Stone age swagger with sky-high hops
By Paul Hunter
KAKU: Ancient Seal comes from BingoBell and ported to PS5 and Xbox Series X|S by SneakyBox, landing as a confident throwback to the PS2 era. It is a single-player, third-person action-RPG built around a big world to roam, a steady drip of upgrades, and a clear sense of purpose. You move from open zones into temples that test your timing and puzzle sense, then back into wide spaces that invite you to poke at every corner. The loop is simple, reminiscent of classics like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
What grabbed me was the mix of tools. Melee and a slingshot cover your basics, while elemental abilities spice up traversal and combat. Piggy, your flying companion, gives the journey its own flavour and helps you reach places you otherwise couldn’t. The tone stays light, the pace stays brisk, and the world leans into bold landscapes and colourful characters.
If you grew up clearing platforming gauntlets and chasing collectables after dinner, this feels like coming home: The map wants you to explore, the temples want you to think, and the powers keep you tinkering. Let’s dig in deeper to find out more!
Guardians and guides push you forward along roads leading to four wide regions, each tied to an element and capped by a hidden temple. That familiar layout anchors the arc as you move, meet people, and push towards your goal. Fresh faces pop up along the way, and even when conversations play out in a fictional tongue, subtitles carry the details, while body language and animations sell the mood.
Each region layers in its own problems and local creatures, so the trip feels like a set of focused chapters. Piggy, the little flyer who kicked off the whole mess, sticks by your side and keeps the tone friendly, giving your travels a heartbeat and plenty of charm.
What you get is a straightforward tale about putting things right. It favours momentum over twists, and it suits the structure well. The temples give the journey its rhythm, the regions give it shape, and the elemental theme ties it all together well.
Once you gain elemental powers the gameplay spices up quite a bit. I loved swapping to lightning spears to thin a group, then popping a shield to gain some distance. The skill tree drops new techniques at a nice clip, and gear upgrades matter when bosses turn up with thicker skin.
Piggy ties the whole kit together. The little partner turns wide water and long gaps into solvable puzzles. On one mountain route I tried to brute force a climb, then remembered Piggy’s boost and sailed over a ledge I had no business reaching.
The world invites you to poke around, especially in temples filled with puzzles that keep you thinking. There's also light crafting that has you gather ingredients, make ammo, some with special properties like burning away dark plants that block a door. Side tasks show up often, giving completionists lots to do beyond the main story.
Difficulty gradually ramp up across the adventure. Early enemies leave openings, while later on, bosses require more patience and timing. The result is a challenge that grows steadily with your abilities, never feeling unfair while keeping you on your toes.
Creature design carries a lot of personality. Masked cave tribes cackle from ledges, shaggy yetis lumber across ice, and odd chicken-like drakes spit fire in bursts. Weapons and armour fit the prehistoric angle with bone, hide, and simple shapes that sell the time period. Short cutscenes land quick jokes and move you along, keeping the pace brisk.
Audio backs up the look with upbeat music and sharp beats that mark key moments. Fights hit with a satisfying thump, and Piggy’s strange noises add a smile during lulls. The interface is straightforward, and the tutorials do a solid job of easing you in.
Overall, the colour, creature variety, and polished layout gives the journey a warm, confident look and sound.
Final Score: 7.5/10 - Good
Developer: Bingobell, SneakyBox
Publisher: Microids
Genre: Action Role-Playing
Modes: Single-player
A key was provided by the publisher.
By Paul Hunter
KAKU: Ancient Seal comes from BingoBell and ported to PS5 and Xbox Series X|S by SneakyBox, landing as a confident throwback to the PS2 era. It is a single-player, third-person action-RPG built around a big world to roam, a steady drip of upgrades, and a clear sense of purpose. You move from open zones into temples that test your timing and puzzle sense, then back into wide spaces that invite you to poke at every corner. The loop is simple, reminiscent of classics like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
What grabbed me was the mix of tools. Melee and a slingshot cover your basics, while elemental abilities spice up traversal and combat. Piggy, your flying companion, gives the journey its own flavour and helps you reach places you otherwise couldn’t. The tone stays light, the pace stays brisk, and the world leans into bold landscapes and colourful characters.
If you grew up clearing platforming gauntlets and chasing collectables after dinner, this feels like coming home: The map wants you to explore, the temples want you to think, and the powers keep you tinkering. Let’s dig in deeper to find out more!
Story and Narrative
In KAKU: Ancient Seal, you become Kaku, a young fighter whose chance chase after a mischievous pig becomes the first step toward a larger duty. The world’s balance has slipped, with the four elements that once held steady now pulling in different directions. Creator Saga, the figure who kept order, is missing, and something from a darker place presses in.Guardians and guides push you forward along roads leading to four wide regions, each tied to an element and capped by a hidden temple. That familiar layout anchors the arc as you move, meet people, and push towards your goal. Fresh faces pop up along the way, and even when conversations play out in a fictional tongue, subtitles carry the details, while body language and animations sell the mood.
Each region layers in its own problems and local creatures, so the trip feels like a set of focused chapters. Piggy, the little flyer who kicked off the whole mess, sticks by your side and keeps the tone friendly, giving your travels a heartbeat and plenty of charm.
What you get is a straightforward tale about putting things right. It favours momentum over twists, and it suits the structure well. The temples give the journey its rhythm, the regions give it shape, and the elemental theme ties it all together well.
Gameplay and Mechanics
The combat in KAKU: Ancient Seal is easy to learn but has depth to master. Light blows trim health, heavy shots deal significant damage but wear down your stamina bar, and a stagger lets you finish off enemies. Rolls and simple strings slot between those beats. It is a combat system that rewards timing more than button mashing.Once you gain elemental powers the gameplay spices up quite a bit. I loved swapping to lightning spears to thin a group, then popping a shield to gain some distance. The skill tree drops new techniques at a nice clip, and gear upgrades matter when bosses turn up with thicker skin.
Piggy ties the whole kit together. The little partner turns wide water and long gaps into solvable puzzles. On one mountain route I tried to brute force a climb, then remembered Piggy’s boost and sailed over a ledge I had no business reaching.
The world invites you to poke around, especially in temples filled with puzzles that keep you thinking. There's also light crafting that has you gather ingredients, make ammo, some with special properties like burning away dark plants that block a door. Side tasks show up often, giving completionists lots to do beyond the main story.
Difficulty gradually ramp up across the adventure. Early enemies leave openings, while later on, bosses require more patience and timing. The result is a challenge that grows steadily with your abilities, never feeling unfair while keeping you on your toes.
Presentation and Audio
KAKU: Ancient Seal nails a bright, cartoon style and it works well, reminding me of Kena: Bridge of Spirits. The world's four broad regions each look distinct and focuses on specific biomes, like snowy ridges, swampland, and dry valleys.Creature design carries a lot of personality. Masked cave tribes cackle from ledges, shaggy yetis lumber across ice, and odd chicken-like drakes spit fire in bursts. Weapons and armour fit the prehistoric angle with bone, hide, and simple shapes that sell the time period. Short cutscenes land quick jokes and move you along, keeping the pace brisk.
Audio backs up the look with upbeat music and sharp beats that mark key moments. Fights hit with a satisfying thump, and Piggy’s strange noises add a smile during lulls. The interface is straightforward, and the tutorials do a solid job of easing you in.
Overall, the colour, creature variety, and polished layout gives the journey a warm, confident look and sound.
The Verdict
This is the kind of game you boot up for an hour and realise you stayed for three. The map offers plenty of variety, temples are a blast, and your toolkits grows at a satisfying pace. Piggy turns tricky paths into small victories, and the art and audio keep the mood bright. KAKU: Ancient Seal is a genuine feel-good trek for anyone who loves exploration, puzzles, and steady progression.Final Score: 7.5/10 - Good
Kaku: Ancient Seal details
Platform: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PCDeveloper: Bingobell, SneakyBox
Publisher: Microids
Genre: Action Role-Playing
Modes: Single-player
A key was provided by the publisher.