Game Review: Koa And The Five Pirates of Mara (Xbox Series X)

Following up their farming simulator game Summer in Mara, developer Chibig bring us Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara. A 3D platformer with a colourful, but basic, art style, easy to pick and play gameplay, and a surprising amount of challenge if you’re aiming to 100% it. It’s got more charm than initially expected, and it’s fun for all ages.

The story surrounds the young girl Koa and her desire to become a pirate. Even though they’re often the cause of trouble within Mara. She is in luck though, as the local pirates are staging a competition and the winner will become an official pirate. All Koa has to do is complete the trails set by the pirates across a number of differently themed islands.

It’s not much of a story, with some branches relating to side-quests, but that’s fine. The fun in Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara comes from the gameplay and Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara’s gameplay is solid.

Explore the ocean in a boat, stopping at islands to complete trials, and slowly uncover new locations as you progress by finding maps. All while picking up collectibles, upgrading your boat, and rebuilding the main hub of the land.

Each island holds levels where the goal is to make it to the end as quickly as possible. Most can be cleared in a matter of minutes, so they never overstay their welcome, and most are easy to overcome. The extra challenge comes from picking up the collectibles hidden in each or beating the clock to get a gold medal.

Some later levels will test players abilities, but by then the smooth controls of Koa will mean most are up for the challenge. It also helps that all the levels have some element of fun factor and there was a clear attempt to vary up the look and feel of every island.

There are plenty of levels, and plenty of side-challenges, and it means most will sink at least eight hours into the game. The rebuilding of the hub doesn’t have much in the way of depth, the story is unmemorable, and it can get a bit ‘text-heavy’ in places, but the effort put in to make Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara a memorable 3D platformer is notable. There is no reinvention of the wheel, but players will find plenty of satisfaction to be had here.