Which involves poddling about, kicking physicsy objects, chatting with the locals, playing games, solving puzzles, jumping all over, winning at made-up sports, rolling through secret tunnels, being best at dance competitions, and kicking robots until they're cross. The inevitable unfolding plot (about which it would be frankly ludicrous to spend too much time analysing as an allegory for the ravishes of capitalism) is about fighting back against this naughty-bob. is a cloud! His enormous metal cloud robots are probably harvesting all their supplies of corn for good! Look at all the money they drop everywhere! It's definitely not suspicious that the CEO of Sunshine Inc. Upon leaving your hillside hovel, you discover a green and happy village where the pear-like creatures delight in how money rains down from the skies, thanks to the apparent kindness of a corporation called Sunshine Inc. It turns out, however, that you're a Mr Man-like red ball with eyes and legs, mostly expressionless, and definitely not terrifying.
A creature feared by the locals, because you've been gone long enough for them to have mythologised you. Pikuniku, as well as being outlandishly fun to say out loud, is a platforming puzzle game in which you play The Beast. That's what the character in the ridiculously delightful Pikuniku most immediately reminds me of. It’s all topped off by the hilarious sounds you hear throughout the game, from the “oof “ of a townsperson as you accidentally kick them to the wet pitter-patter everyone’s feet give off as they walk about.Publisher: Devolver Digital Release: 24th Janĭo you remember those jelly-like toy octopuses you had when you were a kid, which you throw at a window or wall? They'd half-stick/half-walk their way down the surface, their legs glooping on and off as they rolled in a semi-controlled fall. Every song in the game has a quirky and addictive charm to it that I could only compare to one other game, and it’s the previous game this composer worked on! Snipperclips had a wonderfully zany soundtrack made by the talented Calum Bowen, and that same charm is delivered in spades with the delightful music for Pikuniku.
I’d be a fool not to mention the sound design of Pikuniku, because it’s an absolute treat and a vital part of the experience. They’re more proper puzzles compared to what you’d encounter in the main story, but they’re still simple enough that anyone can hop in and make their way through it with you in no time.
#PIKUNIKU GAME REVIEW SERIES#
If you want to spice things up even further, there’s a series of co-op challenges you can tackle with a pal for even further entertainment. Whenever I was even vaguely feeling fatigue or boredom setting in, I was already getting involved with a brand new type of challenge or puzzle, and the game kept spicing things up like that consistently until the credits rolled. You’ll be doing rhythm game dance battles, manoeuvring challenging platforming arenas, and even participating in a ball-kicking sport called Baskick. The world exploration can get a little tiresome at times with how slow your character moves, but the amount of side-activities you wind up in helps break the up monotony incredibly well.Įach character you run into has a different task for you that involves a totally unique gameplay experience. It’s a simple toolset, but it’s enough to get by with. Your character bounces and bobs along various environments, and interacts with puzzles either via hopping with their mad legs, curling up into a rolling ball, or delivering a swift and meaty kick. Pikuniku is a treat to look at, but it’s also a great thing to play. Kicking some eggs and having the mama bird fly down and simply say “WHAT” at me has never been funnier. I have a soft spot for written humor that relies on lack of punctuation and liberal use of capitalisation, and Pikuniku tickles that particular funny bone of mine extremely well. Pikuniku is hilarious from beginning to end and I couldn’t stop smiling and chuckling as I made my way through the 5-hour campaign. There’s a lot this game gets right with its style, and a big part of that is the writing. While Pikuniku carries themes of industry destroying nature and the follies of corporate greed, it’s all delivered with the quirky flair of a Saturday morning cartoon. It’s a stark contrast to the bright and bubbly art style of the game, but it never comes off as especially grim or morose. It’s immediately clear how dystopian Pikuniku’s setting is, from the deforesting robots to the security cameras tacked on every tree and house in the area.
0 kommentar(er)
