Our favourite is the ability to water plants with a head-mounted watering can, which can allow you to access new areas, but the ungainly, uncontrollable spaghetti arms are hilarious. Some are functional, others allow you different dialogue choices with NPCs, and a few are purely decorative. Your primary verb in Pikuniku might be to kick, but soon you’ll learn a whole bunch of other skills via outfits. Everything from cutesy Nintendo affairs – Kirby, Yoshi – to more complex games – Wonderboy, Ori, Dust – are represented, complete with all of the objectives, new abilities, and backtracking (to enter previously inaccessible areas) they entail. There are elements of other classic platform games in there, too. Where Loco Roco sees you rolling and flopping and bouncing and growing your way through the levels, though, Pikuniku has you running about on absurd, spindly, almost QWOP-like legs, squeezing through small spaces, swinging on hooks, and generally kicking stuff. To play Pikuniku first brings to mind Loco Roco, a similarly simple, squishy and succulent 2D platformer with a bright, space hopper-like protagonist. The difference in Pikuniku is that you can actually do something about the bad stuff (while still finding joy in the little things). It’s a heady mix of silly distraction and terrifying news cycle that mimics the ratio we see in real life. The next you’re trying to save the world from the evils of environmental destruction, rampant materialism, gentrification, and working “for exposure”. One minute you’re admiring how wiggly a worm is, playing hide-and-seek with a rock, doing battle with a malevolent toaster, or competing to kick a watermelon through a basketball hoop. You might think it unkind to say that Pikuniku seems to be following Night in the Woods as something of a template, but given how much we love the latter (and how good a job developer Sectordub has done of the former) that is unequivocally a compliment. It’s a use of language and delivery that is born of Twitter, wholesome memes, and a degree of internet and media-savvy that most self-proclaimed “comedy” games can only dream of. The dialogue in Pikuniku switches from casual, off-hand, inane chatter – delivered in all lower-case, with little punctuation – to statements shouted and all in caps, with multiple exclamation points and the text literally jumping up and down for dramatic effect. It’s full of bold shapes, gentle puzzles, and a twee, easy-to-understand narrative delivered in short, sharp sentences.īut in much the same way that kids’ films include jokes to entertain just the adults, there’s a deliberateness to the way Pikuniku is presented – in particular, its narrative – that hints otherwise. Cooperative Mode: Join up with family and friends for local multiplayer fun in custom cooperative levels and challenges.Pikuniku looks, on the face of it, like a brightly-coloured, simplistic platform game for children.Charming Cast: Meet a cast of memorable characters on your journey, each with their own problems and eccentricities to accommodate along the way.A Vibrant Adventure for All: Explore a colorful world at your own pace, help quirky characters with their unusual requests, and solve clever puzzles that will challenge players of all levels with a 4 – 5 hour campaign..The game also has several minigames that are a joy to play, one of which is available to play with two players instead of against an NPC. It seems to have secrets and different things that will keep you busy for a while, and a straightforward story that you can do if that’s your choice. Every single character that you meet is steeped in silly dialogue and ridiculous facial expressions. It’s a very simple platform / adventure game that just continues to make you say “Are you serious?”. This game is absolutely absurd, and that’s a great thing. Help peculiar characters overcome struggles, uncover a deep state conspiracy, and start a fun little revolution in this delightful dystopian adventure! Pikuniku is an absurdly wonderful puzzle-exploration game that takes place in a strange but playful world where not everything is as happy as it seems. Begin a journey into the depth of this world and find the hidden secrets of it. A beautiful world to discover!Ī world looking happy but feeling sad under its happy covering. Pikuniku is an Action, Casual and Adventure game for PC published by Devolver Digital in 2019.
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