First Look PC #6

Raider Kid and the Ruby Chest by Cacareco Games (2021) - PC

As is often the case with me, I saw this game somewhere and it caught my eye but it has taken me so long to post about it here that I've totally forgotten where I saw it. It has even changed names (slightly) since I first saw it! Oh well, doesn't matter now I guess. What does matter is the game itself which did and still does remind me of Rick Dangerous at first glance. It comes to us via a Portuguese (?) indie developer called Cacareco Games who have made their adventure in the style of a Game Boy Color game which, I think you will agree, is something they succeeded in. There is a simple backstory which I believe involves the pipsqueak of the title getting separated from a tourist party near some ancient ruins of some sort. So naturally, instead of looking for help he crawls inside the ruins and starts snooping around and soon finds they aren't as lifeless as might've been assumed! I'm guessing the objective is simply to get out alive but there is plenty of things to do on the way to that goal.

Indeed, for while there are several similarities to Rick Dangerous, this game is more of a Metroidvania-style platform/exploration affair, just in a similar setting and with a similar looking (though somewhat younger) hero. It's a really nice game though, judging from the playable demo that's available from the links below. The graphics are cute, crisp, and well coloured, the music and effects are nice, and the game areas appear to be superbly designed too. And yes, for any Rick Dangerous players still traumatised by that's game's cheap deaths and frequent unfairness, I can confirm the design here is significantly less frustrating. There are five areas in total, each of which features a boss, and there are various collectibles to look out for too, including new equipment. All in all, it's shaping up to be a fantastic adventure and I'm looking forward to playing the full game. I'm not sure when it will be out though - I've had this demo for over a year at least, and the full game still isn't out. Hopefully some time this year...

RKS Score: 5/5

Here's a trailer for this lovely GBC-inspired adventure. If you like the look of it, you can find out more on the developers Itch.io page here, or you can wishlist it at Steam here. The demo can be downloaded from either site.