Kalimba

While it may have flown under the radar for some, you’d be doing yourself a disservice by dismissing Kalimba, even with its rather straightforward and barebones presentation. As great as it is as a single player outing, Kalimba really shines when you can bring a partner along for the ride.

83%Game Brain Score

gameplay, music

story, grinding

83% User Score Based on 130 reviews

Platforms

Buy Nowfrom $9.99

Buy NowGet on Steam $9.99 Buy NowGet on Xbox Games Store

About Kalimba

Kalimba is a single player and multiplayer casual platformer game. It was developed by Press Play and was released on April 22, 2015. It received positive reviews from players.

Jump, switch and fly your way through mind-bending subterranean puzzles in this stunning new platforming adventure from the award-winning Press Play!

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

+10

Skip Games Like Kalimba

Looking for games like Kalimba? Here are top casual platformer recommendations, selected from player-similarity data — start with ibb & obb, Biped or Unravel Two.

88%2.4kreviews

ibb & obb

2014

Casual Platformer

85%2.2kreviews

Biped

2020

Open World Platformer

79%3.2kreviews

Unravel Two

2020

Platformer

+12

88%995reviews

Arise: A Simple Story

2020

Platformer

91%70.1kreviews

It Takes Two

2020

Platformer

+12

96%595reviews

DYO

2018

Platformer

88%2.3kreviews

Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime

2015

Casual Shooter

+11

76%1kreviews

Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams

2012

Arcade Platformer

+11

77%612reviews

Degrees of Separation

2019

Casual Platformer

82%4kreviews

N

2016

Arcade Platformer

+13

More games like Kalimba

Skip User Reviews

Reviews

83%Audience ScoreBased on 130 reviews

gameplay11 positive mentions

grinding3 negative mentions

Kalimba features a unique and engaging puzzle platforming mechanic that requires players to control two characters simultaneously, leading to creative and challenging gameplay.
The game boasts beautiful visuals, a fantastic soundtrack, and well-designed levels that provide a satisfying experience for both solo and local co-op play.
It is highly recommended for its fun factor, originality, and the ability to test friendships through its cooperative challenges.

The game has limited co-op content, with only a few short levels available, which may disappoint players looking for a more extensive cooperative experience.
Controller support is problematic, with many players reporting issues with various controllers not being recognized, which can hinder the gameplay experience.
The game is relatively short, with some players finishing it in just a couple of hours, which may leave those seeking a longer experience feeling unsatisfied.

gameplay
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50% positive mentions, 36% neutral mentions, 14% negative mentions
The gameplay is praised for its creativity and precision, offering a mix of cooperative and single-player experiences that are engaging yet concise, with a main campaign of only 10 levels. Players appreciate the innovative mechanics and the way the game explores them without becoming repetitive, although some feel the gameplay can start to feel same-y towards the end. Overall, the combination of fun mechanics, polished visuals, and a captivating soundtrack contributes to a highly enjoyable experience, despite its brevity.
- “Good gameplay, good soundtrack, and very easy to get into, but hard to master.”
- “The cooperative play is incredibly fun and well done, and it's extremely polished in every way - visuals, audio, and gameplay.”
- “It expertly explores its mechanics in interesting ways.”
- “Very short gameplay.”
- “It also focuses on the stacking mechanic, whereas the single player has more different puzzle types.”
- “This is a pretty simple action-platformer with a bunch of neat puzzles built into its unique movement mechanic.”
music
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
94% positive mentions, 6% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
The music in the game is consistently praised for its quality, with many reviewers highlighting the outstanding soundtrack as a key element that enhances the overall experience. The combination of whimsical and funky tunes complements the unique art style and gameplay, making it a memorable aspect of the game. Overall, the music is described as well-polished, enjoyable, and integral to the game's charm.
- “It is incredibly well polished, has a wonderfully creative art style, and has one of the best soundtracks I've ever heard.”
- “Genuinely an all-time great platformer, outstanding visuals and a fantastic soundtrack, and tight platforming controls.”
- “Enjoyable game, amazing soundtrack and well designed.”
graphics
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
76% positive mentions, 12% neutral mentions, 12% negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their polished and unique art style, complemented by a whimsical soundtrack. While some users noted minor glitches, the overall aesthetic is described as gorgeous and engaging, contributing to a fun and immersive gameplay experience. The combination of outstanding visuals and creative design elements makes it a standout title in the platformer genre.
- “It is incredibly well polished, has a wonderfully creative art style, and has one of the best soundtracks I've ever heard.”
- “Gorgeous graphical style.”
- “Genuinely an all-time great platformer, outstanding visuals and a fantastic soundtrack, and tight platforming controls.”
- “The art style is fairly distinct and not that common at all.”
- “I know it sounds ridiculous, but believe me - it's a pretty sensible and damn addictive game, made even better by its retro graphics.”
story
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75% positive mentions, -50% neutral mentions, 75% negative mentions
The story of the game is characterized by its unique and intriguing narrative, featuring a whimsical character known as the meta hoebear as a storyteller. While the humor and silliness in the writing may feel out of place to some, it adds to the overall charm of the puzzle platformer set in the visually appealing world of Kalimba.
- “A unique little puzzle platformer, fun art design, and a nice little story.”
- “The meta hoebear was kind of funny and cool; the story was intriguing enough, and the graphics looked nice.”
- “Hoe bear as a storyteller is a little out of place, but I still enjoy the silliness in the writing.”
- “The story feels disjointed and lacks a coherent narrative flow.”
- “The characters are one-dimensional and fail to evoke any real emotional connection.”
- “The plot twists are predictable and do not add any depth to the overall experience.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by epic and hilarious boss battles, with some users finding the meta hoebear amusing. While the jokes are described as somewhat funny, the overall comedic elements contribute positively to the engaging story and high-quality level design.
- “The level design is high quality, and the 'boss' battles are epic and hilarious at the same time.”
- “The meta hoebear was kind of funny and cool, the story was intriguing enough, and the graphics looked nice.”
- “There are lots of jokes that are somewhat funny.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions
Many users find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, particularly when striving for perfect scores, leading to a general recommendation against it.
- “I don't recommend this game because of how tedious it is to achieve perfect scores.”
- “The grinding feels endless and takes away from the enjoyment of the game.”
- “It's frustrating to spend so much time grinding for rewards that don't feel worth it.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
Overall, users report a positive experience with optimization, noting no performance issues or complaints.
- “Performance-wise, I found nothing to complain about.”
- “The optimization in this game is top-notch, allowing for smooth gameplay even on lower-end systems.”
- “I appreciate how the developers have fine-tuned the game to run efficiently without sacrificing quality.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions
The game's stability is marred by occasional bugs, particularly with keyboard controls, and some graphical glitches, though overall, players find the experience enjoyable despite these issues.
- “Even the keyboard controls seem buggy.”
- “The game offers some nice graphics, although there are some ugly glitches here and there.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
Players appreciate the game's extensive content and value, noting that it offers significant replayability and encourages them to improve their skills.
- “There's plenty of content for a great price, which gives a lot of replay value and challenges you to become even better!”