★★★☆☆

I'll be the first to admit I don't particularly have the patience for these types of games, as I can get pretty frustrated pretty easily. But, having said that, I've never actually tried one of them yet. I've watched people play Super Mario Maker and rage, though!

Anyway, it had an interesting look to it, so I gave it a chance.

There's not much audio to Ikao The Lost Souls, but it has a nice ambiance going for it. More than likely so it soothes your frayed nerves after your death becomes a repetitive washing machine cycle. Personally, I would've liked some more sound effects going on, just not an intrusive amount.

There are two different characters you play as. First, a blue, two-tailed fox, and then a spirit is later introduced as a character you play. Each one of them has different playstyles--different abilities, rather, to get through areas. They're somewhat introduced via short animated cutscenes.

The graphics are simplistic, maybe a bit dull at times, but that doesn't mean the scenery can't be pretty. From place-to-place it all sort of blends in from one level to the next. That's kind of OK, because you're not playing the game to look at how pretty things are. You're playing the game to dodge the different things that can kill your vulnerable self.

Even so, sometimes the bad things can blend in with the environment (I'm looking at you, thorny plants), and it can become annoying when death catches you off guard.

Have you ever played Super Mario Maker? Have you ever watched someone play Super Mario Maker? Ikao The Lost Souls doesn't have the same mechanics and certainly isn't as brutal, but it might make you just as tilted if you're unable to get through a level.

The levels are quite short, mind you, and there are 90+ you can test your skills to get through.

There's a reason I brought up Super Mario Maker. After every death I had in Ikao, all I could think of was there should be a big X counter to show all these locations you die at. I can't say if that would aggravate me more, or if it would spur me to get through the level no matter what.

On another note, the different abilities you have are rough to master at times. Such as the blue-tailed fox requires you to teleport and double jump, but sometimes after teleporting it doesn't understand the input you're pressing and you die. It's certainly not smooth gameplay through this regard, but the jumping--though something you can't height-control--is pretty smooth and stable.

It's a cheap game. If you like platform/adventure genre, piled on with the stress of death and getting through a level, then this is certainly right up your alley.

Also, at the start it mentioned keeping v-sync enabled on your graphics card. Well, I started Ikao with the v-sync disabled and it wouldn't play at all until I enabled it. So there's that oddity.

Game on,
TGEXP

[h1]TGEXP Reviews: [u]Ikao The Lost Souls[/u][/h1] ★★★☆☆ I'll be the first to admit I don't particularly have the patience for these types of games, as I can get pretty frustrated pretty easily. But, having said that, I've never actually [i]tried[/i] one of them yet. I've watched people play Super Mario Maker and rage, though! Anyway, it had an interesting look to it, so I gave it a chance. [h1]Soundtrack[/h1] There's not much audio to Ikao The Lost Souls, but it has a nice ambiance going for it. More than likely so it soothes your frayed nerves after your death becomes a repetitive washing machine cycle. Personally, I would've liked some more sound effects going on, just not an intrusive amount. [h1]Characters[/h1] There are two different characters you play as. First, a blue, two-tailed fox, and then a spirit is later introduced as a character you play. Each one of them has different playstyles--different abilities, rather, to get through areas. They're somewhat introduced via short animated cutscenes. [h1]Graphics[/h1] The graphics are simplistic, maybe a bit dull at times, but that doesn't mean the scenery can't be pretty. From place-to-place it all sort of blends in from one level to the next. That's kind of OK, because you're not playing the game to look at how pretty things are. You're playing the game to dodge the different things that can kill your vulnerable self. Even so, sometimes the bad things can blend in with the environment (I'm looking at you, thorny plants), and it can become annoying when death catches you off guard. [h1]Gameplay[/h1] Have you ever played Super Mario Maker? Have you ever watched someone play Super Mario Maker? Ikao The Lost Souls doesn't have the same mechanics and certainly isn't as brutal, but it might make you just as tilted if you're unable to get through a level. The levels are quite short, mind you, and there are 90+ you can test your skills to get through. There's a reason I brought up Super Mario Maker. After every death I had in Ikao, all I could think of was there should be a big [b]X[/b] counter to show all these locations you die at. I can't say if that would aggravate me more, or if it would spur me to get through the level no matter what. On another note, the different abilities you have are rough to master at times. Such as the blue-tailed fox requires you to teleport and double jump, but sometimes after teleporting it doesn't understand the input you're pressing and you die. It's certainly not smooth gameplay through this regard, but the jumping--though something you can't height-control--is pretty smooth and stable. [h1]Verdict[/h1] It's a cheap game. If you like platform/adventure genre, piled on with the stress of death and getting through a level, then this is certainly right up your alley. Also, at the start it mentioned keeping v-sync enabled on your graphics card. Well, I started Ikao with the v-sync disabled and it wouldn't play at all until I enabled it. So there's that oddity. [b]Game on,[/b] TGEXP