Whenever I get an email with the words ‘New Game Boy Color game’ in the title, I instantly get excited. The fact that we’re still getting new games for a console that I had back in the 90s just goes to show how much of an iconic machine the Color really was, especially considering the number of handhelds that pay homage to it these days like the ModRetro Chromatic.
One game that we’re certainly looking forward to playing on the Chromatic when it drops is Kero Kero Cowboy, a new side-scrolling platformer from developer Mike Bedsole. I’ve been playing the first world of the game on Delta using a demo from Mike’s Itch.io page and have loved what I’ve seen so far. Players take a frog with a cowboy hat through levels that feel like a Mario game crossed with a demake of Red Dead Redemption, all with a character who could be Yoshi’s cooler cousin.
I know what you’re thinking – those are big names and characters to be throwing around to compare a new Game Boy Color game to, but from what I’ve played so far Kero Kero Cowboy certainly holds its own with the classic Nintendo side-scrollers of the day including Donkey Kong Land & Wario Land. Using your huge tongue to eat enemies, jumping over chasms and through blocky terrain; Mike has clearly taken influence from the games of his youth, and it’s something I’m not angry about at all. If anything, it feels familiar while adding some quirky new features, like having a frog with a massive pistol.
Yes, when you can’t reach an enemy, you can take out a six-shooter and fire bullets in order to progress. There’s the option to eat spicy pepper to spit fire, ride a mine cart for those extra Wild West vibes, and stomp enemies in a giant cowboy boot. Another interesting feature that I really liked was having the ability to sit with an NPC around a fire who provides a checkpoint as well as a refuel of health and ammo for $10 (as you can see in the featured image of this article), giving you a reason to pick up currency through the game.
The soundtrack is absolutely immense too. I actually sat and just listened to this for a while in an area without any enemies because it blew me away. It’s been composed by Scott Semanski who has worked on Mike’s previous titles ‘Sushi Gun’ and ‘Birdie Bartender’ and adds another level of excitement to the game.
Mike says that there will be 25 levels in total once the game is released, 5 levels in 5 worlds, and as well as exciting Boss Battles, some levels will need to be unlocked by collecting Star Coins. The project is available to back on Kickstarter right now and has almost reached its halfway mark with 25 days still to go. Don’t forget you can play the first 5 levels of the game in the demo to get a feel of Kero Kero Cowboy before you back the campaign!
And if you want to grab our Delta skin, you can get it from our website for £2.99 with 100% of the profits going straight to charity!
