Stunt Kite Party Review – Nintendo Switch | Review

By Myles Jordan
| 7th February 2019
| Review, Switch
| 0

Stunt Kite Party, upon first glance, would appear to be nothing more than Wii-era shovelware title, but after spending some time with it the simplicity of the gameplay and the somewhat generic art style make it a simpler, smaller experience that would feel right at home amongst a mini-game collection or compilation of some kind.

Now, all things considered, that’s not entirely a bad thing in and of itself. I’ve played many games over the years that not only critically thrived from simplicity but also sold extremely well due to it.

Unfortunately, Stunt Kite Party does very little to distinguish itself from the shovelware of yesterday’s games consoles, feeling very akin to the “Sports Party” and “Sports Island” games found on the Wii.

There is very little to say on the gameplay, you simply control a Kite and compete against either AI or your friends in simple mini-games, such as popping balloons within a time limit, playing a game of TNT tag or a quick round of Alien Attack, where you have to periodically hide your Kite in a safe zone from laser fire.

The controls feel fine, getting the job done with little difficulty, making it an easily approachable title to play with the family. But the concept itself limits the fun, leaving the overall package feeling somewhat bland and uninteresting.

Whilst it definitely has the approachability required for a good party game, somewhat critically it lacks the depth and character that all-time classics like Wii Sports or Kinect Adventures brought to the table.

That being said, it also seems to lack a unique selling point. No motion controls, no unique gadget or doo-dad to sell.

This was especially strange to me as I reviewed the game on Nintendo Switch, a console that not only continues the lineage from the Nintendo Wii (which I’m aware I’ve mentioned multiple times at this point) but also has a whole armoury of unique control schemes and features in and of itself, all of which seem to be completely unused and tragically ignored. This adds up to Stunt Kite Party feeling like an incomplete concept, in all honesty.

The visuals do very little to mask the clearly “budget” nature of the title, which is a shame as often with titles similar to this, a poor first impression can be the fatal wound that completely kills the experience. Although I do want to stress the subjectivity of this aspect, I feel like I’ve seen this game 100 times before.

Final Impressions

If, however, you find yourself in the mood for a simple, easy to play the game, in particular for younger children and you happen to already own a Switch, there’s very little stopping you from having a good time for a few minutes. Just note that the longevity of this title is yet to be seen.

Whilst I’m not trying to impersonate Yoda, I have to stress “A Wii Sports this is certainly not.”

*Code kindly provided by the publisher for review*

Developer: Handy Games / Publisher: Handy Games
Release date: 08/02/2019
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
Platform Reviewed: Nintendo Switch