After seeing multiple rereleases and ports, it seemed like New Super Lucky’s Tale would never release on PlayStation 4. But, similar to another popular franchise that was somewhat known for that, it seems even more people will get to see the simple charm of New Super Lucky’s Tale. With various improvements, a more powerful system, and countless lessons, is this a title worth playing or should they have given up before?
New Super Lucky’s Tale takes a lot of inspiration from classic platformers. This appears in a lot of different ways, with the easiest to see being a story. The adventure starts with Lucky and his sister attempting to protect the Book of Ages from falling in the hands of Jinx, a terrible villain that will do awful things with it. In response, the book transports Lucky, Jinx, and his kids to a faraway land where Lucky needs to collect pages and defeat foes.
Following the initial reveal, most of the story is told through goofy cutscenes and silly encounters. Every member is given their own quirky personality and it’s a journey that might not rival story intensive games, is enough to make his journey fun and engaging. This is furthered by classic 90s platforming sections.
Arguably the best thing about New Super Lucky’s Tale is that it’s pretty simple. If you’ve played a platformer or have a vague idea of how they play, you can master this in a matter of minutes. Most of the sections also follow typical platforming conventions, so don’t be surprised if seemingly pointless things are actually used to unlock secrets or some of the hardest to find items are just hard to see from that vantage point.
Even if a lot of levels come down to exploring the location, there are optional puzzles, hidden pages, and different style levels to complete. One such puzzle involved moving statues to specific spots. This is harder than you’d think, as you need to move them in a more roundabout way to make it work. Several of the puzzles come down to looking at the challenge slightly differently to find success.
Another highlight is the actual design. There is a looser feel to everything in New Super Lucky’s Tale, giving characters, settings, and even enemies a lot of charm. The overly stylized art style makes things fun, fresh, and interesting to just explore and overcome a wide variety of challenges.
For all New Super Lucky’s Tale does right, it does fall short in a couple of places. At times it feels like there is little to no bite. I’m all for accessibility and for certain games to focus on fun, but there was no point where I found any task or ask to be even remotely demanding. Timed challenges were especially lax, as I could legitimately fall off the platforms two or three times and still have enough time to see everything and unlock the prize.
Also, there is a relatively high amount of loading screens and dropped frames. It doesn’t matter if the level is really simple or relatively complex, there will be times when motion lags behind or you find yourself waiting a bit longer than you’d expect. This isn’t enough to ruin the experience or even make the game fail, just something to keep in mind before jumping in.
New Super Lucky’s Tale Review – Verdict
New Super Lucky’s Tale is a massive improvement over the original and it shows. Between accessible levels and colorful designs, it’s a game that is easy to enjoy. Sure, there are times when it feels too easy or the performance starts to dip but that doesn’t take away from the rest. So if you’re looking for a classic 3D platformer that is just fun or something like this for your young one, it’s hard to say no to New Super Lucky’s Tale.
[Editor’s Note: New Super Lucky’s Tale was reviewed on PS4 platform. The game was provided to us by the publisher for review purposes.]
