Out this September, Marsupilami 2 – Salsa Palombia is a colourful and moreish platformer
It’s been five years since Marsupilami: Hoobadventure made its way onto our consoles, and in that time, the French-Belgian comic book star hasn’t exactly gained any popularity outside of its native homelands. Even here in England, just across the Channel, I’ve not heard of Marsupilami outside of the somewhat niche platforming game published by Microids. And yet, Microids is once again teaming up with developer Ocellus to bring us a sequel. Having been hands-on with a preview of the equally madcap-named Marsupilami 2 – Salsa Palombia, however, I’m very glad they did.
Marsupilami might not be a well-known character to many of us, but it doesn’t matter. Beautiful visuals, a vivid colour palette and a wide range of moves available to you make Marsupilami 2 – Salsa Palombia an instant hit as far as platforming goes. This time around, you have access to a number of characters, each with their own moveset. With the press of a button you can switch to another character mid-action, making use of each one’s unique ability. One has a double jump, allowing you to reach higher platforms, while another can change into a bouncy ball, becoming invulnerable to spikes and other environmental threats.
Aiming for the same sort of audience as Mario or Sonic, Marsupilami 2 – Salsa Palombia is suitable for kids to play but it’s just as likely to appeal to adult fans of platforming, too. And indeed, some of the trickier sections here require careful timing and precision beyond what a younger player might be capable of. But in terms of the visuals – bright, colourful and attractive, with cutesy characters to match – it’s the type of game that I imagine younger kids will gravitate towards.
The demo I played – which you can jump into yourself on Steam – allows you to play three full levels of the game. The levels are varied and provide a good taste of the type of platforming on offer. Like its predecessor, it’s clear that Marsupilami 2 – Salsa Palombia has been heavily influenced by popular platformers from over the years, and it wears those influences on its sleeve. From the birds you can jump into that fire you across the screen like a cannon, Donkey Kong Country style, to the way you jump on enemies’ heads to defeat them, there’s nothing wholly original here. But it doesn’t matter when it all comes together so nicely.
It’s the variety of actions on offer that makes Marsupilami 2 feel so much fun, I think. Switching between characters keeps the actions you perform feeling fresh and interesting, as does the range of environments you visit. Just in the demo you’ll find yourself progressing through a forest-based level and then, later on, you’ll be jumping over moving cars in a busy city. Whether you’re jumping, running, rolling or bouncing, it’s the type of game that wants to keep you hooked based on how varied everything is.
Of course, I’ve only had a small taste of what’s on offer, but as long as Marsupilami 2 – Salsa Palombia keeps up the pace, I’m confident in saying it’s going to be a platforming game worth keeping an eye on. Colourful, bright, fun and varied, it has all of the ingredients required to make a compelling, enjoyable experience. The fact that you might not have heard of Marsupilami really doesn’t matter – this sequel is hopefully enough to put these adorable animals on the map.
Marsupilami 2 – Salsa Palombia launches on consoles and PC on 3rd September. You can try out the game with a free demo, available now on Steam.
