Nikoderiko: The Magical World

Nikoderiko: The Magical World is a platformer video game developed by indie studio Vea Games and published by Knights Peak. It was released on October 15, 2024, on the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S,[2] which will be followed by a Windows release at a later date.

Nikoderiko: The Magical World
Developer(s)Vea Games
Publisher(s)Knights Peak
Director(s)Dmitry Smirnov
Producer(s)Vlad Yakubovsky
Designer(s)
  • Slava Bushuev
  • Anton Zarubin
  • Artem Murzin
  • Klim Krivoruchko
Artist(s)
  • Evgeniy Poznyak
  • Oleg Knyazev
Writer(s)Anton Antonenok
Composer(s)David Wise
EngineUnreal Engine 4[1]
Platform(s)
ReleaseNintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, XSX
  • WW: October 15, 2024
Microsoft Windows
  • WW: TBA
Genre(s)Platformer
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Premise

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When Niko and Luna discover that a primordial artifact has been stolen by the nefarious Grimbald, the duo must traverse across various unique worlds with the assistance of their animal companions and take down Grimbald and his Cobring forces once and for all.

Development

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Nikoderiko: The Magical World is developed by Vea Games, an independent game development studio from Cyprus. In June 2024, the game was properly unveiled in Games Radar's Future Games Show: Summer Showcase presentation event with Donkey Kong Country composer David Wise scoring its music.[3]

Reception

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Pre-release

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Accolades

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In 2020, four years prior to its proper reveal, the game was nominated in 3 categories at the virtual DevGAMM Awards event: "Grand Prize", "Best Desktop Game" and "Excellence in Visual Art", but only won in "Excellence in Visual Art".[4]

Year Award Category Result Ref.
2020 DevGAMM Awards Grand Prize Nominated [5]
Best Desktop Game Nominated [5]
Excellence in Visual Art Won [5]

Critical reception

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Nikoderiko: The Magical World received "generally favorable" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator website Metacritic.[6] GameSpew's Kim Snaith rated the game an 8 out of 10, praising its "great character and level designs" while criticizing that "co-op play is a little too chaotic."[8] While Mitch Vogel of Nintendo Life scores the Switch port a 7, admiring the game's soundtrack from David Wise whilst excoriating that it is "light on new ideas" and "performance could be better".[7]

References

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  1. ^ @GamesVea (June 10, 2024). "Unreal Engine 4" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  2. ^ Romano, Sal (September 18, 2024). "Nikoderiko: The Magical World launches October 15 for PS5, Xbox Series, and Switch, later for PC". Gematsu. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
  3. ^ Loveridge, Sam (June 8, 2024). "Nikoderiko is channeling Spyro and Crash Bandicoot with its co-op platforming and epic boss battles". GamesRadar+. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  4. ^ Reche, Gaika; Garrido, Alberto (June 8, 2024). "Nikoderiko: The Magical World, the platformer from Donkey Kong Country and Hearthstone veterans". Gamereactor. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c "DevGAMM Awards Winners". DevGAMM!. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  6. ^ a b "Nikoderiko: The Magical World (PS5)". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  7. ^ a b Vogel, Mitch (October 21, 2024). "Nikoderiko: The Magical World (Switch eShop) - Review". Nintendo Life. Gamer Network. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Snaith, Kim (October 14, 2024). "Nikoderiko: The Magical World (PS5) review". GameSpew. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  9. ^ Harrold, Kate (October 14, 2024). "Nikoderiko: The Magical World (PS5) review - A charming new platformer emerges". GAMINGbible. LADbible Group. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  10. ^ "PS5 Review: Nikoderiko: The Magical World". VG Reloaded. October 17, 2024. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  11. ^ Gander, Matt (October 16, 2024). "Nikoderiko: The Magical World review". Games Asylum. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  12. ^ Clark, Nay (October 15, 2024). "Nikoderiko: The Magical World Review (PS5)". Impulse Gamer. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
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