I’m still recovering from Overcooked

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Pikuniku turned out to be an incredibly suitable game to commence my PAX West experience. It flawlessly captures the essence of the show.

It was located all the way at the rear of the Indie Megabooth, an area of the show floor that has witnessed a growing (and well-deserved) increase in crowd over the years. Nevertheless, it remains unquestionably worth visiting at least once. Its art boasted a charming and inviting appearance. And most importantly, it offered a co-op mode that demanded teamwork while also granting convention-goers the liberty to give each other a hard time and release some tension.

The co-op mode was straightforward in terms of mechanics and puzzle-solving, but that by no means implies it was uninteresting. Simply hopping around, kicking objects (and your teammate, causing their eyes to bulge out comically), and flinging yourself over ledges with a grappling hook was delightful and carefree entertainment.

In a nutshell, the expressive animation and deliberately clumsy physics were spot-on – sufficient to compensate for Pikuniku‘s borderline-too-basic art direction. This is one of those games that might have you thinking “That’s it?” when merely glancing at screenshots. However, once you actually play it, you’ll be exclaiming “That’s it!“

I’m eager to discover if I’ll enjoy the story mode to the same extent. Developer Sectordub claims that we’ll assist townsfolk in “facing their fears, uncovering a deep state conspiracy, and rebuilding a cheerful community in a delightful dystopian adventure,” which is significantly different from anything I witnessed in the co-op levels.

Keep an eye out for this one on PC and Nintendo Switch (!) next year. And select your co-op partner with caution.