Bakeru
Play it on: Switch, PC
Current goal: Bang the drum all day
Almost no one’s talking about Bakeru but I’m having a blast with it. It’s a spiritual offspring of Mystical Ninja (Ganbare Goemon in Japan) by Good-Feel, the studio that collaborated with Nintendo on Yoshi’s Woolly World and a bunch of other games. You play as a kid with blue hair and a pair of drumsticks that can clobber enemies and unlock secrets scattered across 3D levels. A special power gauge opens up additional gameplay mechanics like turning small to fit through tight spaces or hover in the air.
The world feels like a box of crayons nuked in the microwave and then dropped into the ocean. It’s bright, breezy, and handles super well. I’m a few hours in and so far it’s a perfect mix of colorful whimsy, clever exploration, and just having a ton of fun hitting stuff. If this were reskinned as a Nintendo game, tons more people would be raving about it. — Ethan Gach
