There’s cooler worlds than Kula World but as PS1 puzzlers go, it’s difficult to criticise what’s on offer here. This sapped all my momentum to keep pushing forward and is an archaic design choice that hasn’t stood the test of time. My big issue is that you can only save after each set of five levels and although failure will only deduct from your point score (you’re given an interesting chart to track this on your save file), after a certain number of failures the game arbitrarily decides to kick you back to the menu and you have to start again from the beginning. When this is combined with the aforementioned hazards (including a psychedelic pill that makes it difficult to judge your location) and an egg timer counting down until the stage ends (you can find a collectable in each level to flip this, but you’ll need to find it right as it expires or it’ll do more harm than good) then you’ve got a solid time if you like experimenting with puzzlers in quite a unique setting.

To help with this, you’re able to change the camera angle to help you judge jumps a little more easily. Your best tool however is to shift the perspective – the kula ball will stick to surfaces, meaning you can roll over the edge at the end of a platform and go onto the opposite side then continue on underneath, which is used to great effect to create some fiendish challenges (it feels a little Mario Galaxy-esque).Įarly on you’re simply tasked with finding ways to reach new edges by exploring around the area you’re in, but very quickly you’ll find you need to make jumps to new platforms and since everything is grid based, you’ll know quickly whether you’re able to make it from where you are now. There are various hazards to overcome ranging from spike pits to moving multicoloured targets and you can make the ball jump with x which will help here. You’re also monitored in terms of score, with coins and other collectables increasing this and there is one piece of fruit in each stage, with five of these opening a bonus level where you can collect even more fruit and boost your points. Your goal is to progress level by level (there are 150 in total) and find the keys in each to open the gate to progress. Offering a polished puzzler experience, Kula World is an enjoyable time albeit it didn’t blow my socks off with a completely new concept like say Devil Dice, making for a cautious recommendation if you can look past its frustrating progression. Much like the soundtrack, that mixes electro beats with various different geographical rhythms (such as Aztec) to solid effect. There is a feeling like you’re playing a Net Yaroze game at times, particularly on the menus which feel workman like, but otherwise the graphics get the job done. I liked that levels are always floating constructs in the sky and some of the bonus stages feature design like you’re on an acid trip which is both funky and totally in keeping with the console you’re playing on. Levels are built of pre made blocks of sand, ice or brick and populated with floating collectables like fruit, pills or coins and there’s a vibrancy to everything. There’s some psychedelic design (it reminds me of Jumping Flash! at points like when you go on a trip after rolling over a pill) but otherwise, you’re left to decipher this mystery on your own.Ĭolourful and zany if a little simplistic Kula World has often stuck in gamers’ minds as “that beach ball game from the PS1 demo disk” not least thanks to its visual design.

What is happening in the world of Kula World? I wouldn’t know, as you’re simply plopped into levels as a beach ball and need to roll your way to the exits.

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