A Genre-Merging Journey with a Bite
Demons are not cute creatures – stereotypically, they’re the worst of the worst amongst every being, committing evil just for the fun of it. But what if this wasn’t the case?
Maki and his brother Temu are the protagonists of an indie gem titled Makis Adventure, and with their shark demon heritage, they serve as the shining example to this question.
We open up in a prison cell, Maki must escape the tower, saving his brother along the way; various locked doors, treacherous enemies and a dangerous foe at the top are the only obstacles in-between yourself and the freedom of exploration. You’ll journey through woodlands, deep volcanoes, and humble towns, all interconnected through an ambitious (albeit often falling short) hub world of the sea. With this collection of diverse biomes for you and the shark demon to explore, what does Makis Adventure offer in the way of gameplay?
Zelda Meets Platforming
The best way I can describe this genre merging amalgamation would be this: Zelda meets the platformer genre. In more technical terms, Makis Adventure combines typical action-adventure/rpg tropes such as boss fights, quests and upgrades, with the classic jump and dodge of the platformer genre. Equipped with a simple scythe for protection, combat takes centre stage more often than not, seeing horrors ranging from skeletons to corrupt plants stand in your way.
A lack of depth, innovation and ambition – the only new ability available throughout the game is a double jump – holds the swing-and-hope combat back from being anything more than a path forward. So what sets this title apart from the barrage of other indie titles claiming to do the same? One simple mechanic… turning into a shark?
Shapeshifting Shenanigans: The Shark Mechanic
Yes that’s right, the gameplay of Makis Adventure only gets more curious the further you go, a trait I feel many will come to love. Elaborating on the shark mechanic, Maki will automatically transform from his impish land form to a shark upon entering any body of water; and from there it plays just like any other underwater stage, replaced with more than bearable controls.
During your playthrough, you’ll encounter the shining light on the shark’s portion of gameplay – the various forms. There are three in total, with abilities ranging from a hammerhead to destroy rocks, to a swift, stealthy sea creature able to glide through the water. Each has their place in Makis Adventure, having various puzzles requiring them, yet you’ll certainly make a favourite amongst one of the title’s most unique mechanics.
Slice of Life
This is still however, not as strange as the title gets, and I mean that in the best way possible. An entire new genre is introduced after you escape the prison, leaving you face to face to experience the slice-of-life side offered by Makis Adventure. Just as yin and yang, or peaks and troughs are often told to keep a balance and maintain quality, these more mellow, relaxing moments serve as a break of pace, and just overall fun. It can be darts, catching apples, or just plain character interaction, yet it always provides the much needed calm before the storm. Fishing makes an appearance too, in fact much more than just an appearance, with an entire quest line and book to complete revolving around catching fish.
During these quiet moments you’ll encounter the heart and soul of Makis Adventure – the living, breathing world and the corresponding NPCs. There is such a range of whimsically crafted characters, again with the Zelda influence, you’ll be hard pressed to not find a moment where you’re questioning the sanity of half of them. It’s all part of the charm regardless, and, when taken into consideration with the quest lines they send you on, finding someone’s missing house keys or reliving their glory days through completing a fishing journal, being you closer with Maki, these characters, and most importantly of all, the world surrounding you. Of course it wouldn’t a video game without a fetch quest, but here they’re so inoffensive and helpful to the characters, it’s hard to be mad at them.
A Barren Hub, Not a Barren World
Of course to enjoy traversing the world, the corresponding hub and map design needs to excel, a lesson Makis Adventure seems to learn a little too late. The interconnecting sea operating as a hub, is pathetically barren; the emptiness, dullness and repetitive nature of going from island to island with nothing in between is a huge pace breaker, and one that drags the experience down.
This could be due to the ambitious 3D nature of it taking residence in a predominantly 2D title, and upon a closer inspection of the various islands this is likely the case. These segments are actually well designed, with thought put into the placement of items, enemies and obstacles, then throw in diverse biomes to create a winning formula. Also found here are, the only, collectibles, more specifically four MAKI coins per location to find; of course Makis Adventure isn’t perfect so they don’t result in a reward, but I’m sure the completionists will appreciate more content. Whether they be vertically or horizontally designed, each island expertly blends quests, mini games and exploration into the aforementioned genre amalgamation.
In a bittersweet irony, my highlight of Makis Adventure also comes in the form of the aspect I so heavily criticised… the boss fights. You may remember I blasted the combat for being basic and lacking depth, which it is, so what makes the battles against these mammoth monsters so different? Well for starters, the reason I criticised the combat is mainly due to the enemies; they don’t do much aside from fly around or occasionally attack back, making a simple, dull and repetitive combat loop.
Boss fights on the other hand, merge platforming and combat, whilst taking advantage of Maki’s kit of moves to push the combat into new, exciting directions. A clear example of this can be seen through an underwater boss fight forcing you in and out of your different forms, along with platforming challenges along the way; it’s a clear highlight that perhaps interesting enemies make for great combat.
Untapped Potential
Makis Adventure is certainly that… an adventure. During its course you’ll encounter curious characters, formidable foes, precious puzzles and mellow moments all standing in the way of your goal. Sadly, a dull combat system and barren hub world, are a deadly duo leaving this title enjoyable, with potential greatness hiding inside.
Important Links
Morph Between Human and Shark as Makis Adventure Takes a Bite at Xbox, PlayStation, Switch –
Buy Makis Adventure on Xbox –
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