The campaigning around the release of the game mentions something about a grand conspiracy at the center of the story, but it’s far less elaborate than that implies.
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Bolstering it all is a catchy and upbeat soundtrack which, while well-crafted, never quite reaches the iconic, ear-worming heights of something like Katamari Damacy, but it's certainly trying for a similar characterful playfulness. The animation in particular is pitch-perfect, everything from Piku’s scampering lanky legs catching step at the last moment, to some precisely timed facial expressions that greatly amplify the humor of the storytelling. The graphics are low on detail but high on charm, with weirdly-shaped bulbous characters pacing back and forth through environments that could have been crafted with construction paper by a kindergarten class. Pikuniku tries to juggle a few a things at once, combining a task-oriented adventure game, some cheerful low-stakes platforming, a smattering of mini-games and trivial boss fights, and a hugely entertaining script. Related: PokerStars VR Early Access Preview: Cards and Chaos With Strangers Upon emergence, the nearby townsfolk are terrified of the clearly adorable and simplistically designed little red oval shape with gangly legs, and the game’s early quest sees you attempting to broker trust with the terrified pear-shaped people, fixing what you can and trying to improve the town’s way of life, cast under the shadow of a clearly nefarious mega-corporation. Piku lies dormant and secure in a cave, waking up to its Platonic quest of escape.
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Devolver’s newest platforming adventure Pikuniku is a delightful journey through a quirky, well-crafted world, but it’s hard not to be at least a little dismayed at the minimal size of it all.
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The promise of escape and absorption firmly meets a price tag, adding an inescapable economic concern, even in the case of low-cost games. There’s an age-old performance standard of “leave the crowd wanting more,” but there’s arguably no other form of media where this expectation is interrogated as much as in video games.