KUBO 3

KUBO 3 is an 8-bit action-adventure developed by SJ Games, a young developer from France working with his father. The player controls Kubo, a turtle, whose village has been raided by an antagonist named Moglar. Moglar has kidnapped the villagers and scattered the sacred crystals needed to rescue them across the land, and Kubo sets out to recover them.

The game combines two perspectives in the manner of NES-era action-adventure titles. A top-down overworld map is used for exploration and choosing a route, while side-scrolling platforming stages contain the combat and traversal. Players fight monsters, deal with environmental hazards such as currents in the underwater world, and collect crystals on the way to each world’s boss. The quest leads to a final confrontation with Moglar in his castle.

There are four worlds to visit: the underworld, a haunted graveyard, an underwater realm and the open skies. Each has its own enemies, hazards and visual style. The presentation uses retro NES-style graphics, and the developer describes the adventure as a focused one that can be finished in a single sitting.