Kung Fu Rabbit (Wii U) Review

Kung Fu Rabbit originally started life as a free-to-play mobile game on Apple iOS and Android devices, bringing with it a challenging set of short levels and a range of additional power-ups that can be bought to make progressing through the adventure that bit easier. With the Nintendo Wii U version, developer Neko Entertainment chose to tailor the interface and experience to a new audience in mind, re-jigging the control scheme and making in-game purchases part of the game rather than requiring real money.

Just what is Kung Fu Rabbit and why the immense popularity with mobile gamers? The premise is, at its core, a simple one. Step into the furry shoes of a rabbit that's living happily with his fellow lagomorph chums and all of a sudden an alien invasion leaves acid splatters and monsters across the world. With friends missing, it's down to the player to collect three carrots throughout each level (plus a bonus golden carrot), reaching a helpless bunny at the end. Levels are presented in side-scrolling fashion, complete with moving platforms, spawning blocks and disintegrating pathways in a bid to stop the hero in his tracks. These are very much reminiscent of classic Sonic the Hedgehog games in level structure, with a twinge of classic Ninja-Kid or Ninja Gaiden games from the Nineties.

Loose storyline aside, the main draw with Kung Fu Rabbit is it's initially simple approach that seemingly lures players into the far more difficult, and at times relentlessly challenging, levels. At its core, it may look easy and each level is short enough to be completed in a few minutes, but the subtle touches in design can cause havoc for even the most skilled players. Certain enemies can only be defeated when approaching from a particular direction - their back or head - but often are placed strategically and as soon a jump has been mistimed or you are just a few pixels out, it's very much back to the drawing board. By default there aren't any life metres or health bars; it's down to patience and mastering the levels. Careful timing and precise jumps are the core skills needed here, often relying on tight last second jumps to nab that tempting carrot that's perched narrowly above a pit of scorching hot alien slime.

There are items on offer that need to be purchased using in-game currency to help ease the challenge, especially during the later stages. Some include the ability to spawn a checkpoint after those trickier sections or even a sword that can penetrate enemies at any angle for a near-invincible way of tackling the game. These were originally available as in-game purchases in the mobile versions but have since been included in the game at no extra cost. Whilst these do help break the challenge down into more manageable chunks, they don't radically influence/change the game itself but are certainly worthwhile extras to make progressing far more bearable.

In Kung Fu Rabbit there are three worlds on offer, each broken down into twenty individual levels, plus bonus sections for those that can demonstrate a little extra skill. Each additional hub also invites a new mechanic, upping the ante for those who may have breezed through the initial set of levels. There is enough variety and challenge in design throughout the early segments, each creating an obstacle to try and hinder the poor rabbit's journey, but as progress is made into the later portions, things do sadly become very repetitive. There are times where a shake-up in structure, boss challenge or change in scenery would really have helped add extra variety and flesh out the feeling that at its core, Kung Fu Rabbit is still very much a mobile game.

Looking at Kung Fu Rabbit's presentation, the game has made the transition from portable to the living room TV well, weaving a neat Eastern look with fluttering blossom leaves, Japanese structures and serene backdrops to really go hand-in-hand with the martial arts flavour. The animation is slick, very much cartoon-like and shows some care and attention to reworking the title for larger, HD screens. The adventure is also playable in its entirety on the Wii U GamePad screen, offering a similar level of detail. Where the game does fall down, though, is in the sound department. Thematically the backing music conveys the oriental, martial-arts flavour well, but the samples are short and jarring, making for really prominent and irritating loops, so much so that it may even be worth playing with the sound set firmly to zero.