[Review] Kine – Nintendo Switch

Reviewed by Reggie

  • Developer: Gwen Frey
  • Publisher: Chump Squad
  • Release Date: 17/10/2019
  • Price: $19.99 / £17.99
  • Review code provided by Chump Squad

Intro

There’s no better release of angst and anxiety quite like a milky coffee and a good puzzler. There’s also no worse feeling than just achieving said bliss to then try and crowdfund enough cash monies for a new Nintendo Switch, ya know, seeing as your current console is now in two halves…

A Kine Puzzler

Kine is a block puzzler that dresses up the format by introducing various characters based on various percussion and string instruments to a somewhat numerous effect. It may be necessary to have children, as a lot of Kine’s Dad humour may go over those who have yet to plant their seed.

Kine Do It?

Gameplay involves employing a specific moveset of a talking Piano or drum Tom to move around a blocked out series of platforms to reach the end goal in order to progress to more challenging puzzles. At some points players can take advantage of using two characters to navigate a level (A La EAs beautiful platformer Unravel Two). The controls are tight and make use of the D Pad (Stop moaning and just buy a Switch Lite) and also use rewind and restart facial buttons much like ‘Slayaway Camp’.

Kine is very much a generic puzzler with one “Story Mode” and the usual control and camera options taking up shop on the main menu. Whilst Kine is a little light on features and other hooks, it sticks to its guns and provides a pleasant yet frustrating puzzling experience.

A Cell Shaded Symphony

Kine utilises a cell shaded aesthetic in a hand drawn style, noting in particular the sketched outlines of the environment and character models. Think Borderlands in a draft format! The menu is neat, tidy and straightforward given the lack of modes and mechanics in Kine. Which is fine, it works well!

The OST for Kine is a mix of Cabana and Jazz, bringing a lovely veil of chilled yet upbeat Vibes for players to help cure their anxiety with. Each character has their respective cymbal or piano key hit when selecting their levels etc. The sound engineering in Kine really ties it up into a nice little puzzling package.

Kine runs incredibly smooth and no bugs or glitches were encountered during my play through. That being said, it’s not exactly a tremendously demanding title in the first instance. Everything about Kine has been polished and tuned for a Great player experience.

In Conclusion

Kine isn’t a groundbreaking title destined to change the face of puzzle titles, but it’s a quirky effort that does what it says on the tin.

Pros

  • Polished controls and gameplay
  • Quirky art style and humour
  • A solid puzzler gameplay experience

Cons

  • Lack of extra modes
  • 2 player not supported
  • No touchscreen support

Verdict
Those who are looking for a solid puzzler to crack on with whilst having a coffee won’t be disappointed. Whilst Kine lacks extra modes and a couple of other expected gimmicks, it’s Dad humour and quirky art style will keep player entertained.
3/5