Zelda meets Studio Ghibli: action-adventure is becoming all the Kickstarter hype right now

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Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara arouses the interest of fans of classic jump&runs. The interesting visuals in the style of Zelda: The Wind Waker do the rest.

Frequently, upcoming hits are already revealed on Kickstarter. Maybe Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara will soon be one of them. Because (on the funding platform) the action adventure is already sailing towards success thanks to a stiff breeze.

25 days before the end of the funding period, the original goal has already been exceeded by almost 600 percent, instead of 30,000, almost 180,000 euros have been collected.

Besides the jump&run gameplay, which seems round at first glance, it’s mainly the visuals that cause a stir among genre fans. The graphic style is reminiscent of a mixture of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and anime films from Studio Ghibli.

What exactly is Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara?

The story remains rudimentary, typical of the genre: The girl Koa and her best friend Napopo explore an island world and recover their friends’ possessions stolen by pirates.

The developers cite the following gameplay aspects as the core content of the title:

  • Two central worlds as well as an archipelago with eight different islands. From friendly beaches to a former naval base or mysterious temples to volcanoes, you’ll face the five famous pirates of the Mara Sea in a wide variety of locations.
  • Your own city called Qälis This will develop throughout the story thanks to your deeds.
  • You explore the world aboard your own ship, similar to Zelda: The Wind Waker.
  • Mara’s town, boat, clothes, backpack, etc. can be customized via skins.

(The difficulty level increases from world to world, so in typical manner of the forefathers of the genre.)
(The difficulty level increases from world to world, so in typical manner of the forefathers of the genre.)

Difficulty: Here the developers promise to appeal to a wide range of tastes. From the newcomer to the casual gamer to the speedrunner, the title should accommodate everyone.

(The different worlds should shine through visual diversity.)
(The different worlds should shine through visual diversity.)

The World: By the way, the new title is set in the same world as the one released in 2020 (Summer in Mara). That’s a classic relaxed crafting adventure, where the player takes care of his own island and explores the sea with a boat. However, even though both titles share the universe, the developers emphasize that knowledge of this title is not necessary to enjoy the quasi-successor.

Extensive Kickstarter page

The (Kickstarter page) holds even more detailed information about the individual locations, characters and the world as a whole. The developers provide an extensive insight there – primarily into the creative-artistic vision of the title.

Do you feel like discovering more games off the mainstream?

(On the Steam product page) the year 2023 is given as the release date and the Kickstarter page reveals: expected delivery: September 2023 Let’s wait and see how the development progresses now in the final spurt with the additional funds.

Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara is slated for release on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam.

What do you guys think? Do you like the approach and graphic style of the title? What do you expect from Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara? And if you could revive exactly one classic platform series, which one would it be? Feel free to write us your opinions and thoughts in the comments!