Koloro is a puzzle platformer that’s rich on content yet bad on pacing. The first chapter has a whopping 25 levels before you move on to a different world. With over 300 levels (some very challenging) you’ll be seeing an awful lot of the same (already familiar to the genre) imagery. While “dreamlike art” sounds promising, it’s buried under a discouraging layout. Sometimes less is more.

There’s little story presented in-game, so I’m going to crib right from Nintendo’s game page… “Between dreams and nightmares, Koloro tells the tale of a young pink hair girl named Kora who embarks on a quest to find her missing sister…” Not too memorable, but not that important, admittedly.

The single-screen levels in Koloro have you seeking out items to unlock the exit while avoiding threats. The controls are deliberately limited, with a single button press sending you off until you bump into something or change directions. It’s not the easiest to explain I’m realizing. Thankfully, it’s easier picked up with a Joy-Con in hand. While not the most intuitive, it’s soon grasped, and the original and responsive controls give a fresh feel to an otherwise familiar setup.

These limits can make the game pretty darn tough. There’s an optional hard mode, but the regular mode is plenty challenging on its own. I can’t see myself having the desire to slog through a game with this many levels again on an even harder difficulty. Koloro advertised as “Great for kids and family” but I wonder if the challenge will discourage, especially since the game is largely linear. At least the E-rated content is appropriate, and there’s a co-op mode.

Teaming up is where Koloro flexes some muscle that the main game lacks. Having another set of eyes can really help tackle some of these puzzles, and it’s just more fun to play with a friend. Communicating is key here – doing things in the correct order can be the difference between success and having to start over from scratch.

With better pacing, I think Koloro could’ve thrived. It would allow for more bosses, more background variety, and soundtrack diversity. As it is, I wonder how many will give up early on? While I don’t mind sticking with it for review purposes (especially in co-op) it does struggle to maintain my interest at times. Options to jump between levels within a chapter really should’ve been included.

If I see more of Koloro, I hope it’s in smaller doses. Having co-op as an option for all of the levels would further increase appeal. The Nintendo Switch has many puzzle platformers, so Koloro might be one for fans to wish list. Content isn’t an issue here though, as there’s plenty to play so long as your interest is held. Just be prepared for a bloated, largely linear, and often tough go at it.