Nikoderiko: The Magical World Review

When I was younger, I used to spend entire summers in a dark room. The kind where sunlight couldn’t creep in, and the only glow came from a CRT television. My PS1 sat just a foot away from me, warm from constant use. Me and some friends would play Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, Croc, Tomba. Anything really that dropped us into a magical world with bright colors, tight controls, and satisfying secrets.

Those games didn’t care about microtransactions or live service models. They were simple, joyful, and endlessly replayable.

And they didn’t just entertain me… they shaped me.

 

 

But then, the industry changed. Big publishers took over. Ubisoft. EA. Activision. Slowly, those heartfelt experiences gave way to bloated open worlds, convoluted upgrade trees, and game design by committee.

Most games stopped being about fun and started being about retention metrics. I tried to hold on. I played what I can stomach. But the spark was fading. (Thank god we got indie games!)

So I did what any adult stuck in a nostalgic spiral would do. I bought an arcade cabinet (everyone does that right… right?)

Not even just for fun… but for survival. 

For the chance to replay the classics, and feel something of the glimmer that enlightened that dark room so many years ago.

But then… completely unexpectedly, while I was enjoying my old collection of games, Nikoderiko: The Magical World happened.

 

 

I had never heard of this Nikoderiko: The Magical World. No big press cycle, no flashy trailers. Just a charming cover image, and a vague sense of “hey, this looks kinda like something I’d play on the PS1.”

I booted it up expecting nothing…

The first thing I saw was a cinematic cut-scene. No joke, it’s the kind you’d expect in a full-blown AAA release. I was stunned. Was this really an indie game? It really looked like Pixar had a secret side gig.

At first, I thought… okay, maybe they blew the budget on the visuals right at the start. No voice acting… Just characters pantomiming their way through a gorgeous intro.

But then… during the actual gameplay and dialogue mini-scenes, characters do speak.

And the voice acting is genuinely great. Not just passable. Charming, expressive — from the heroes to the quirky enemies and inhabitants you run into.

That was my first hint: this wasn’t just yet another lazy retro throwback.

Something deeper was going on here.

 

 

As I moved through the world map and started my adventure, it hit me.

This game wasn’t trying to reinvent platformers. It was perfecting what made them special in the first place. It’s quickly obvious that Nikoderiko is meant for fans of old-school platformers. But the level of quality is what shocked me.

The level design is razor sharp. Each area feels handcrafted, with challenges that are tuned for flow and fun, not filler. Enemy designs are clever. You don’t need a tooltip or a tutorial box. You just understand what each one does just by looking at it. That kind of clarity only comes from developers who know what they’re doing!

There’s even 2D to 3D perspective switching, like you would see on some Crash Bandicoot levels. You shift from side-scrolling to behind-the-back action naturally, and it plays great. Sadly, those segments get rarer later in the game, but when they show up, they’re always a treat.

 

 

Each biome also adds new interesting mechanics, fun level ideas, and special levels that make the game never feel boring. From Pillars that try to crush you, to dragons chasing you. The game offers you really cool little moments all throughout that keeps you engaged and smiling.

 

 

And there’s so much more underneath the surface. Stuff that most AAA platformers can’t even bother to include.

Every level has secrets. Not just some random hidden useless thing to waste your time. Real, meaningful collectibles. You can gather letters to spell N-I-K-O (yes, like Donkey Kong Country). Gain yellow floating coin-like things that remind me of Rayman. The level-design hints at hidden routes! You find maps you use to buy chests. And rarest of them all, you can find these giant purple gems that tie into something much bigger!

But what surprised me the most were the mounts. In some levels, you’ll suddenly meet a boar that smashes through enemies, or a toad with Kirby-like powers. It’s pure joy and nostalgic throwback.

 

 

Later, you find out you can actually unlock these mounts for reuse through the workshop. It lets you bring them into levels at set points to help you out.

And it’s not just a gimmick. It’s a really cool way to soften the challenge, or get you where you need faster to find secrets.

You can also spend the “Rayman” currency (yup I’ll just call it that now!) on chests and epic chests. Those act like lootboxes that add random collectibles to your collection like characters, bits of environment, neat concept-art and more. All this without spending a cent of course!

 

 

And as you go through the game, it just… opens up.

Around halfway through, you unlock the Secret World. Each of its levels is gated by a key. And those keys? They’re hidden inside minigames, tucked away in regular levels.

The first ones are easy to find, just enough to teach you what to look for. But later, they get clever. Sneaky. And incredibly rewarding! The Secret World tying the currency economy was such a great idea, and there’s a big surprise for those interested enough at the end 🙂

Nikoderiko: The Magical World has the kind of design that makes you want to replay levels.

To hunt!
To discover!
Not because of some checklist no!

Because you’re curious.

 

 

But of course, this all falls apart if the controls don’t feel right?

Well the moveset itself is simple: jump, ground pound, and slide. That’s it. But the genius is in the details and the smart coding of the developers.

The sliding mechanic has a satisfying quirk! If you hit an enemy, and there’s another one nearby, you keep sliding. You chain hits! It feels like you’re flowing through enemies like water. That small tweak alone adds so much rhythm to how you move.

It also has three difficulty settings, which I love. I could play it solo and enjoy the challenge. Or hand the controller to my kids and let them experience it too. My 4 and 8-year-old actually both had fun! Which is rare for a game that isn’t designed like a toddler’s TV show.

And yes… full co-op. Not tacked on. Not broken. Actually works.

 

 

I didn’t expect Nikoderiko: The Magical World to move me the way it did… but it did. It’s not flawless — the story is barely there, and the music? Sadly, it’s repetitive and forgettable (which is surprising given the caliber of the composer). And that hurts even more during boss fights! (Quick aside: don’t want to spoil too much but those were really fun to tackle. And again! Some great coding work to offset your bad targeting and make it feel smooth to go through).

Music is really the one area where the game really stumbles… Still, I get it. Budget constraints. Small team. Limited time. And despite that? They pulled off something special.

 

 

Verdict

So what does it all mean? What’s the bigger picture here? It means that indie devs are keeping the soul of gaming alive really!

The giants chase engagement stats and seasonal monetization. VEA Games is instead making a game that reminds us why we started playing in the first place.

Games like Nikoderiko: The Magical World don’t come from a place of trend analysis.
They come from a place of love and respect!

Other than a really frustrating late-game boss fight that had me pull my hair out (probably the only mistake I could see on how they designed an intermission of a boss fight was right there), I spent every moment playing the game with a smile on my face. I was 8 y.o again, just trying to master the maps, find treasure and have the best time going through the whole experience. And if you’re like me, and miss what gaming used to feel like, just give it a shot!

I actually liked it so much I went and bought a copy for the switch!

The game kind of flew under the radar of so many! But the potential for this game would be phenomenal with more budget to iron out its less polished aspects. I am really excited to see what they could do with more budget really! This has the seed of a great indie franchise, and I would really love to see the developers bloom that into existence!

Let’s make sure this kind of magic doesn’t fade away again!