Kalanoro is out today on Switch, and it’s one of the more unusual launches of the week. You play a small folklore creature who rescues lemur musicians, builds a band, and takes on a witch with a frying pan. I haven’t reviewed the Switch version yet, but the demo and early coverage tell us a fair amount about what to expect.
The setup
The story is simple and good-humoured. Kalakely is pushed into a dubious prophecy to stop the witch Raneny, who is throwing a concert in her own honour. Between levels, a rusty taxi-brousse acts as your home base. You can travel between destinations on it, keep everyone happy and cook meals, so the band side of the game looks like a light management layer rather than a second game bolted on.
How it plays
Early hands-on impressions describe a top-down 3D platformer with no manual camera control, similar in perspective and level design to Super Mario 3D World. The demo taught quick dashing on the ground and in mid-air, and weapons picked up on the fly, such as sandals, carrots and sledgehammers. Another preview notes that the camera shifts mainly between top-down exploration and side-scrolling sequences, which should keep levels varied.
Kalakely’s hair powers are the other hook. According to one preview, the hair abilities double as traversal tools, so they aren’t only for combat. That’s a good sign: powers that serve both fighting and movement usually make a platformer feel more connected.
Look and sound
The visuals are hand-drawn with animation powered by Unreal Engine, and the soundtrack features Malagasy artists including Denise, Jyeuhair and Marco Klarck. For a game about forming a band, that’s the right thing to get right. The developer, an indie team based in Madagascar founded in 2021, gives the folklore setting more credibility than an outside take would.
What the demo crowd thought
The Steam demo is short, roughly 40 minutes, but it went down well. 98% of its 86 user reviews were positive. That’s a small sample and it’s PC, so it says nothing about how the Switch version runs, but it suggests the core loop works.
What I still want to check on Switch
- Performance. Unreal Engine on original Switch hardware is the big question. Frame rate and load times in handheld mode will matter for a game built on momentum.
- Difficulty. Nobody has confirmed whether the platforming stays gentle or ramps up. The PEGI 3 rating and family-friendly tags suggest gentle, but that’s a guess.
- Length and variety. A demo covers the first region only. It’s not yet clear whether the band management and mini-games stay interesting across the whole game.
- Value. At around £16.99 in the UK (check your own eShop), it’s priced fairly for an indie. Whether it feels worth it depends on how long the game lasts.
Verdict so far
No score yet, and I’d rather not fake one. On paper, Kalanoro is charming, distinctive and made by a team with something new to bring to the genre. If you enjoy colourful 3D platformers in the Mario 3D World mould and like the idea of a music-driven story, the early signs are encouraging. If you want to be sure it runs well on your Switch, give it a few days for the first reviews to land. Switch Scores had no critic reviews at the time of writing.
