September 3, 2022
GameAtomic

Kraino Origins

Kraino Origins is a brief platforming game that allows plenty of room for replayability. It’s challenging enough to keep going without wanting to rage quit. The graphics are charming, the music is fun, and the controls are simple and smooth.

87%Game Brain Score

music, graphics

story, grinding

89% User Score Based on 56 reviews

Critic Score 82%Based on 4 reviews

Platforms

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About

Kraino Origins is a single player platformer game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by GameAtomic and was released on September 3, 2022. It received positive reviews from both critics and players.

Kraino Origins is a challengingRun-and-Gun platformer game. As the hero KRAINO, players battle through hordes of enemies and bosses in a quest to save the world from destruction. With fast-paced action, tight controls, and hand-drawn animation, Kraino Origins offers a retro gaming experience with modern flair.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

89%

Audience ScoreBased on 56 reviews

music8 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

Kraino Origins features charming pixel art and a nostalgic aesthetic that appeals to fans of retro platformers.
The gameplay is tight and responsive, with a good balance of challenge that keeps players engaged without feeling overly punishing.
The game includes interesting boss fights and hidden collectibles, adding depth and replayability to the experience.

The game is very short, with many players completing it in just a few hours, which may leave some feeling unsatisfied.
There are issues with knockback mechanics that can lead to frustrating deaths, particularly when falling into pits or spikes.
The soundtrack, while decent, lacks variety and may become repetitive, detracting from the overall experience.

music
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
54%
13%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising its catchy and well-composed tracks, while others find it repetitive and lacking distinctiveness. While many appreciate the music's ability to complement the gameplay and enhance the overall experience, a notable number of reviewers consider it a weak point compared to the strong soundtracks of similar games. Overall, the music is seen as solid but not exceptional, with room for improvement in variety and memorability.
- “Kraino Origins is pretty much almost everything I love about 2D sidescrollers: great pixel art, cool protagonist, music is solid enough, controls are super tight and responsive, fun bosses, difficulty is challenging but fair, and though I wish it could've been longer, the length feels just right for the kind of game it is!”
- “The gameplay is tight, the music is catchy, it's a really fun time!”
- “The graphics are charming, the music is fun, and the controls are simple and smooth.”
- “The music and story are by far the weak points here, which is a shame especially since so many of this game's peers have such strong soundtracks.”
- “My one recommendation would be to invest some of the income made from this game back to its sound design and soundtrack, which I believe is a really big weak point in the game.”
- “It's kind of hard to tell each song apart, and genres or styles would have helped make the songs stand out.”
graphics
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
58%
26%
16%
The graphics of "Kraino Origins" are widely praised for their charming retro pixel art style, which is described as professional and consistent. Players appreciate the aesthetic appeal and the spooky theme, noting that the visuals complement the gameplay well, despite some minor critiques regarding clarity. Overall, the game's graphics contribute positively to the nostalgic and engaging experience.
- “I really like the art style.”
- “The graphics are phenomenal, the gameplay is a nice difficulty and has a variety of attacks, and lastly, the music is great.”
- “The graphics are charming, the music is fun, and the controls are simple and smooth.”
- “This, in my opinion, is a pretty useless feature as it reduces the clarity of the game's graphics.”
- “Graphic-wise, it carries its inspiration level design very closely to the chest, and albeit not a masterpiece, it is quite an entertaining game.”
- “The game's retro pixel artwork feels very professional and consistent.”
gameplay
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
43%
19%
The gameplay is characterized by its simplistic mechanics, featuring a limited range of attacks and platforming elements reminiscent of titles like Shovel Knight and Hollow Knight. While the controls are generally praised and the retro aesthetic is appealing, many players find the level design lacking in challenge and engagement, with some mechanics feeling unresponsive. Overall, the game offers a fun experience with catchy music and rewarding secrets, though there is a desire for more polished movement mechanics in potential future installments.
- “The good: the sprites, the music, the controls and gameplay, all splendid.”
- “It's a spooky themed action platformer with great moment-to-moment gameplay.”
- “The gameplay is tight, the music is catchy, it's a really fun time!”
- “Gameplay is fairly simplistic; you have a couple of attacks, a thing you essentially cast, and that's about it.”
- “Most levels have nice unique platform mechanics, although sadly the overall level design felt quite bland since there are no challenges, puzzles, or any engaging combat at all.”
- “This game is heavily inspired by Shovel Knight, which is perfectly fine; I just wish it did more to distinguish itself gameplay-wise besides having a different art theme.”
story
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The story in the game is generally considered weak and "bare bones," with many reviewers noting its retro simplicity typical of platformers. This lack of depth is seen as a significant drawback, especially when compared to the stronger narratives found in similar games.
- “The music and story are by far the weak points here, which is a shame especially since so many of this game's peers have such strong soundtracks.”
- “Story is very 'retro,' aka there isn't really a story.”
- “Or should I say... that story is pretty 'bare bones.'”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly in the fourth level and during lantern sections, where awkward hitboxes detract from the experience. Additionally, the need to backtrack for upgrades requires replaying entire levels and bosses, further contributing to the sense of monotony.
- “Some sections of the game are very tedious.”
- “The 4th level felt the most tedious to me, and the lantern sections, while being a sweet idea, felt a bit awkward in execution because the hitboxes felt kind of off. In the chase sequence, spamming them worked the best, lol.”
- “Backtracking for upgrades is also lowkey tedious because you need to redo the entire level and boss again.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
100%
Kraino Origins offers good replayability due to its abundance of hidden items and engaging platforming mechanics, encouraging players to revisit the game for exploration and discovery.
- “It also has fairly good replay value as there are plenty of hidden items to be found.”
- “Kraino Origins is a brief platforming game that allows plenty of room for replayability.”
- “Kraino Origins is a brief platforming game that offers limited replayability.”
- “Once you complete the game, there isn't much incentive to play through it again.”
- “The lack of varied content makes replaying the game feel redundant.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability has been criticized as a "buggy mess," with persistent issues remaining even after updates. However, some users noted that the upgraded version successfully addresses certain problems, such as freezing enemies.
- “Buggy mess, even after updates.”
- “Upgraded version freezes enemies.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its engaging and spooky atmosphere, contributing to an enjoyable overall experience.
- “Fun game with a spooky atmosphere.”