Backgrounds and characters are lively and vibrant too, although they're also rather generic and don't tax the graphical horsepower of any of the systems the game has been published for. You've got your stereotypical jungle, arctic, volcanic, aquatic, and pirate ship settings, along with an equally stereotypical selection of enemies, such as bees, cannibalistic plants, hunters, demons, Vikings, and so on. The graphics are sufficiently sharp, however, and there is a good amount of activity in the environment, between the various weather effects and all of the breakable objects that can be smashed. Draw distance is also excellent, to the extent that you can usually spot any hazards far off in the distance long before you encounter them up close. The camera doesn't always choose the best vantage point, but that generally isn't a problem, since you can usually position the view anyway you like using the right analog stick, or, in the PSP's case, the directional pad. During chase sequences, though, the camera is fixed, which means you may miss a jump here and there because an unforeseen surprise has snuck up on you. While initially frustrating, the infinite number of continues makes those infrequent camera-caused deaths easy to tolerate.
Audio, as well, is lively yet generic. There is a wealth of different animal noises, comical sound effects, and environmental background noises, though nothing stands out as particularly unique or memorable. The spoken voice acting during dialogue scenes is charming and mildly amusing, and the voice actors deliver their lines with reasonable flair. Background music consists mainly of upbeat rhythms and circus tracks that suit the game's personality.
The story mode is over too soon and the gameplay really isn't interesting enough to compel players to make a second run-through.
The game's biggest shortcoming is its lasting value, or lack thereof. Most players, no matter how young, will complete the story mode in five hours, tops. Once finished, there's really no incentive to continue playing or to restart, because, even though the game is solidly put together, there's nothing about it that's interesting enough to warrant a return trip. Some people may be able to squeeze some extra play time out of the PSP version by taking advantage of its deathmatch combat and vehicle-race multiplayer modes. These modes are suitably raucous, but they're limited to local Wi-Fi play only, which means, practically speaking, you'll have to convince three friends to buy the game just so you'll have people to play with. Good luck with that.
All told, Kao's latest quest is a solid entry into the 3D adventure genre, even if it's not especially innovative or time-consuming. Younger players will get the most out of it, partly because of all the silly situations Kao gets into, but primarily because the game really isn't all that challenging. Nonetheless, players of all ages should be able to squeeze a satisfying weekend out of their purchase, which is roughly in line with expectations given the game's budget-friendly price.
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