This was a lot of fun to go through. Most of these games are only a couple bucks and offer usually around 30min to an hour of gameplay. Some are merely homages to platformers of old while others are much more overt and really feel like love letters to them, especially ones of the Rare variety.
Super Kiwi 64 was my first foray into Siactro's works and we played it on launch day so I didn't know what I was getting myself into. A small little collectathon with really good music and character movement. Really fun one and if you liked games like Banjo Kazooie and would like a little condensed adventure like that, this one is for you.
After that we went back and looked at the original Kiwi 64 which is free on itch.io. This one is more overt with its inspiration and is clearly more of a tech demo/experiment/learning exercise for the developer. Still it has some cute things about it. After that was Beeny which acts as a direct prelude into Super Kiwi 64. Beeny was the only 2D game in the batch we played and is styled visually like the SNES Donkey Kong Country games. The gameplay is simple, just help Beeny climb to the top of the level. It also have very good tunes and I found it pretty fun.
After getting sick for a while, we made it back to the saga with Toree 3D, released last year and available on Steam, itch.io, & Switch Eshop. This one is focused on obstacle course style levels to speed through. Toree's ice cream was stolen and so it Toree must race through 9 levels in order to get it back. Along the way there's stars to collect which can unlock a character, as well as speed ranks for another. This and it's sequel were the most fun behind Super Kiwi 64 for me. Just lovely fast paced platforming that encourages flow.
Toree 2 came out the same year as 3D and is honestly more of the same. We've got 9 new levels, all with new gimmicks that weren't seen in the first game, like speed boosts and air dash rings. Levels also have additional collectables in the form of CDs. I didn't mention it above for Toree 3D, but it and Toree 2 have great music. Toree 3D's is more "Sonic Adventure' era while Toree 2 feels more classic sonic styling. Both games I also would say feel at home on a theoretical Super Sega Saturn. Definitely pick these 2 up if you like fast paced obstacle platforming or grinding out time trials.
Last but not least we have Macbat 64: Tale of a Nice Chap. This title sits between Kiwi 64 and its Super sequel. Like Kiwi 64, this game also isn't shy about showing its roots. Macbat is such a nice chap that he can't help but help everyone in the levels. Him and a parrot meet in a very Conker's Bad Fur Day bar and then set off on an adventure to fix the water factory. Macbat doesn't have enemies or even a health system. Instead it's all about finding everyone who needs help and solving their problems in order to solve more problems in order to get your mcguffin. Everything is very Banjo Kazooie here, however stages themselves like to directly reference many other N64 games. While not my favorite of the bunch, Macbat is a very cute love letter to all things N64.
These all were a fun blast and I want to go back to both Toree 3D and 2 (also Lunistice) and grind out the time trials for them. I've probably not been too shy about my general indifference to most modern indie games with retro styling. I think I was mostly deflated after so many of them revealed they were metroidvanias, or roguelikes, or masocore. Nothing wrong with those, it was nice to play something that explored a space I haven't seen much of. The sort of 32bit low poly 3D era. I know there's now lots of low poly stuff out there, especially with things like Haunted PS1 and SAGE but Super Kiwi 64, the Toree games, and A GrumpyFox's Lunistice really feel like they belong on the systems they are paying tribute to.
I admit it is a bit of a blind spot for me as I can't check out all the game jams and indie stuff like I used to. I would love to explore this style more and so if you got any suggestions, 2D or 3D, and not necessarily platformer, please let me know. I'd love to check them out.