Ayo the Clown Critic Reviews

Ayo the Clown is clearly inspired by game series like Donkey Kong Country and Super Mario Bros., and it took some of the best lessons from them. The final product is a fun platformer that is easy enough to finish in a few sessions of dedicated play. The game doesn't do anything new with the platforming genre, but it's still a fun romp through a cartoon world and well worth checking out for fans of the genre.

Ayo the Clown is a fun, light platformer with origins that can be traced directly back to any number of Nintendo classics, putting it in esteemed company. Though the difficulty might be a bit much for the smallest kids, Ayo the Clown is a light-hearted, family-friendly game that deserves attention from platformer fans.

Does Ayo the Clown reinvent the platforming wheel? No, but it doesn’t have to. It’s a little easy, a little short, but it’s creative and a solid example of the 2D platforming genre.

Ayo The Clown offers platforming antics by numbers, and it’s a crowded genre with some big jumping shoes for company. But there are enough fresh ideas to warrant a deviation from the well-worn first-party platforming path.

A typical, but well made 2D platformer with beautiful graphics that reminded us of games from the Yoshi and Donkey Kong Country series.

Ayo the Clown is exactly what a 2D platformer should be; silly, fun, challenging, varied, and intuitive. So, if you enjoy the genre then adding this indie gem to your collection is a must. Plus, it's sure to make you smile and that's always a good thing.

Ayo the Clown is visually adorable and full of so much charm that you can’t help but love the little guy and the world that Cloud M1 has created. I am looking forward to what else they can create; I wonder if Ayo the Clown 2 could be on the horizon? With a little polishing of controls, character models and the town function, who knows what heights Ayo could float to.

Despite the lack of any real challenge, Ayo the Clown is nevertheless a nice alternative to the usual go-to platformers on Switch. It’s got a wonderful, uplifting soundtrack, with several tunes you’ll be humming long after completing the game. Granted, if you’re a Coulrophobic and the mere thought of playing a game featuring a clown causes you to break out in a cold sweat, then you might want to steer clear. For everyone else, though, this is well worth picking up if you’re a fan of breezy, easygoing platformers.

Ayo the Clown isn’t the most original game, but it’s a solid, colorful platformer. An ill-fitting idea here or there and a sluggish pace shouldn’t stop kids from enjoying a playthrough, even if they don’t go back to 100% the game. Give me a sequel that edits itself a bit, add a two-player mode, and you’ll have a real winner.

While Ayo's level design and presentation of mechanics are indeed competent, and its visual world looks quite attractive, the game's controls fall way behind expectations. Due to a poor execution, it's often quite difficult for the game to translate player's inputs into actions, and as such it's difficult to recommend Ayo the Clown to a child who's just discovering video games.