Marsupilami 2 – Salsa Palombia Review: Surprisingly Good

When I first got the opportunity to review Marsupilami 2 – Salsa Palombia, I had absolutely no idea what Marsupilami really was. I had never played the prequel, and neither did I know of this titular creature, which is a beloved Belgian cartoon character created by André Franquin. Since its debut in 1952, it has made its way into animated movies, TV series, and even video games. Still, for most people like me, this is a character they probably never heard of. So how does a character, with whom you have absolutely zero attachment, fare in the equation of being thrown into a platformer?

Marsupilami 2 – Salsa Palombia is a fast-paced 2.5D platformer. Developed by Ocellus Studio and published by Microids, it serves as the official sequel to the 2021 game Marsupilami: Hoobadventure. It was released on September 3rd, 2026, for Steam (PC), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch.

Houba! Welcome to Palombia!

Like any generic platformer, the story of Marsupilami 2 is just a bare-bones excuse for you to clear a bunch of platforming levels. A mysterious, cursed melody has swept across the jungle archipelago of Palombia, hypnotizing all the local animals into uncontrollable, nonstop dancing. Behind this chaos is the Mummy Queen, who has returned from the Land of the Dead to stage a calamitous musical apocalypse.

Players must guide three young Marsupilamis – Hope (Orange), Twister (Yellow) and Punch (Purple)—through four vibrant, music-themed worlds to break the spell. The three have different abilities and can be swapped at any point in time during the levels, making up some of the great platforming sections that one could wish for. The on-the-fly character-swapping system closely resembles 2D Donkey Kong games, while the platforming mechanics closely resemble those of the Rayman series.   

It’s a lighthearted adventure, one that will find plenty of space in family living rooms and on gaming handhelds like the Switch 2. Its 4–5-hour campaign feels plenty from the perspective of a platformer. However, considering how almost every single quirk that makes a platformer unique has already been covered in some video game, it kind of suffers from its own identity crisis. Nevertheless, it remains quite fun. It’s great for couch co-op, but difficult to digest if you are a purist who is looking for something that feels brand-new.

Borrowed Yet Soulful

The way Marsupilami 2 plays is rather simple. You have multiple regions; each region consists of multiple levels; each level has multiple musical notes that you need to collect in order to unlock the final boss levels. It’s the same quirk as collecting moons like Mario or bananas in Donkey Kong. The number of musical notes that you collect also depends on how many fruits you manage to chomp on before you make it to the exit.

Now, coming to the most important part – platforming. It is by far one of its strongest suits. Each level features two swappable characters; each character has his own unique traits; those traits allow for some great platforming sequences where every piece manages to fall into its place if executed properly by the player. You can dash midair, double jump, and glide across or turn into a bouncy ball that can obliterate things and allow you to cover distances in the shortest possible time. I really like the latter, as it almost turns you invincible.

Beyond the platforming, the levels showcase a variety of backgrounds, ranging from dense jungles to lively cityscapes. While it clearly takes inspiration from classics like Rayman, Donkey Kong, and Crash Bandicoot, it still carries a unique charm that gives it its own soul. That personality shines through in the small details, like the cheerful ‘Houba’ or ‘Houbii’ you hear whenever you switch characters, depending on who you choose.

A Well-Polished Package

In terms of visuals and performance, Marsupilami 2 holds up really well. The animations are detailed; the movement feels fluid, especially if you are playing on a controller. It feels very polished. I have one minor issue with it: it only detects XInput from the DualSense controller.  It would be great if they could add support for the controller button layout of PlayStation and Nintendo controllers in wireless mode.

In terms of technical performance, I did not notice any significant issues. However, the initial shader compilation took quite a while to finish up the process. I have had shader compilation completed in mainstream AAA games in a comparatively shorter time. This will not be a major issue unless the GPU drivers are updated frequently. It’s a minor nitpick that does not impact much of the game. 

Real Talk

While it draws heavily from well-established ideas of the 2D classics, Marsupilami 2 – Salsa Palombia still remains quite enjoyable to play. It’s great for couch co-op and family living room play. If you’re looking for a platformer that easily runs on a handheld and makes a great excuse for couch co-op, then this should be your next pick.

FINAL SCORE: 80/100