Off the Shelf Media

When Nintendo announced earlier this year that the cost of its flagship title, Mario Kart World, for its new Switch 2 console was going to retail for $79.99, gamers were less than pleased. It was met with a wave of concern that the average cost of games would begin to rise, which was reaffirmed by the recent release of Borderlands 4, priced at $69.99 on Steam for the Standard Edition and paired with mixed reviews due to performance issues.

It feels like a different, more costly, world of gaming with even less return on investment. Now, gamers can expect to pay $70 for the base game, or roughly $120 for the pre-order special edition. Even the cost of Game Pass Ultimate will be increasing from $19.99 to $29.99 a month.

While free-to-play multiplayer games are everywhere, the content is all locked behind loot boxes and battle passes. And sometimes, even the price of “free” isn’t enough to make up for bad mechanics and lifeless atmospheres.

Suffice to say, game pricing is nuts these days. So, when I heard that Banana Cowboy, the debut game from Berry Ripe Games, was my favorite price (free), I jumped all over it, even knowing the risks of free-to-play.

To preface this review, I’d also like to note that Banana Cowboy was developed by a small group of students at the University of Texas at Austin as part of a school project over the course of a semester, according to the team’s About page.

Now, let’s get into it.

Gameplay: 1

It is an imperfect but simply system.

While playing, it’s obvious that the inspiration for the game comes from none other than Super Mario Sunshine, but with no controller support and a camera with a mind of it’s own.

WASD movement allows you to traverse the 3D planets with a free floating cursor to serve as your trusty lasso. Spacebar for jump.

Now, you might think lasso implies a lot of unique abilities. And there are, if your definition of a lot is two: throwing and swinging. Combat consists of dodging enemies, then clicking on them to lasso them when they fall over. You then hurl these dazed enemies into walls and buttons to progress through the levels.

The controls are a bit janky, so it may take a minute or two to get the hang of. And many times, the player is also benefited by controls that are less sensitive. For instance, while leaping across falling leaves over an orange juice ravine, there were times where I found myself missing the target only to be able to jump freely and catch myself before plummeting.

Story: 1

Armed with only his trusty lasso and cowboy hat, the eponymous Banana Cowboy is on a mission to save the fruit worlds from his evil twin brother who sought to steal the throne after the untimely demise of their father.

After a thirty minute or so romp through four worlds, the fruit galaxy is saved.

It’s no Pulitzer Prize winner, but the fun puns and quirky characters do enough.

Atmosphere: 2

One area where this game excels is in the atmosphere.

Each world plays into its theme nicely and the music is surprisingly cheery and befitting the mood of the game.

For a small team, the fun, colorful designs help to create a world that’s pleasant to be in.

Value: 2

You get what you pay for, and in this case, you paid nothing. I’m not going to pretend this is a finished masterpiece on it’s way to win every GOTY award out there but within the context through which it was both developed and offered, there isn’t too much to complain about.

Duration: 1

I was able to complete the game in roughly 30 minutes, which was actually a big motivating factor for playing.

Each mission, depending on how naturally you adapt to the controls, does not take too much time to complete. However, if you’re the type that likes to 100% the game, you should enjoy the replayability aspect by taking on some of the challenges to earn achievements.

Total Score: 7/10

All that said, Banana Cowboy has the bones of a good 3D platformer, with a fun art style and plenty of quirky characters. It’s got a lot of heart and feels like it was made by a team that may have been lacking in game development chops, but make up for it by knowing what makes a platformer fun.

I’m definitely keeping an eye on Berry Ripe and the full 3D Banana Cowboy game that’s currently in development.