During the jump to 3D gaming, platformers were all the rage as the go-to genre for developers. Leading the charge was Super Mario 64 in 1996, pioneering many of the mechanics and features that would lay the foundation for later games in the same style. In the coming years, many other franchises such as Ratchet and Clank garnered a great deal of success as well. Kao the Kangaroo, while not one of the bigger names on the block, still carved out a small piece of the pie for itself in this regard.
While the genre faded away from popularity for a while, nostalgia seems to be scratching at gamers lately, as the 3D platforming genre is making something of a comeback. Bigger franchises have kept it alive, but never would a Kao the Kangaroo reboot have been expected. However, this underrated marsupial is now confirmed to be making a return, and the return of Kao should be an inspiration for other properties. There are other classic platforming mascots that, while not as popular as Mario or Sly Cooper, still deserve more time in the spotlight.
Gex
When thinking of wise cracking platforming protagonists, Conker's foul-mouthed antics may come to mind first. However, Gex was just as well recognized for this character trait. The gameplay could arguably be seen as nothing outside the usual conventions of the platforming genre, but it was Gex's personality and the tongue in cheek humor of the series that helped these games stand out.
Each level was a parody of a particular film or franchise, leading to plenty of referential jokes and sarcastic one-liners. With so many movies having been released since Gex was last on the scene, there is plenty of material for the wisecracking reptile to poke fun at. Deadpool's style of humor has proven to be a hit with modern audiences, showing that Gex could easily squeeze himself back into the limelight.
Ty the Tasmanian Tiger
From kangaroos to Tasmanian tigers, Australian wildlife seems to have had a decent influence on 3D platforming in the past. Released during the sixth generation of gaming, Ty the Tasmanian Tiger was an action platformer with vibrant, colorful graphics and a charming style overall. It was successful enough to garner two more sequels over the next few years, before eventually falling into obscurity.
The trilogy has recently been ported to modern consoles such as PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch with an HD graphical overhaul and some quality of life improvements. Considering the amount of time that has passed since the original release of these three games, they hold up fairly well and are still enjoyable. Hopefully, these remasters gained enough attention that Ty can leap back into action sooner rather than later.
Croc
More than ever, gaming has been adopted by a younger audience, with kids jumping into interactive entertainment before even entering primary school. Because of this, there is a market to release more youth friendly experiences that are aesthetically friendly but also challenging enough to keep young minds engaged. During the PS1 era, Croc was exactly that, proving to be a simple yet enjoyable gaming adventure for kids.
In a gaming landscape so dominated by first-person shooters and open worlds action games, a more traditional platformer that is easily accessible to a younger gamer would be a welcome change of pace. The vibrant environments and cartoony art style lend themselves well to modern graphical capabilities, something which would help Croc find a new audience.
Klonoa
Finally, the Klonoa franchise has been absent from the gaming landscape for quite some time, but now may be the right time to bring it back. First arriving on the PS1 in 1997 before receiving a sequel on the PS2 in 2001, the adventures of this dream traveler seemed to be cut short as he faded away in the following years.
A revival was attempted on the Nintendo Wii in 2008, which was a critical hit but unfortunately failed to perform sales-wise, ensuring that future titles were scrapped. This is a shame, as much like the other entries above, the Klonoa series has so much potential to stand out on its own. Perhaps Nintendo or Sony can snag the rights to this forgotten franchise and help breathe new life into its fuzzy main character.
Kao the Kangaroo launches Summer 2022 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S
