kinds of weird and wonderful creatures that clearly were given a lot of tender loving care. Over-sized worms munching on straw, ghosts wearing bowties, stubby little rock fellows–they’re just some of the characters you’ll meet. Each level in New Super Lucky’s Tale has clovers, and they’re pretty fun to collect. You get one for completing the level, one for collecting 300 coins, and one for spelling the word “LUCKY”.

Additionally, every level has a hidden fourth Clover to discover, usually found by completing a minigame. Moreover, levels generally contain a foxhole where the aforementioned minigames take place. Some require fast reflex jumping, others precision bouncing, and the challenges must be completed within a time limit. Additionally, new levels have been added and existing level layouts have been altered slightly. In addition, you can now freely rotate the camera 360 degrees and the controls are more responsive.

Utterly charming visuals and lovable characters

One of the things that drives me to New Super Lucky’s Tale are its visuals and lovable characters. Playful Corp does a fantastic job in creating bright and colourful worlds that are pleasing to look at. However, you can’t help but notice just how darn lovable Lucky and the rest of the gang are.

I mean, who doesn’t like an anthropomorphic fox, especially one wearing a cape and sneakers? And, the Kitty Litter are just as endearing with their eccentric samurai, pirate, and other amusing garbs. Even Jinx, the big bad meanie you’re supposed to fear, looks ridiculous with his wizard outfit and gargantuan cat’s tail. Seeing these irresistibly delightful characters is a treat unto itself.

New Super Lucky’s Tale is the definitive version of the game and is fun for the whole family

If you are a fan of platforming games and own a Switch, New Super Lucky’s Tale is a must buy. Even if you you’ve played through Lucky’s Xbox One outing, New Super Lucky’s Tale is worth your time and money. Playful Corp has added new levels, tweaked the visuals, expanded the story, and improved gameplay. What more could you ask for?

And, there are hundreds of collectables to gather and secrets to unlock that will have you coming back for more. I’m looking forward to seeing what Playful Corp has in store for Lucky. Will we see Lucky as a DLC character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate? Or, will we see Lucky in an all new adventure? If it were up to me, it would be a yes to both.

In the end, New Super Lucky’s Tale is a love letter to 3D platformers that the entire family will enjoy.

+ Value priced
+ Charming and lovable characters
+ Worlds and levels that are fun to explore
+ Expanded story with new levels and characters
+ Enhanced gameplay
+ Fun for the whole family
+ Lots of collectables to gather and secrets to unlock

– Minor performance issues
– Does little to innovate the genre

OVERALL ASSESSMENT OF NEW SUPER LUCKY’S TALE

Gameplay: 4/5
Graphics: 4/5
Sound: 4/5
Lasting Appeal/Replayability: 4.5/5

Overall Rating 4.1/5 (82%)

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