OkunoKA Madness is a challenging speedrunning game developed by Caracal Games and published by Ignition Publishing. Over the past few years, we’ve not seen too many speedrunning titles however OkunoKA Madness brings the genre back with challenging mechanics and brilliant gameplay mechanics. The game seems inspired by classic speedrunning games like Super Meat Boy that was one of the best speedrunning titles as well. This is our review of the PS4 version of OkunoKA Madness in which we try to complete the levels as quickly as possible while trying not to die.
OkunoKA Madness is set in a world where evil has taken over and it is up to the little blue creature to set out on a journey and save the world of souls from the evil as quickly as possible. As simple as that sounds, the story is the least important aspect that you will be considering while playing the game. The story plays out in the form of quick artsy cutscenes and then you are simply thrown into a world with different levels all unlocked for you to tackle and complete as soon as possible.
All of the levels in a world are unlocked for you right from the start of the world apart from the boss level. To unlock the boss level, you have to at least complete all of the levels in the world no matter which grade you get. Once you’ve completed all levels, the boss level is unlocked and then you move to the next world after you complete the boss fight. Some of the levels in the game also come with Vortex levels that are essentially alternate dimension levels that are much harder to complete and also come with a certain death limit. Fail to complete the level in the allowed lives and you have to wait for the Vortex to appear again.
Apart from the normal Story mode where you can also jump in the alternately black and white Vortex reality, you have the Madness mode which is for the most experienced players. These small number of levels are extremely difficult and they will test all of your reflexes and patience to complete. Death is one thing that you will have to make your friend in OkunoKA Madness because you will die a lot in the game. Apart from the Vortex levels, death does not matter much because your ultimate enemy in each level is the time. At the end of the level, you are graded based on how quickly you managed to complete that particular level.
The levels start off really easy and during the initial levels, the game slowly teaches you different mechanics of the game. Once you’ve got a grip on the controls and how the levels play out, the game starts to rack up the difficulty. Smaller obstacles that started from simple thorns start to turn into machines that have huge buzz saws, lasers, and even homing missiles that chase after you. Platforms become optional as you have to switch between powers to progress in the levels, all while trying to ensure that you are speeding past them. As you complete different worlds, you also unlock their Time Attack versions where your sole goal is to get the best time possible in all of the levels in a sequence.
Apart from the main blue KA, you can also unlock plenty of other characters to play with in the game as well. To unlock these characters, you have to find different collectibles in each level and when you reach certain milestones, you unlock a new character. Each character comes with its own unique ability as well that you can use to make the game somewhat more accessible to you. However, the best experience is still with the default blue KA character as it is the simplest of all to play with. However, having multiple playable characters is certainly a good option to have in the game.
OkunoKA Madness also brings with it a unique mechanic of using powers in the game. You have multiple powers to use in the game and you will use these powers to make your way, unlock new paths, make platforms, and clear away obstacles in your path. These powers range from using ice to create platforms or using fire to melt away ice that is blocking your path. You can also use electricity as a power in the game as well. Using these mechanics on-the-run as you try to complete the level as quickly as possible adds a new level of challenge to you because unlike Super Meat Boy, you have to use these powers to progress in certain levels as well apart from using jumps or sprinting around obstacles.
OkunoKA Madness comes with a detailed leaderboard system as well because completing the levels and getting the best grade is not the only thing you have to worry about. After you’ve aced the levels yourself, you can start checking the leaderboards and aim to become the fastest player in the whole world on each level in the game. After a level is complete, you can check out the leaderboards and see where you landed on the table. If you are not happy with your placement, you can head back and continue playing it again and again until you reach the desired spot on the leaderboard.
Gameplay is yet another strong suit of the game. If you’ve played Super Meat Boy, as soon as you start playing OkunoKA Madness, you will instantly feel the similarity in the controls. They are extremely crisp and fluid as you zip around the levels in a blink of an eye. You have jump, sprint and moving left and right at your disposal along with your powers. You will be required to balance out everything in the right manner in order to overcome the obstacles in your way and complete the levels as soon as possible because if you stand and think, either you will get blown up by homing missiles or you will miss your desired grade.
Final Verdict:
OkunoKA Madness reminded me of one my favorite speedrunner titles Super Meat Boy on many different points and I say this in a good manner. The gameplay of OkunoKA Madness is extremely smooth and demands precision while the added powerups to open your way add another level of challenge to an already challenging level design. All of this combines with simple visuals and soundtrack to deliver a Speedrunner that is meant for only one thing, be fast, be precise, and ace those times. It is highly challenging and with online leaderboards, you will be running the same level again and again even if you obtain the highest rank on a level. It is a must-play for you if you prefer speedrunners such as Super Meat Boy.
Final Score: 8.0/10
