It’s great to see up and coming developers attempt to cut their teeth on a classic platforming formula, even if the finished product isn’t quite as well put together as the games that preceded it. That’s the case with Stitchy in Tooki Trouble, a game from Polygoat that’s got its heart in the right place, but doesn’t quite live up to the legend of what inspired it – in this case, Donkey Kong Country.
The game puts you in control of Stitchy, a scarecrow brought to life by magic. Why, you ask? Well, some bothersome animal natives called the Tooki have gone and snatched up all his corn, putting the farm he was built to protect at risk. With the help of this magic, he’ll pounce on the enemies, collect the corn and then go back to his resting spot. Why he’s been summoned to rescue an island-like paradise is beyond us, but, hey, scarecrow’s gotta work.
Polygoat has all the gameplay elements in place for Stitchy, right down to the double jump and the foot pounce. This allows him to reach out-of-place areas to discover idols, in which there are three hidden on each level. The more you collect, the more bonus levels you can unlock over the course of the game. And they’re fairly easy to find, though sometimes it doesn’t hurt to explore in hidden floorboards a little.
The gameplay works well for a game of this nature, as it’s fairly easy to use foot stomps and double jumps to get where you need to go. Enemies go down rather easily as well; and the bosses put up quite a fight. There’s even a classic mine cart level or two, in case you’re feeling nostalgic for that sort of thing.
Where Stitchy comes up short – literally – is with its challenge. In fact, there’s barely any challenge at all. We cleaned up everything that the game had to offer within a matter of hours. Even a 90’s produced game like Donkey Kong Country offers more content in comparison. However, that makes it an excellent title for the younger set, as well as nostalgic platforming fans not seeking out a challenge. For that matter, there are time goals on each stage, and the faster you beat each one, the more stars you earn – and that means bonus levels. Not a bad incentive considering the content at hand.
Stitchy doesn’t look like a bad game at all. The visuals are well done for a platformer, with a 2.5-D approach and some neat designs, including lava and island-themed stages. The enemies, however, aren’t that original, with the exception of the cool-looking bosses. The music is alright, with a mixture of adventure and tropical themes that will remind you of good ol’ DKC. The sound effects, however, are minimal. Polygoat could’ve, at the very least, given Stitchy some kind of personality.
Though Polygoat’s Stitchy in Tooki Trouble’s journey is over far too soon, it’s a suitable platformer that’s sure to please the target audience of kids and fans of the genre. It lacks in some of its design, particularly with enemies, but makes up for it with pretty good gameplay and lots of stars and idols to collect. You could spend time with better platformers on the system, but Stitchy definitely isn’t a waste of it. This adventure holds together well enough to please youngens.
RATING: 7/10
