Miles & Kilo, a Four Horses title, is an awesome side-scrolling, platform game for the Nintendo Switch that’s definitely worth checking out. Mechanics are incredibly simple, going back to the original two-button controller design, and the toughness from level design inspires you to continue playing. Although it has its difficult moments, you need to add Miles & Kilo to your Nintendo Switch library.

Miles & Kilo has a very simple story: the pair are flying in an airplane and suddenly crash onto an island. Here there the pair must fight a group of wandering snakes, flying bats and other bad guys, not to mention all while jumping over obstacles in order to survive. The game certainly throws a lot at you, but it makes the experience fun, challenging, and enjoyable.

I absolutely love how simple this game happens to be on the Nintendo Switch. Running and jumping are completely intuitive, especially if you grew up playing similar games on classic Nintendo platforms. If anything, Miles & Kilo draws inspiration from games like Super Mario Bros. and innovates on game design by adding nuance to the genre. The simplicity in design will make you feel welcome, as you can easily pick up the controller and start playing.

What isn’t easy, on the other hand, are the levels in the game. Do not be discouraged, as each and every stage is designed to test your skill, as you will be running in one instance and quickly sliding in another. There are no heart containers in this game, so it essentially takes the Contra approach and makes it a one-hit-kill situation. Whether you accidentally fall off the map or get hit by an enemy, once you die you will have to begin the stage from scratch.

Although this game can be played at practically any pace, whether you choose to stroll through stages or speedrun, I decided to take the latter approach, which made the experience even more entertaining. Often you will play as Miles, running and sliding under platforms, all while throwing collected fruit at wandering enemies. But you can also play as Miles’ friendly and furry companion, Kilo. This is where things get interesting, as Kilo quickly sprints across the stage, comically dragging Miles along, and speeds the momentum in the stage way up – he doesn’t stop, so it essentially turns into a non-stop running adventure. But even though the game is tough at times, I always wanted to go back and play more. Perhaps it was my inner speedrunner that brought me back each time, as I was mostly interested in beating each stage within seconds of the in-game scoreboard with preset time rankings.

Miles & Kilo is an incredibly entertaining game on the Nintendo Switch that should not be overlooked. The enjoyable gameplay is tethered to a simplistic control system which, in turn, makes it easy to pick up and play; even kids could get the hang of it with its two-button operation. Sure, stages can be a little difficult, but they don’t sting as bad as other games, and in fact, they can be easy once you’ve learned enemy attack and movement patterns. All in all, Miles & Kilo is certainly one for the books, and it’s definitely worth every second of your time.