Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Developed and published by Vic Tokai in North America in 1990, Kid Kool and the Quest for the Seven Wonder Herbs is an ambitious platformer built around speed, momentum and a strict time limit. Its unusual physics, reusable companion and multiple endings make it distinctive, but slippery controls and unfair level design turn much of the adventure into an exercise in memorization. Rating: 4/10.
The king of Voldam has fallen gravely ill, and Kid Kool is ordered to recover seven magical herbs before time runs out. Each herb is hidden at the end of one of seven worlds, creating a journey through 21 stages filled with forests, caves, mountains, deserts and other familiar platform-game environments.
Kid Kool’s defining feature is his momentum. He begins moving slowly but gradually accelerates into a fast sprint. Jump distance depends almost entirely on his current speed: standing jumps are short, while running leaps can carry him across enormous gaps. This gives the game a unique rhythm and occasionally produces satisfying moments of high-speed platforming.
Unfortunately, the controls are poorly suited to the precision demanded by the stages. Kid Kool takes too long to stop, slides after landing and has almost no useful control in mid-air. Narrow platforms, spikes and bottomless pits frequently appear just beyond the visible screen, so moving quickly often results in blind leaps toward unseen danger.
The camera makes these problems worse. When Kid Kool travels vertically, the action briefly pauses while the screen abruptly shifts upward or downward. This interrupts the timing of jumps and makes it difficult to judge where platforms or enemies will appear. Progress often depends on learning each dangerous section through repeated failure.
Most enemies can be defeated by jumping on them, but Kid Kool also has a small red companion named Wicky. He can be carried and thrown like a reusable projectile, bouncing through enemies before returning. Wicky also protects Kid Kool from a single hit by disappearing in his place, so losing him makes the remaining section considerably more dangerous.
Hidden items can be uncovered by running through bushes or exploring alternate routes. These include temporary invincibility, time extensions and other bonuses. Springs, balloons and launchers send Kid Kool high into the air, while branching paths allow experienced players to shorten certain stages. These features add variety, though they also create more opportunities for the slippery physics to cause trouble.
The entire adventure is governed by a three-day timer, equivalent to roughly three real-time hours. The scenery gradually changes from day to night, and the ending depends on how quickly the herbs are returned. Several outcomes are possible, ranging from successfully saving the kingdom to arriving too late to cure the king.
This system gives the game some replay value, but it also adds pressure to an experience already filled with trial-and-error obstacles. Unlimited continues make completion possible, although using them consumes valuable time. Once the routes are memorized, the stages are relatively short, but reaching that level of familiarity requires considerable patience.
Boss battles are simple and usually involve throwing Wicky while avoiding basic attack patterns. They provide a brief change from the platforming but are rarely the hardest part of the game. Reaching them without losing lives to blind jumps and awkward landings is normally the greater challenge.
The presentation is bright and cheerful. Character sprites are expressive, backgrounds are colorful and the gradual day-to-night changes are a clever visual touch. The upbeat music suits the frantic pace, although the limited selection becomes repetitive during difficult sections.
Kid Kool deserves credit for experimenting with momentum-based movement before high-speed platforming became popular. Its ideas would later be refined in games such as Psycho Fox and Decap Attack. Here, however, the level design constantly works against the mechanics.
There are brief moments when the speed, jumps and stage layouts come together, but they are overwhelmed by slippery handling and cheap hazards. Kid Kool and the Quest for the Seven Wonder Herbs is an interesting piece of platform-game history, though most players will find it more fascinating to study than enjoyable to finish.
Developed and published by Vic Tokai in North America in 1990, Kid Kool and the Quest for the Seven Wonder Herbs is an ambitious platformer built around speed, momentum and a strict time limit. Its unusual physics, reusable companion and multiple endings make it distinctive, but slippery controls and unfair level design turn much of the adventure into an exercise in memorization. Rating: 4/10.
The king of Voldam has fallen gravely ill, and Kid Kool is ordered to recover seven magical herbs before time runs out. Each herb is hidden at the end of one of seven worlds, creating a journey through 21 stages filled with forests, caves, mountains, deserts and other familiar platform-game environments.
Kid Kool’s defining feature is his momentum. He begins moving slowly but gradually accelerates into a fast sprint. Jump distance depends almost entirely on his current speed: standing jumps are short, while running leaps can carry him across enormous gaps. This gives the game a unique rhythm and occasionally produces satisfying moments of high-speed platforming.
Unfortunately, the controls are poorly suited to the precision demanded by the stages. Kid Kool takes too long to stop, slides after landing and has almost no useful control in mid-air. Narrow platforms, spikes and bottomless pits frequently appear just beyond the visible screen, so moving quickly often results in blind leaps toward unseen danger.
The camera makes these problems worse. When Kid Kool travels vertically, the action briefly pauses while the screen abruptly shifts upward or downward. This interrupts the timing of jumps and makes it difficult to judge where platforms or enemies will appear. Progress often depends on learning each dangerous section through repeated failure.
Most enemies can be defeated by jumping on them, but Kid Kool also has a small red companion named Wicky. He can be carried and thrown like a reusable projectile, bouncing through enemies before returning. Wicky also protects Kid Kool from a single hit by disappearing in his place, so losing him makes the remaining section considerably more dangerous.
Hidden items can be uncovered by running through bushes or exploring alternate routes. These include temporary invincibility, time extensions and other bonuses. Springs, balloons and launchers send Kid Kool high into the air, while branching paths allow experienced players to shorten certain stages. These features add variety, though they also create more opportunities for the slippery physics to cause trouble.
The entire adventure is governed by a three-day timer, equivalent to roughly three real-time hours. The scenery gradually changes from day to night, and the ending depends on how quickly the herbs are returned. Several outcomes are possible, ranging from successfully saving the kingdom to arriving too late to cure the king.
This system gives the game some replay value, but it also adds pressure to an experience already filled with trial-and-error obstacles. Unlimited continues make completion possible, although using them consumes valuable time. Once the routes are memorized, the stages are relatively short, but reaching that level of familiarity requires considerable patience.
Boss battles are simple and usually involve throwing Wicky while avoiding basic attack patterns. They provide a brief change from the platforming but are rarely the hardest part of the game. Reaching them without losing lives to blind jumps and awkward landings is normally the greater challenge.
The presentation is bright and cheerful. Character sprites are expressive, backgrounds are colorful and the gradual day-to-night changes are a clever visual touch. The upbeat music suits the frantic pace, although the limited selection becomes repetitive during difficult sections.
Kid Kool deserves credit for experimenting with momentum-based movement before high-speed platforming became popular. Its ideas would later be refined in games such as Psycho Fox and Decap Attack. Here, however, the level design constantly works against the mechanics.
There are brief moments when the speed, jumps and stage layouts come together, but they are overwhelmed by slippery handling and cheap hazards. Kid Kool and the Quest for the Seven Wonder Herbs is an interesting piece of platform-game history, though most players will find it more fascinating to study than enjoyable to finish.
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