Nikoderiko: The Magical World Director’s Cut Review (PS5)- A Director’s Cut Above

Nikoderiko: The Magical World Director’s Cut PS5 Review. If you’ve never seen Nikoderiko before, chances are you’ll think to yourself “whoah! What on earth happened to Crash Bandicoot?” Despite the stark similarities, the only things that Nikoderiko and Crash share in common is an insatiable love of platforming, and the general colour of both of their epidermis bears a striking resemblance. In truth, Nikoderiko pays homage to Crash Bandicoot, Donkey Kong, Rayman, and other classic platformers, and was released last year to a positive reception.

Now, courtesy of VEA Games and Knights Peak, a director’s cut version of Nikoderiko: The Magical World exists, featuring brand new levels, a plethora of additional plunder, and new challenges for sadists……sorry that’s for Hard Mode enthusiasts. Does this Director’s Cut give Nikoderiko players old and new alike a chance to be jubilant once again about this precious ode to classic platformers, or is this boatload of booty worth tipping overboard?

Nikoderiko: The Magical World Director’s Cut Review- A Director’s Cut Above

This shimmering new director’s cut of Nikoderiko: The Magical World is a love letter to the fans who rallied behind the original version late last year, bundling in new treasures, levels and Hard Mode challenges to keep devotees hooked and unearthing every morsel of what The Magical World has to offer. The Director’s Cut is a celebration of what Nikoderiko stands for, and in that vain it is highly appreciable and deserving of love and respect.

For those who are unaware, Nikoderiko is a platformer that pays homage to the classics, while attempting to carve out its own identity in a highly exalted genre. Nikoderiko is successful and tracing the paper of its prestigious forbears, but unfortunately for this impressionable pupil, it’s too busy reminding us of those stalwarts, and as a consequence fails to truly mark out on its own.

The premise is one glowing example of how entwined Nikoderiko is to the past. You and your chirpy band of cohorts are tasked with tracking down an ancient artefact, which has been pinched by an oversized bulldog/Captain Hook hybrid known as Grimbald-so you gotta get it back.

More indicative of Naughty Dog’s Uncharted series, the set-up is simple and easy to understand, just like the beginnings of many platformers of the past. Sure, the straightforwardness allows you to get sucked into Nikoderiko and its vast, accessible and colourful world, inviting youngsters in with its vibrancy and lovable characters-but there’s plenty of competition out there that can work the exact same formula, so Nikoderiko doesn’t do anything surprising here.

Aping An Ape

Nikoderiko springs along with the grace and elegance of Donkey Kong, meaning he moves with swiftness and an adept ability to pounce on his prey with merciless precision. Magnifying-glass serpents and Khangaskhan-looking monstrosities survey back and forth, sometimes in small packs you can quickly dispatch of with sweeping attacks. Barrel bashing, trinket-collecting, and discovering hidey holes containing secrets are all par for the course in Nikoderiko, along with the occasional boss you can slay before moving onto the next sparkly themed world to do it all over again.

The formula of a great platforming adventure is nailed down to a science in Nikoderiko, and if you can forgive the pungent pong of over-familiarity, it’s a very good student of the game, and it’s bustling with a bountiful bounty of joys and pleasures to keep you playing either alone, or with the company of friends in co-op.

Buddying up with friends in Nikoderiko is a hectic but raucous affair, where you play either as Niko or his counterpart and partner in run-and-climb Luna. Dashing and smashing about the levels with an extra pair of hands will surely be a frenzied delight, though at times it can be too chaotic for its own good, you’ll still no doubt relish the togetherness as you undertake each stage during this magical adventure platformer.

Furthermore, Nikoderiko’s co-op is remarkably suited for children to play with its cast of colourful and upbeat characters, and it’ll be a wonderful way for parents to spend with their kids. Family friendliness is definitely a recommended way to enjoy Nikoderiko, and the way it welcomes newcomers to the platforming genre is very appreciable.

There’s no denying how zippy and free-flowing Nikoderiko is, despite the elongated name our protagonist certainly has a rollicking sense of adventure coursing through his quasi-marsupial veins. He’s got the spirit of Uncharted’s Nathan Drake, and that already gives him a likable essence, but his sleek movement and ability to take out multiple meanies at once shows he’s an expert explorer to rally behind.

Some will say that Nikoderiko: The Magical World is PlayStation’s Donkey Kong, and they wouldn’t be wrong with that assessment. From the way Niko moves, to the on-screen calamity, to the beautiful animations and the varied levels and personalities-Nikoderiko is like Donkey Kong in Crash Bandicoot clothing, though this assertion isn’t entirely accurate or fair.

Niko and chums may not billow with the same legendary steam as those who they draw inspiration from, but they stand out because they do a very good job of aping what came before. Whether this qualifies Nikoderiko as a great game in itself is up for debate, but what is undeniable is the impact made has positioned The Magical World into the same atmosphere of its esteemed greats, even though it’s merely a visitor of planets rather than the ruler of any of them.

So far, we’ve already established that Nikoderiko takes inspiration from Donkey Kong and replicate its formula cerebrally, but there’s a sizable difference between taking inspiration from the source of inspiration, and cribbing wholesale from it, and Nikoderiko skirts too close to the latter for comfort. Even the sound effects of collecting up titbits is pretty much identical to those jolly micro sounds in Donkey Kong. Both the presentation and gameplay are attached closely to Nikoderiko’s core, which on the one hand allows it to flourish as an exciting and memorable platformer, but on the other makes it nothing but an obedient follower.

A Cut Above Director’s Cuts

As for the new features and enhancements, there are various both subtle and sizable that should be commended. Environmental details have been improved and look more luscious and vibrant than before, especially the lava and the backdrops are just a tinge more ravishing than you remembered.

You can carry over your save from the original version supposing too if you didn’t want to start it all over again. This makes this Director’s Cut seem like a whole new and expanded game in a small way, even if it’s a version with additions and refinements rather than a huge overhaul. The fact it’s a free update for players of the original is a big plus as well because it’d have felt like a scam if they’d have to purchase it again otherwise.

Areas have been expanded and new levels keep the adventure rolling along. A new secret world has been added, which can incentivize players of the original to play this Director’s Cut update, and the new challenges to Hard Mode accelerate the difficulty in a way similar to a Soulslike. And, while putting Soulslike elements in a family-style platform adventure seems antithetical, Nikoderiko does its best to please everyone, and it certainly tries its very best to do so.

A Ripoff or a Rip-Roaring Success?

How you look at Nikoderiko is based on how you personally frame it. Some may see it as a big ripoff that blatantly copies its ideas from exemplars of the platformer, and some will see it as a beautiful and accessible callback that hits all the right notes and deserves to be applauded for managing delightful accessibility with a taut challenge for those who want it. Ultimately, the very best media out there borrows from those that inspired them, so take it for what it is and it’s a pretty great if under-the-radar platformer worthy of your attention.

As for this Director’s Cut, it gives you more on top of what was originally included, is visually and aesthetically tidied up, and the fact that it’s free is a delightful cherry on top. For new players, Nikoderiko: The Magical World provides a raucous and exciting platformer that you’ll want to keep exploring, and for those who’ve already played it, there’s even more to unearth now, and a new world.

Whether the new content is enough for a return trip is questionable as there has only been six or so months between the original game’s release and the Director’s Cut, but more is certainly merrier and you should see what is new and remind yourself why you played this riveting platformer to begin with.