Dokuro

Genre: Puzzle-Platformer

Players: 1

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Review:

Dokuro is a Puzzle-Platformer released on PlayStation Vita in 2012, ported to mobile devices in 2013, then to PC in 2014, and finally to Nintendo Switch in 2018. In this game players take the role of the titular Dokuro, a skeleton minion who has taken a liking to the princess his monstrous boss has kidnapped, deciding to rescue her and escort her out of the castle filled with obstacles, traps, and hostile enemies.

Dokuro has players not only trying to find a way through the game’s various levels, but also finding a way to clear the path for the princess, who cannot jump, cannot fight, and may even sometimes wander into danger if given the ability to do so. Yes, this game is basically one big escort quest, although thankfully it usually doesn’t come across that way.

Dokuro himself can double-jump rather high, can attack to stun enemies, can interact with items in the environment, and can use magical chalk to form connections between some objects. Dokuro can also briefly transform into a prince, who cannot jump as high, but whose attacks can kill enemies and sever ropes, and he can also carry the princess to ensure that she moves when and where you want, and to help her down drops she couldn’t normally manage.

These various mechanics make for some fun puzzles, and a decent amount of variety, though movement in the game feels a bit stiff, slow, and awkward, and it’s not always obvious at first what you can do or how to do it. I should note that this game will optionally let players interact with the game using the touchscreen, even including on-screen controls for every action including jumping and movement. This is a nice addition, though I don’t think you’d want to play most of the game this way.

The presentation in Dokuro is… odd. The game uses mostly monochrome hand-drawn 2D visuals that animate using a “paper doll” style, a style that manages to both look nice while also looking somewhat amateurish. This is backed by an bizarre, often atonal, and somewhat off-putting soundtrack that I suppose highlights the offbeat nature of this game, but doesn’t do a great job of endearing the player to its dark world.

In the end, I like Dokuro, and I think that as a Puzzle-Platformer it has a lot of interesting concepts that help to keep things interesting, but I also think that the slow, awkward movement and the “fetch quest” mechanics may not be appreciated by everyone. However, if you enjoy Puzzle-Platformers and want something that feels a bit different, this is one that you may enjoy.

tl;dr – Dokuro is a Puzzle-Platformer where you play as a skeleton minion rescuing a princess from a castle filled with traps and enemies. Your character in this game has a decent selection of abilities and some good puzzle design, though the movement is a bit stiff and awkward and the presentation will not appeal to everyone, nor will the prospect of the game being one big escort quest. Still, there’s enough originality and fun gameplay here to be worth a look for fans of Puzzle-Platformers.

Grade: C+

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