Oki Doki
A good platformer can appeal to all ages. They are often colorful, filled with aesthetically pleasing characters, fun abilities, gorgeous environments, and explored via a series of interesting mechanics and a good feel to their jumping. Platformers have evolved over the years, but every now and then it is good to return to an era where platformers were at the top of their game.
Now, that may sound like I am here to endlessly praise Dracamar, the latest throwback platformer to release on Nintendo Switch. However, Dracamar sits in a weird place where while it is rated E10+, it's likely going to be far too easy for anyone who has even a lick of experience in the genre, but too difficult for those well under that age rating.
Dracamar borrows from a variety of different eras of the platformer, with Crash Bandicoot being at the top of the list due to the very nature of your character's spin attack. However, for as much Dracamar leans on its inspirations, it rarely pokes its head out to really stand on its own. The few ideas it does have are rarely gameplay related, and are anything but memorable.
As one of three characters, you're set on an adventure to stop King Crad's evil plot. The setup is that he has captured the Coroki Plant, which is the lifeblood of this land. He has also converted all the friendly Oki into devious and evil Mokis and yet a simple bump on the head can surprisingly return them back to normal. And yes, you can pet them.
Across the Island of Dracamar, you'll explore 15 core missions with some additional activities. Overall, the game is rather short, but does prolong its length by having collectibles as a currency to unlock some of the next locations. Some of these are seeds that can be planted to bring certain Oki-types to life. Failure to have these seeds or other collectibles sees you returning back to those levels and mining every last secret area to gather them.
As Caliu, Foc, or Espurna, you will be joined by Iko, a Oki who can transform into various objects to aid you in your quest. From springs to canons, platforms, and more, Oki gets you where your double jumping just can't reach.
Across your journey to stop King Crad you'll jump, double jump, spin, stomp, wall jump, glide, slide, and use Iko to create various platforms and objects to navigate each location. Combat is largely basic with your spin attack and the stomp. The stomp does come in handy for various switches, as well as dealing damage to armored enemies who are immune to the spin attack. You can crouch or roll, but these are more for navigating the environment or avoiding danger. That said, there isn't really anything too dangerous here and you're likely only going to die from misjudging a jump due to the poor angle the camera gives you.
Between certain levels, you'll have side activities to tackle. From planting seeds, or a stacking mini-game, you'll also take flight in a plane, even if you only feel like you're hovering more so than flying. These side moments are fairly fun and the game could have benefitted from more distractions to the so-so platforming.
Levels are fairly linear but do have moments where you'll break off to find collectibles. You'll have the standard elements we've seen in platformers before with moving platforms, timed platforms that spin around to reveal a spikey bottom, sliding down slides, and using a glider to collect stars in the air.
Where Dracamar suffers is that the camera hinders most of any enjoyment as you don't get a confident angle on most jumps. There are mantle-up boards nailed to platforms to give you that added security, but I would say that 99% of my deaths were due to the camera. Also, the jump feels floaty and not springy, and I never felt like it fit the feel of this game. If the jump was a bit more sped up with added weight to come back down, it would be far better suited to what they are trying to do here.
Each level has numerous collectibles, similar to the Yoshi coins in Super Mario World. Stars are your currency, and you'll lose some when you die. Health is often found in boxes, which can be smashed, and you'll easily find reserves as you explore. That, and some boxes hide cages containing untainted Oki, to hidden holes in the wall to take you to additional secrets.
Visually, Dracamar is fairly charming, at least what is present in front of you. Some of the exterior shots in the distance can feel bland, but the stuff the game wants you to focus on is decent, given this isn’t a game that was going to have high-end or extremely polished visuals, given its indie status. Regardless, the overall design is good but isn’t going to be a talking point to this whole experience.
My biggest issue with Dracamar is that the overall experience left me flat. Even the highs that the game has for combat encounters or its level design generally made me feel nothing. It felt like it was a game where you were simply going through the motions. I do like the overall look of the game and the cast are nicely designed, but the act of playing the game felt largely boring.
Dracamar has a nice idea of what it wants to be, I just don't think the feel of the game matches its charm. Its platforming is serviceable, and the transformations of Oki can be interesting, but Dracamar chooses the safest path at every opportunity. If you are new to platformers, then I can see someone enjoying this, even if there are countless better examples on the platform, but experienced players can easily skip this one.
Developer - Petoons Studio, 3Cat.
Publisher - Petoons Studio.
Released - March 26th, 2026.
Available On - Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4/PS5, Xbox One/Series X/S.
Rated - (E 10+) - Fantasy Violence, Mild Language.
Platform Reviewed - Nintendo Switch.
Review Access - A review code for Dracamar was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.
Jeff is the original founder of Analog Stick Gaming. His favorite games include The Witcher III, the Mass Effect Trilogy, Hi-Fi Rush, Stellar Blade, Hellbade: Senua’s Sacrifice, and the Legend of Heroes series, especially Trails of Cold Steel III & IV.