A lot of them are enjoyable and add a bit of much-needed replayability. A lot of this is related to the side quests, which again, have a nice amount of variety, such as hide and seek competitions, treasure hunting and defeating evil toast demons. In these lie optional challenges, trophies and coins to collect for the various shops in order to score collectible headgear. There are indeed a good amount of hidden areas to explore, ranging from the obvious to those more out of the way. The previously-mentioned insects also make up part of the hidden secrets in Pikuniku. Everybody gets a chunk of good lines in (including their reactions to “The Beast” and their actions over time) and even the hidden insects that you can uncover have some cute little vignettes. It comes across as laid back a lot of the time, but works as another sharp contrast to the standard plot about a resistance, with members describing where they keep their snacks seeming just as important to them as detailing how to take down a giant robot. Even if the main story can seem a little basic at times, it’s bolstered by the humorous dialogue each cast member aside from our hero gets. Speaking of the citizens, Pikuniku also has a world filled with some rather enjoyable characters as well. It may be a minimalist style, but just looks good in motion, as every citizen walks around their town. The screenshots here alone may not do things justice. The animation in particular is also nice and fluid, especially on or hero’s limbs as they walk of jump. This is embodied in the game’s art style, with everything being lineless, bold and colorful, like it came out of a kid’s storybook. It may never be anything revolutionary, but the game is always ready to deliver something fun at the player.Īnd that’s the key word that defines a lot of what makes Pikuniku enjoyable: fun. It’s a good chunk of variety to keep you on your toes, with each section being easy to get used to. Sometimes it’s just a boss battle or two, but then maybe there’s also a rhythm game, basketball/soccer hybrids and classic arcade homages. Pikuniku is capable of throwing a few curve balls in the player’s directions. Not that you won’t be switching things up now and then. Thanks to a world filled with well-crafted puzzles, platforming action and a good amount of exploration, Pikuniku ‘s gameplay is arguably a terrific definition of the “simple yet fun” design philosophy. There are a couple of skills that you gain as progress is made, but that’s about it. You can jump, kick, swing from certain hooks, and roll around as a small oval, Morph Ball-style. At its core, Pikuniku is still a simplistic platformer. For a change this drastic to occur in a relatively short amount of time just feels odd.īut enough about these changes, let’s get into the actual game that we have now. Well, the cameras and the style and character designs remain, obviously. About the only aspect remaining is the the creepy surveillance cameras that pop up and even they feel completely downplayed. I can’t tell if somewhere between then and now, they decided to overhaul the whole plot or if the original premise was just for demo purposes. Eventually, you find yourself exploring around the land, hooking up with a resistance, and plotting to uncover Sunshine Inc.’s plan and stop them. Sunshine is offering the locals free money for useless junk (like corn and wood). After emerging one day, you find that that a Mr. Instead you’re a mysterious red creature simply known as “The Beast” by nearby villagers. And now…you need to forget about all of that, because it no longer exists. It was a highly-intriguing setup that contrasted brilliantly with the colorful, childlike aesthetics. Now, if you’ll recall our initial preview from just over a year ago, the setup for Pikuniku involved a mysterious town under constant surveillance with a mayor trying to force everyone to be happy via a daily festival, who eventually makes you a permanent resident with your own home. But does the final product’s quality match the charm and adorableness of its lead character alone? Well, okay, that’s a tough bar to to clear, but let’s see how close the game comes… It looked and felt unique, upon first impression. Their puzzle-platformer, Pikuniku, turned some heads when Devolver Digital first unveiled it a while back. Well, that and a story involving a possible dystopia. For developers Sectorhub, though, all they needed was a red oval with some adorable eyes. Quirkiness and charm are major selling points in a lot of indie games, and as such, it takes something special to stand out.
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