Cuccchi

Genre: Walking Simulator

Players: 1

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Review:

Cuccchi, released on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch in 2021, is a Walking Simulator that also acts as an interactive art gallery of sorts, with the game’s levels each having you moving through an interactive low-fi animated melange of the artworks of neo-expressionist painter Enzo Cucchi. And just to be clear, there are no typos there – The game’s title, Cuccchi, has four “C”s in it, while the artist, Cucchi, only has three. Don’t ask me why.

My thoughts on this game’s visuals are extremely conflicted. On the one hand, everything is rendered using extremely low-resolution textures reminiscent of PlayStation One visuals, and often this makes it difficult to distinguish where you are or where you’re supposed to go. On the other hand, these visuals are conceptually beautiful in ways that literally made me gasp multiple times while I played the game.

To be clear, I’m not just talking about the beauty inherent in the paintings and sketches this game’s art was directly based on, but the way it has been realized in a 3D space. In one level, for example, players wade through a flurry of brush strokes, bright orange and yellow contrasted with a cool dark green, giving off the impression of being in a forest full of falling leaves that blind you and make it difficult to see past them. Then, suddenly, you find yourself breaking into a clearing, with flowing green grass and a clear blue sky… all rendered in this same low-resolution style.

These visuals are backed by a similarly low-fi soundtrack that, while not particularly pleasing, nevertheless does a good job highlighting the otherworldly nature of the game’s exploration of its artworks.

While this is a Walking Simulator, there are gameplay elements here – players are seeking out eye symbols strewn throughout the game’s levels, each one unlocking an artwork in a gallery that can be accessed from the main menu. However, players are warned that they must complete each level without being touched by wandering skulls, with such contact removing one of the eyes from your possession.

This gameplay is honestly tedious and one element I would say was one of the worst choices made when making this game – it’s hard to immerse yourself in the artwork when you’re having to watch out for wandering skulls, and the skulls move slowly enough that they’re not too difficult to evade, so long as you don’t get lost in the game’s often-mazelike levels (another frequent frustration here). Of course, you don’t move very quickly yourself, with the game’s normal walking speed being atrociously slow, and the “running” speed when holding down the ZR button still being somewhat sluggish.

Then there’s the question of value. Cuccchi is an extremely short experience, lasting only 20-30 minutes or so. At $8, that seems a bit on the pricey side. I suppose the alternative argument is that you might expect to pay as much for a ticket to an art gallery, and this game is providing an experience no art gallery will give you. I suppose on balance it’s acceptable (though you may want to wait for a good sale).

In the end, Cuccchi is an extremely brief experience, but a unique and beautiful one. While the low-resolution visuals are technically underwhelming, the way they’re used to bring Enzo Cucchi’s artwork to life is absolutely inspired, and makes for a wonderful experience. It’s just a shame that this experience is marred by levels that are too easy to get lost in, a tedious mechanic requiring you to flee skulls stalking the levels, and somewhat slow walking speeds.

tl;dr – Cuccchi is a game that has players walking through animated low-resolution recreations of the art of neo-expressionist painter Enzo Cucchi. While technically unimpressive, the way Cucchi’s artworks have been reimagined into interactive experiences is conceptually beautiful, making for a truly unique experience. That said, this is a very brief game (20-30 minutes), and one that’s dragged down somewhat by gameplay elements that don’t belong here. Still, if you can put up with a few annoyances, Cuccchi is an amazing artistic experience like nothing else.

Grade: C+

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This game has been nominated for one or more of eShopperReviews 2021 Game Awards:

Runner-Up: Best Graphical Style

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