GAME REVIEW | "Kitsune Tails" A Fluffy and Difficult Throwback

I’ll admit: I’m a sucker for anything with a fox girl in it. Whether it’s The Helpful Fox Senko-san or the cast of Konohana Kitan, there’s something about fox girls that gives me the warm fuzzies. (Okay, maybe I wanna give ‘em ear scratches too. Don’t judge me!) When I first heard of Kitsune Tails — thanks in part to last year’s prequel Kitsune Zero — I knew the game would be right up my alley. What I didn’t expect was just how bumpy the road to enjoying this game would be.

A nod to classic platformers from the Super Nintendo era, Kitsune Tails first has you in control of Yuzu, the daughter of the fox girl from Kitsune Zero. She’s finally tasked with her first mission, which her fellow fox girl Kiri is happy to hear. But during the mission, she crosses paths with sorceress Akko, who becomes smitten by the purple-haired fox girl. Kiri gets wind of this, and appears to be jealous of Akko, and seemingly puts a plan together to make Yuzu hers.

Thus begins Yuzu’s adventure to rescue Akko. Like in Super Mario Bros., she takes on a plethora of baddies and rough terrain, while also gaining new power-ups that’ll help with swimming, flying, and fighting. As this goes on, Yuzu begins to wonder what Akko and Kiri mean to her, while trying to figure out what it is that she wants out of a relationship with either of them. But behind the scenes of it all, something else is brewing, be it a romance or a revenge plot.

One of the things I enjoyed most about playing Kitsune Tails is its nostalgic style of gameplay. It’s obvious from the get-go that Kitsune Games has a big love for Shigeru Miyamoto and his creations, as everything from the level layouts to the enemies you face feeling like something from his world. Although there are more yokai than Koopas for Yuzu to defeat, the spirit of the Famicom era is strong within this game. The same can be said about the power-ups, which rang from spinning tops to break terrain to literally freezing enemies in adorable snowmen.

However, as soon as you start playing Kitsune Tails, you quickly learn that this game doesn’t mess around. The level layouts are brutally difficult at times, in ways that make it feel like someone mapped out the most harrowing designs from Super Mario Maker, and then proceeded to recreate them in this game. Lava pits, deep falls, a plethora of kill-proof spooks, and so much more await those who play this game. Dare I say, it will leave so many players on the verge of rage-quitting.

Believe me: those who are terrible at platformers will greatly need to put it on Easy mode, because the enemies and the game’s checkpoint system can feel unfair at times. Even with the power-ups Yuzu earns, you’ll find that you’ll quickly lose them after a couple moments due to an unexpected enemy or — in my case — accidentally touching lava when you can’t tell where exactly the hot stuff begins. So yeah, this game is a tod to get through! (Thankfully, Kitsune Tails has three difficulty levels for Yuzu’s adventure, and the easiest one keeps perma-death from being a thing.)

If you are able to get through these super-tough levels, you’ll be rewarded with a cute and sweet story. At first, it would seem like it was going the route of a yuri, what with both Kiri and Akko pining for Yuzu’s love. But then, Yuzu drops not just a bombshell, but also a reminder of why there’s a plus sign at the end of the LGBTQ+ acronym. And honestly, it’s kind of refreshing to see that sort of representation showcased in a video game! (I know quite a few friends who would greatly appreciate it, that’s for darn sure!)

When you get through the six worlds the first time, you get the chance to play them again as Kiri, with her sharing her side of the story. Surprisingly, it’s here when Kitsune Tails becomes super fun! As much as I liked playing as Yuzu, Kiri’s attacks are just way cooler to watch unfold. When she learns new ways to hack-and-slash, it doesn’t just help with cleaning up the level of baddies, but also acts as a strategy to reach higher areas and the like.

There are also some fun little mini-games that can be experienced in the village. From collecting pellets as a beetle to kappa racing, these are some nice distractions that pay homage to classic Japanese folklore. The coins you win from these games can also be used to buy power-ups that can be implemented either during (on easy) or before you start a new level. The only downside is that these games — alongside the main campaign — are only single-player, meaning we may have to wait until either an update or even a sequel of sorts before we can have a multiplayer experience within these worlds.

PROS:

• Cute story
• Fun power-ups
• Challenging levels

CONS:

• Super difficult in places
• Some power-ups feel useless

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Kitsune Tails is as cute as it is brutally hard. But if you muster your way through (or, Heaven forbid, just play it on easy mode), you’ll find a game with a charming story and a lot of fun gameplay mechanics. You may not finish it in two shakes of a tail, but Kitsune Tails is endearing enough for any lover of old-school platformers to embark on the journey it offers.

FINAL GRADE:

Promotional consideration provided by Zachery Bennett of Stride PR. Reviewed on the PC via Steam.

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