Kitsune Tails is a wonderfully queer platformer inspired by Super Mario 3, out today

Hey, remember that roguelike from 2017 called Midboss? Or that platformer from 2020 called Super Bernie World where you tried to transform the US as a retro Bernie Sanders? Yes or no, Kitsune Games has made some good stuff in the past, and now they’re back with a Super Bernie World sequel: Kitsune Tails. Again, it’s a Super Mario-inspired platformer, but this time it’s a cute and colorful, awesome queer rescue mission inspired by Japanese mythology. And it’s out today!

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In Kitsune Tails, you play as an unnamed kitsune inspired by the Japanese deity Inari Okami. Events occur that lead you to develop a romantic interest in a young sorceress who helps you in your time of need. But then drama! Your former mentor and enemy kidnaps the young sorceress and imprisons her in an elemental prison. So it's up to you to come up with “cute outfits” that will help you save your newfound love.

Honestly, it looks like a really fun throwback to the GameBoy Super Marios. Your character can jump on “pangos” to make them wriggle, then launch them at enemies like the turtles in Mario. And I like the look of some of the outfits, like the one that turns you into a shark that can swim, or a shogun that can jump up walls to swing from poles. There are apparently five worlds to explore, plus various haunted houses in which you'll need to move lights “to reveal secret doors and ward off ghosts.”

A nice touch is that if you're struggling, you can buy power-ups from a shop or just “change playstyle” (whatever that means) to get instant revives. If you finish the game, the “kaizo” levels are an optional extra, and by “optional extra” I mean something that's absolutely nail-it.

If you want to check out the game, you can find it on Steam and itch.io.

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