The New Zealand Story: Untold Adventure PC Review
Summary: Tiki is back in a remake of the original Taito classic.
3.8
Kiwi Klassic
Because I’m old… my first experience of The New Zealand Story was on the ZX Spectrum… I think a demo version from a cover cassette (yes, cassette) on Your Sinclair magazine. From the first time I laid eyes on it, I was a fan. The cute graphics and simple gameplay were very appealing to a young me. Now in 2026, we get a remake of that classic arcade game and it’s no longer restricted by the low resolution and small colour palette of the Spectrum… but rather than going with a simple port of the original arcade game’s graphics, bitobit has opted to give it a new style that still keeps to the feel of the original.
So what is The New Zealand Story? Essentially you play as Tiki, a little Kiwi who must attempt to rescue his friends from the fearsome Walrus. Each level you save a friend from results in that friend showing up on the start screen which is a nice touch… but the further into the game you get, the harder it will be to release your friends. Starting with some simple platforming and either avoiding or destroying enemies… you will soon find yourself facing flying enemies (whom you can commandeer a ride from), hazardous obstacles (sharp points are not great when you are traveling by balloon) and eventually boss battles. Things can escalate quite quickly.
Visually, the game does a decent job of retaining the classic style but also introduces a sort of modern feel to it (a bit like the change from classic Mario games to the newer 3D versions). It’s not too jarring and mostly just gives it a more modern feel without feeling too different to the familiar look many of us are so fond of. In terms of the gameplay, again it feels very familiar, essentially it’s a platformer mechanic but with the added bonus of some rideable units (as mentioned earlier… sometimes these are acquired by killing their former occupant, or they might be available at certain points on the maps). You begin with a bow and arrow, but throughout you can pick up different weapons (often in a similar fashion to gaining the rides from former foes). Sometimes picking up a different weapon may work against you, as they all have pros and cons and some are better suited to play styles than others.
It has been quite a while since I played the original (well not the arcade game, but the Spectrum port of it), and though the gameplay felt mostly the same… something didn’t quite feel right. I can’t quite put my finger on it… and it’s entirely possible it’s just my memory being hazy… but things did seem a little skewed… nothing to really break the game… but it might make fans of the original feel a little off.
Final Thoughts:
There are plenty of classic games from the golden age of arcade gaming and the early days of computer gaming that would be great to see come back. The question is how much of the original to keep versus how much to try and update the game for a more modern market. The argument could be made for having a truly faithful port of the original alongside a modernised version (though that would obviously require a lot more time and effort)… but if you can only have one or the other… The New Zealand Story: Untold Adventure does a decent job of scratching the itch even if it doesn’t quite hit the same spot… it does do a decent job of reminding fans of the original what they loved about the game. It’s not a terrible price, but if you are after a true one‑to‑one port to modern gaming, you might want to at least wait for a sale.
About the Author
Chris O'Connor Father of four, husband of one and all round oddity. Gaming at home since about 1982 with a Sinclair ZX Spectrum. Moving on to the more traditional PC genre in the years that followed with the classic Jump Joe and Alley Cat. CGA, EGA, VGA and beyond PC's have been central to my gaming but I've also enjoyed consoles and hand helds along the way (who remembers the Atari Lynx?). Would have been actor/film maker, jack of many trades master of none.
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