KAKU: Ancient Seal Review

KAKU: Ancient Seal is a game that feels like a blast from the past to anyone who has experienced the golden age of the PlayStation 2. The latest release from BINGOBELL promises an intricate, deep adventure with a dynamic combat system and a lush, deep world. However, the question is if this is an adventure that is worth embarking on or if it should have stayed in the past. 

KAKU: Ancient Seal is set back in primordial times where you take on the role of Kaku, a young man with a destiny he must follow. The plot starts slow, but it quickly ramps up to the point where the weight of the world rests on your shoulders. The characters you meet, and there are a fair few of them, are colourful and entertaining. It’s important to note that you will be reading subtitles a lot due to a lack of understandable language. Thankfully, the characters emote through movement, so I really didn’t mind. Unfortunately, your character has a pig sidekick whose voice and dialogue are truly grating. Thankfully, he has a purpose in gameplay which I will get to later.

One big benefit of KAKU: Ancient Seal’s plot is that it isn’t hugely complex. There’s a threat and a path you need to follow to reach it, but I never felt overwhelmed or out of my depth, and I never got to the point where I got lost. I know it sounds a bit strange, but sometimes a nice, simple story is refreshing. That ease does have its downsides as there isn’t a whole lot of depth here either. The plot isn’t hugely memorable, and no sequences stuck in my mind as being epic, but it does what is necessary to get you out and exploring the world.

KAKU: Ancient Seal sells itself as an open-world game but it’s more of an Open Area in a similar vein to Dragon Age Inquisition rather than, say, Far Cry. What I mean is that it is more of a selection of large maps that the player can visit. Each area has its own biome and set of enemies and each is fun to explore. However, once you’ve found everything, there’s no real reason to go back. In each of these areas, you will meet a side character who needs you to do something for them. I will note that there are a lot of fetch quests in this game, so be prepared for that. Thankfully, running back and forth at least lets you fully experience KAKU’s combat.

KAKU: Ancient Seal’s combat appears pretty simple at first: you have a basic attack and a secondary that takes down the stagger gauge on your opponent. The basic principle is that you break your foe’s gauge and then do increased damage to them. You also have a pretty extensive ability tree you can unlock that gives you access to new moves. It's engaging and, sadly, completely pointless. The issue is that your basic melee attack doesn’t do much damage while the stagger is up, but the enemies will always hit you for full damage. This makes combat a pain and it’s just easier to run away and pelt the opponent with the slingshot’s basic ammo, which is unlimited and does more damage regardless of the stagger.

In addition to the combat, KAKU: Ancient Seal has a crafting mechanic, at least in a manner of speaking. You can gather some basic ingredients and gems to craft items and ammo, but there isn’t much depth. It adds a reason to explore, but I wouldn’t see the game on it. The newly crafted ammo is mostly used to deal with the dark magic-infested plants that block your way. There is also a gear system that you can improve, and you’ll need to so that you can stand a chance against the bosses. The final gameplay element is Piggy, your flying pig friend. Your porcine companion has several abilities to help you traverse the world, including a super jump and a disguise. You’ll need the abilities because Kaku can neither swim nor jump all that far. Honestly, it can get a bit irritating waiting for the ability to charge before it activates, especially if you have to do several jumps at once. 

The combat might be basic, but the big sell is the dungeons and the platforming. Each dungeon and cave comes with its own set of challenges and puzzles, and they’re all pretty challenging and fun. Usually, I can find platforming pretty dull, especially if it's overdone, however, KAKU: Ancient Seal follows the Zelda game mindset of offering a fair amount of variety. One thing to note is that Kaku will sometimes slide off rocks or ledges, but for the most part, I found it all came together pretty well. 

Visually, KAKU: Ancient Seal reminds me of games like Jak and Daxter Trilogy and, oddly, The Croods. The world is colourful and varied, with each biome looking distinct pushing my want to explore. I never felt like looking around was a drag, and I was excited to see a new part of the world. I also thought the design of the weapons and armour was suitably prehistoric; they were all very cool. I did start to find the voices and the “caveman” language got irritating pretty quickly, but that’s more of a minor issue than anything else. 

KAKU: Ancient Seal will offer players about thirty hours of gameplay, with the world and characters each making the experience a joy. While the combat leaves a bit to be desired, and the jumping, Piggy and fetch quests can be a bit annoying, KAKU: Ancient Seal is certainly a perfect game for the platformer fan.