Super Lucky’s Tale is a standalone sequel to Lucky’s Tale that was a launch exclusive for the Oculus Rift as a VR game. Super Lucky’s Tale has no VR component and it is a Play Anywhere title published by Microsoft for Xbox One and Windows 10. It also happens to be the only exclusive launch title for Microsoft’s Xbox One X console that released earlier this month outside India. While it was fun for a little while, Super Lucky’s Tale is an average platformer that has level design unworthy of the nice art style and a few other issues plaguing the overall experience.
Lucky is a fox who wants to be the guardian of the Book of Ages. This will grant him massive power and you probably have already guessed what happens next. This adventure is spread across multiple game worlds where Lucky is looking to prove that he is worthy of the book. While the worlds look different, they utilize the same mechanics mostly. You still end up using the same moves to collect coins or take enemies out. Platforming and puzzle sections feel tacked on and give the core design aspect of this release a rushed feel. I get that this is aimed at a younger audience but when you have games like Rayman Legends and Super Mario Odyssey allowing for smart design while being super accessible, the flaws are even more apparent here. Collecting clovers in game is painful because you need to replay levels instead of sections.
While the puzzles and level design are mediocre, what really annoyed me was the fixed camera. I can’t imagine the reasoning behind putting a fixed camera into a 3D platformer in 2017. This is compounded by the fact that the controls aren’t great either. I found myself fighting with the controls more than I did enjoying the platforming.
The only memorable aspect of Super Lucky’s Tale is the visual style. While some of the characters do feel derivative, they nailed the visual style here. There’s a generous use of colours and nice animations. How these come together with the gameplay on the other hand aren’t great. I hope the developers patch in a proper camera movement system because this isn’t some turn based RPG from the PS2 era.
Unlike PlayStation and Nintendo platforms, this generation hasn’t seen many family friendly titles of note on the Xbox One. Lucky’s lovely lush world could’ve been the start of a new franchise with Xbox One as a home but there are a lot of annoyances. You’d be better off buying Cuphead right now instead of this.
- Good art and environments
- Accessible for all
- Fixed camera
- Boring level design
- Doesn't control well
