KAZ Review

Kaz is a minimalist grid-based arcade action roguelike developed by Kalinarm and published by HAKURO. Described as psychedelic, chaotic, dopamine-fuelled, and that one game with the crab skin, it claims to be almost as addictive as drugs and far cheaper to boot. Considering all the times I've stressed myself out running virtual shops and attempting to relax in cosy games, this might actually be a nice change of pace. So, is KAZ going to give me a good high or give me a bad trip? Let's find out.

The game is simple: you move around a grid, killing enemies and avoiding traps in order to reach a high score. After every round, you get to choose an upgrade to make scoring higher a little easier, ranging from increasing how many points you earn from defeating enemies to magic spells, laser beams, lightning bolts, nukes, and swords. Repeat all that until you lose.

There are only five buttons you'll need for KAZ: up, down, left, and right to move your character (and to input combinations to activate spells) and the Enter key to confirm choices. However, don't let the simple controls fool you; you'll need lightning-fast reflexes and split-second decision-making if you want to survive even the first couple of rounds.

There are actually five game modes that'll test different aspects of yourself and the game. Most of them focus on speed with tight time limits and no second chances, such as Survivor (the main mode the game is built around), No Buffs, Daily Challenges, and Dance Pad (yes, you can play this game with an actual dance pad). However, if you can't keep up with the pace, there's always No Stress mode, where the time limit is replaced with a move limit. It does make the game more digestible for audiences with slower reflexes. There's a little something for everyone here, and each one has a global leaderboard, so you can try to beat your friends or attempt to be the best in the world.

All of this combines together into a very unique loop that you can easily lose so much time in. All the rounds are only 40 seconds (barring time extenders), and once the ball gets rolling, it becomes really hard to stop until you just can't keep up with the ever-increasing score requirements. And when you see you're just short of being at the top of the leaderboard, it very easily pulls you back in for one more try, and maybe a different approach.

Plus, no matter what, you're always working towards something, as there's plenty to unlock, like different characters/themes. Each one offers a unique gameplay bonus and visual style, like replacing a heroic adventurer and monsters with a bunny just wanting to eat apples. A lot of them were even created by the community, which is nice… though, I admit, some themes are better than others. The robot's gimmick of making enemy shields harder to see in exchange for one point for breaking them seems super weak.

In order to unlock them, you'll need coins, which are earned through achievements. This can go from earning tons of money quickly to needing to lock in if you're chasing after a certain character. It definitely encourages you to get better and try out characters to see which one fits your play style. However, I feel like I should point out that some colour choices for certain characters can make the UI a little unreadable. Cream text on light blue isn't exactly great for readability.

KAZ was inspired by rhythm games, and it definitely shows through the music. There are more than 10 tracks that interact with your gameplay, and the more points you score, the better the music gets. Now, unlike some people who couldn't hear the full version of Devil Trigger in the past, I got to fully enjoy the soundtrack. It's fast-paced and energetic, no matter what theme you choose, and once you reach the target score, it gets even better as all the lights and special effects trigger! Although I sort of tuned it out when I started getting to the higher levels, as I was too focused trying to survive. It's really good when you do get the chance to listen to it.

But all of this doesn't matter if KAZ can't handle its own insanity, but thankfully, throughout my time with the game, it ran like a dream. It stayed at 60+ FPS, no matter how messy things became, and I didn't notice any bugs that would affect my enjoyment. That, or I was just focusing so hard that I didn't notice them.

KAZ was made to be way more fun and cheaper than drugs, and I'd say they succeeded. It's easy to pick up, fast-paced, and wild, encouraging you to keep trying while you chase higher spots on the leaderboards. If you're just looking for a time waster that you can potentially sink dozens of hours into, this game is for you! It's a psychedelic thrill ride that will leave you wanting more, even after you've unlocked everything and obtained all the achievements.