Pikuniku

Genre: Puzzle-Platformer

Players: 1-2 Co-Op (Local)

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Review:

Pikuniku is a Puzzle-Platformer where players play as a bean-shaped character with long legs who awakes to find a people having their civilization torn down around them by a mechanized corporate force placating them with “free money” while it robs their land of resources, and through some simply puzzle solving you’ll help to start a revolution. And if this sounds like this game is pretty political… well, yes, although this is probably the cutest little capitalist dystopia I’ve seen depicted in a while.

This game’s presentation is very cutesy and very, very simplistic. The entire game looks almost like a child made it with MS Paint or something like that. The music, also, is very simplistic and… you know, to be honest, I just couldn’t find any of it to be all that appealing. On the whole, this game’s presentation felt too much like it was trying to pass off laziness as something intentionally done as a stylistic choice, as opposed to something like Wandersong, which had a similarly-simplistic presentation that felt cohesive and thoughtful, with simple music that was far more catchy and thematic.

However, while I’m not a fan of this game’s presentation, I will give it some credit for having clever, funny writing. This game’s characters clearly aren’t very bright, and this game draws a lot of amusement out of their own innocent brand of idiocy. Right from the start, when the first village you visit freaks out about you being a fearsome “monster”, it becomes hilariously clear that if you really were the monster they feared you to be, every last one of them would be doomed.

As for the gameplay, this game’s puzzles are… fine. There’s nothing too original or thought-provoking here, but it keeps things light and breaks up the story well enough, I suppose.

In the end, I think Pikuniku is a game that would have been pretty forgettable if it wasn’t for its excellent, funny writing. Its puzzles are nothing special, and its presentation is at best kinda’ cute and at worst just ugly and lazy, but this game’s funny characters and story will keep players pushing through to see more.

tl;dr – Pikuniku is a Puzzle-Platformer that has you as a bean-shaped character with legs facing down an evil corporation. This game’s graphics and sound are lazy and uninteresting, and its gameplay is nothing special, but the hilarious writing makes this game worth playing through.

Grade: C+

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