Another game I got free on the Epic Game Store at some point, I vaguely remembered hearing this was a fun game, and I needed something to fill the rest of my night because LOVE had been so short, so I ended up checking this out. I’d actually had no idea how long a game this was at the time, but I ended up beating it in about 3 hours after doing just about every side quest I could find.
Pikuniku is the story of a little island and the money man running rampant over it. Mr. Sunshine is here with his robots, and he’s gonna give you free money if you just let him take all that unimportant seeming stuff lying around! Just let his robots take what they want, and you’ll be flooded with free money! Its in the middle of all of this money giving that you, Piku, wake up in your cave. After escaping with the helpful advice of a random ghost, you emerge to a world that is certainly drowning in money, but it’s difficult to shake the feeling that Mr. Sunshine isn’t all he’s cracked up to be.
The writing in Pikuniku is really fun! I had no expectations going in, but it’s a game I found delightfully silly and funny, with some really fun dialogue writing in particular. The game also really wears its politics on its sleeve as well. It’s not exactly Disco Elysium, but it’s a pretty aggressive anti-capitalist work of satire, and it’s a very fun one at that. Perhaps it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea in regards to its humor, but I enjoyed it very much~.
The gameplay is a relatively linear side-scrolling action/adventure game. There are several large hub areas where you have a main objective to complete, and there are often some side quests you can engage with as well. Piku can jump and kick, and that’s about it, but the platforming in this game is quite satisfying, although it’s also thankfully usually optional if that sort of thing isn’t something you really enjoy. A lot of the adventure stuff and action too are really here to enhance the engagement of the story, and I’d say they do quite a good job of that.
Aesthetically, Pikuniku is as whimsical and weird as you’d expect a title published by Devolver Digital to be, really. Lots of bright colors, funky music, and strange yet simple characters populate the island, and they all have their own weird and funny ways of acting and moving. The weird silly walking style that just about everyone (especially Piku) have is one of the stand out highlights, as odd as that may sound. It’s a joke that could easily get worn out if the game were longer, but I think just how straight the game plays it makes it an enjoyable bit of fun that underscores every cutscene.
Verdict: Recommended. It might be a bit short for some, but this is a really good time! The writing is super fun, and the platforming is too (though it can perhaps be a bit too hard for its own good at times). If you want a weird and wacky action adventure game to spend an afternoon with, then this is an excellent choice for you~.
Pikuniku is the story of a little island and the money man running rampant over it. Mr. Sunshine is here with his robots, and he’s gonna give you free money if you just let him take all that unimportant seeming stuff lying around! Just let his robots take what they want, and you’ll be flooded with free money! Its in the middle of all of this money giving that you, Piku, wake up in your cave. After escaping with the helpful advice of a random ghost, you emerge to a world that is certainly drowning in money, but it’s difficult to shake the feeling that Mr. Sunshine isn’t all he’s cracked up to be.
The writing in Pikuniku is really fun! I had no expectations going in, but it’s a game I found delightfully silly and funny, with some really fun dialogue writing in particular. The game also really wears its politics on its sleeve as well. It’s not exactly Disco Elysium, but it’s a pretty aggressive anti-capitalist work of satire, and it’s a very fun one at that. Perhaps it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea in regards to its humor, but I enjoyed it very much~.
The gameplay is a relatively linear side-scrolling action/adventure game. There are several large hub areas where you have a main objective to complete, and there are often some side quests you can engage with as well. Piku can jump and kick, and that’s about it, but the platforming in this game is quite satisfying, although it’s also thankfully usually optional if that sort of thing isn’t something you really enjoy. A lot of the adventure stuff and action too are really here to enhance the engagement of the story, and I’d say they do quite a good job of that.
Aesthetically, Pikuniku is as whimsical and weird as you’d expect a title published by Devolver Digital to be, really. Lots of bright colors, funky music, and strange yet simple characters populate the island, and they all have their own weird and funny ways of acting and moving. The weird silly walking style that just about everyone (especially Piku) have is one of the stand out highlights, as odd as that may sound. It’s a joke that could easily get worn out if the game were longer, but I think just how straight the game plays it makes it an enjoyable bit of fun that underscores every cutscene.
Verdict: Recommended. It might be a bit short for some, but this is a really good time! The writing is super fun, and the platforming is too (though it can perhaps be a bit too hard for its own good at times). If you want a weird and wacky action adventure game to spend an afternoon with, then this is an excellent choice for you~.