New Super Lucky’s Tale is Basically a New Game

Starting out as an Oculus Rift packed-in launch title, Lucky’s Tale eventually saw release as one of the first games to be supported by Xbox One X enhancements as almost a whole new game as Super Lucky’s Tale. Now we’re getting yet another enhancement for the Switch in New Super Lucky’s Tale, bringing the title closer in line to its genre contemporaries.

Super Lucky’s Tale for the Xbox One is a game that I found most players described as a “just fine” platformer. It was a shame that it was one of the few games to launch alongside the more powerful Xbox One X as it really highlighted its simple design that didn’t quite meet the expectations of the new hardware.

Surprisingly, the team at Playful Studios seems determined to get their little squirrel to a level of quality that’s memorable. This is commendable and probably worthwhile, as platformers are often timeless games. There are still lots of people enjoying Super Mario 64 and we’ll probably see players enjoying modern titles like A Hat in Time for many years. It makes sense in the long-term to perfect this game; it’s likely cheaper than a full-blown sequel.

During the Nintendo Direct, I thought this was just a straight port of the Xbox game. However, after looking a little closer at the trailer and a recent press release, it’s clear that some significant improvements have been made. Lucky will now have to protect a strange magic book from the villainous Jinx and take down his dastardly group of minions, the Kitty Litter in a world that’s familiar but different.

Now, for context, I’m only familiar with Super Lucky’s Tale by proxy and the coverage done by people like Jim Sterling, so there could be something worthwhile for fans that I could gloss over.

For starters, players can now fully rotate the game’s camera. The game’s movement and mechanics have also been tweaked with new moves like a slide and an enhanced burrow. These gameplay modifications are coupled with changes to the levels including new layouts, puzzles, secrets, quests, creatures, mini-games and more. The way players traverse through levels has also been improved, opening up more paths so that stages can be approached more freely. We’re also getting new story cinematics, characters, and dialogue throughout the adventure. It also looks like the game’s world is softer, with less minute detail.

Overall, there are substantial changes here that make New Super Lucky’s Tale more charming and potentially way more fun to play. Maybe this time around, Playful Studios will finally achieve the goals they’re chasing so diligently.

For more information on New Super Lucky’s Tale, check out the official website. There’s also a giveaway for a collector’s item and a Nintendo Switch happening on their site.