Nikoderiko: The Magical World

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Nikoderiko: The Magical World
Nikoderiko The Magical World.png
Developer(s) Vea Games
Publisher(s) Knights Peak
Director(s) Dmitry Smirnov
Producer(s) Vlad Yakubovsky
Designer(s)
  • Slava Bushuev
  • Anton Zarubin
  • Artem Murzin
  • Klim Krivoruchko
Artist(s)
  • Evgeniy Poznyak
  • Oleg Knyazev
Writer(s) Anton Antonenok
Composer(s) David Wise
Engine Unreal Engine 4 [1]
Platform(s)
ReleaseNintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, XSX
  • WW: October 15, 2024
Microsoft Windows
  • WW: December 5, 2024
Genre(s) Platformer
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Nikoderiko: The Magical World is a platformer video game developed by indie studio Vea Games and published by Knights Peak. It was released on October 15, 2024, on the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, [2] followed by a Windows release on December 5. [3]

Contents

Premise

When Niko and Luna discover that a primordial artifact has been stolen by the nefarious Grimbald, the duo must traverse across various unique worlds with the assistance of their animal companions and take down Grimbald and his Cobring forces once and for all.

Development

Nikoderiko: The Magical World was developed by Vea Games, an independent game development studio from Cyprus. In June 2024, the game was unveiled in Games Radar's Future Games Show: Summer Showcase presentation event with Donkey Kong Country composer David Wise scoring its music. [4]

In March 2025, a Director's Cut update to the base game was announced and is set to release on April 15. [5] The April update will include "refined gameplay, expanded levels, enhanced visuals as well as brand new content including new secrets and much more". [5]

Reception

Pre-release

Accolades

In 2020, four years prior to its proper reveal, the game was nominated in 3 categories at the virtual DevGAMM Awards event: "Grand Prize", "Best Desktop Game" and "Excellence in Visual Art", but only won in "Excellence in Visual Art". [6]

YearAwardCategoryResultRef.
2020DevGAMM AwardsGrand PrizeNominated [7]
Best Desktop GameNominated [7]
Excellence in Visual ArtWon [7]

Critical reception

Nikoderiko: The Magical World received "generally favorable" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator website Metacritic. [8] GameSpew's Kim Snaith rated the game an 8 out of 10, praising its "great character and level designs" while criticizing that "co-op play is a little too chaotic." [10] Mitch Vogel of Nintendo Life scored the Switch port a 7, admiring the game's soundtrack from David Wise whilst excoriating that it is "light on new ideas" and "performance could be better". [9]

References

  1. ↑ @GamesVea (June 10, 2024). "Unreal Engine 4" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  2. ↑ Romano, Sal (September 18, 2024). "Nikoderiko: The Magical World launches October 15 for PS5, Xbox Series, and Switch, later for PC". Gematsu. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
  3. ↑ Sheehan, Gavin (November 21, 2024). "Nikoderiko: The Magical World Reveals New PC Release Date". Bleeding Cool . Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  4. ↑ Loveridge, Sam (June 8, 2024). "Nikoderiko is channeling Spyro and Crash Bandicoot with its co-op platforming and epic boss battles". GamesRadar+ . Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  5. 1 2 Doolan, Liam (March 18, 2025). "The Donkey Kong Country Tribute 'Nikoderiko' Is Already Getting A Director's Cut". Nintendo Life. Gamer Network . Retrieved March 21, 2025.
  6. ↑ Reche, Gaika; Garrido, Alberto (June 8, 2024). "Nikoderiko: The Magical World, the platformer from Donkey Kong Country and Hearthstone veterans". Gamereactor . Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  7. 1 2 3 "DevGAMM Awards Winners". DevGAMM!. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  8. 1 2 "Nikoderiko: The Magical World (PS5)". Metacritic . Fandom Inc. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  9. 1 2 Vogel, Mitch (October 21, 2024). "Nikoderiko: The Magical World (Switch eShop) - Review". Nintendo Life. Gamer Network . Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  10. 1 2 Snaith, Kim (October 14, 2024). "Nikoderiko: The Magical World (PS5) review". GameSpew. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  11. ↑ Harrold, Kate (October 14, 2024). "Nikoderiko: The Magical World (PS5) review - A charming new platformer emerges". GAMINGbible. LADbible Group . Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  12. ↑ "PS5 Review: Nikoderiko: The Magical World". VG Reloaded. October 17, 2024. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  13. ↑ Gander, Matt (October 16, 2024). "Nikoderiko: The Magical World review". Games Asylum. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  14. ↑ Clark, Nay (October 15, 2024). "Nikoderiko: The Magical World Review (PS5)". Impulse Gamer. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  15. ↑ Reily, Brendan (November 5, 2024). "Nikoderiko: The Magical World (PS5) - Review". Gaming Age. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
  16. ↑ Speer, Joshua (December 6, 2024). "Nikoderiko: The Magical World Review". Dual Shockers. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
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