Back in 2020, Chibig released Summer in Mara, a slice-of-life farm sim game set in a tropical world and… well, for our money, it really wasn’t very good. It evidently sold well enough for Chibig to justify continuing the IP, but rather than make a sequel that built on the strengths and fixed the flaws of the original, the studio decided to make the successor a 3D platformer in the vein of Super Mario 3D Land or Sackboy: A Big Adventure. Bizarre as the choice may seem, it was clearly the right one, as Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara is a substantially better game than its predecessor and holds its own as a solid 3D platformer.

The story begins sometime after the events of Summer in Mara and centers around a competition staged by a local band of pirates wherein competitors must overcome a series of trials to become an official pirate. Koa naturally enters the competition, starting off another seafaring adventure as she island-hops and collects maps on her climb to be the very best. The narrative isn’t much to write home about, and it can get awfully text heavy in some places as you’re nagged by side characters grabbing Koa’s attention, but it mostly stays out of the way.

Before entering a level, the world map is presented to you as a small ocean you can traverse in Koa’s boat that’s vaguely reminiscent of the Great Sea from The Wind Waker. Islands and collectibles are scattered around this explorable space, and there’s even a cute treasure-hunting minigame that’s clearly inspired by the salvaging from Phantom Hourglass.

Each island is home to one to three levels that take only a few minutes each to clear, presenting you with concise platforming gauntlets that don’t overstay their welcome and give you just enough challenge to keep things entertaining. Breezing through these is pretty easy on its own, but those looking for more challenge can opt to snag the hidden collectibles in each stage and race against the clock for a gold medal. Koa is quick and responds quickly to controller inputs, and while she’s no Mario in terms of her moveset or general athleticism, we were still pleased by how responsive the platforming controls felt.

For its presentation, Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara sticks to a simplistic and somewhat tired art style, with the many nautical locales often feeling like up-rezzed versions of something you might find in a PS2 platformer. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, though we wish a more ambitious, memorable visual style were attempted here. Luckily, it all unfolds at a silky smooth and completely solid 60 FPS, which goes a long way towards elevating the quality feel of the gameplay.

Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara isn’t exactly a bold reinvention of the 3D platformer, but it repeatedly proves that it’s got it where it counts. Smooth controls, decent level variety, and lots of collectibles all make this one a fairly easy recommendation, even if it is a little simplistic looking. If you're after 7-10 hours of solid, colourful 3D platforming, we’d suggest giving this one a shot.