Super Lucky’s Tale – Gilly Island Review – A Simple, Cheery, Cheap Addition

March 7, 2018

Last year, Super Lucky’s Tale hit Xbox One and Windows to spread its simple, pleasant platforming charm. The game was solid enough as a family game for young children, but it also had the misfortune of being released in proximity of Super Mario Odyssey, which as we all know, was such an insane critical and commercial hit that it was hard to draw much attention away from it. However, Super Lucky’s Tale has chugged along, with an attractive budget price-point and now its first piece of DLC in Gilly Island.

Gilly Island adds another world for Lucky to explore, with a new overworld, three main levels, a series of puzzle challenges and a new boss battle with the latest cat-themed villain, Lady M. It’s not a massive amount of content, but then again it’s a fairly inexpensive piece of DLC, coming in at a very affordable AU $7.45. It took me just under two hours to clear everything Gilly Island had to offer.

The three new levels are the main attraction, of course, and they’re all pretty decent by Super Lucky Tale’s standards. The best of the three is a far more three-dimensional and open level than what’s on offer in the base game, with floating inflatable toys carrying Lucky around the map to various challenges which he can tackle in any order he likes. Another is a giant maze, a bit of a brain teaser with rotating walls cutting off or opening up sections at the throw of a switch, with maps helping you plan your next move. The final level is an enjoyable 2D chase as a pirate ship attacks Lucky with cannonballs and explosives.

All of these levels have the requisite four Clovers to collect, by finding LUCKY letters, collecting 300 coins or beating special challenges. These challenges in particular can be pretty cute, including a very-on-the-nose Donkey Kong reference that pops up. Beyond these levels, more totem-moving puzzles are included in the overworld, if that’s your thing, and the boss battle with Lady M herself is actually well done, as you face off with the fierce feline on a dance-floor with moving ‘safe’ tiles.

There’s not a whole lot more to say about Gilly Island except that it’s a decent DLC bang for your buck, and a smart way to expand on the original game. Additional, completely original worlds, that don’t rely on remixing the base game’s assets are a welcome addition to any platform game, and Super Lucky’s Tale benefits from the extra bit of challenge and experimentation in Gilly Island. It’s also worth noting that Super Lucky’s Tale just hit Xbox Game Pass, which makes Gilly Island an attractive proposition if you’re already on the service as well. Like the main game, Gilly Island is cheap, cheerful and just a little bit more challenging, and ideal for families.

Positives:

- Difficulty bump over the base game
- Experiments with some interesting ideas, including a more open structure
- Amusing, gentle characters and antics will please young children

Negatives:

- Over in an hour
- Not a huge leap in complexity or mechanics from the original

Overall Score: