REVIEW / Bokura: planet (Steam)

After I was an adolescent, my youthful brother used to pester me. Continually. If I used to be hanging out with pals, he would attempt to annoy me. I wished nothing to do with him. Fortunately, we each grew up, matured, though that 7.5-year age hole remained. He’ll at all times be my little brother, however now we’re pals, and he was the primary particular person I considered after I noticed this sport. Didn’t take any convincing to get him to strive it out with me.

BOKURA: planet is a cute little puzzle platform that requires two gamers. I don’t typically play co-op video games, so this was a deal with! Tokoronyori is the indie developer behind this journey sport, which begins off in house however shortly takes a flip with a crash-landing on a purple planet. Together with your good friend (or enemy), you need to discover the unknown and discover a method residence whereas navigating a overseas land, fixing puzzles, avoiding enemies, and trying to find a lacking crew member.

My brother is a superb companion in terms of adventures and puzzles. He didn’t get right into a rheology program accidentally. Along with his brains and our collective communication abilities, we had been in a position to fly by way of a lot of the puzzles. As the sport progressed, so did the challenges. The puzzles get progressively tougher, however they had been by no means irritating and nonetheless fairly easy. For those who’re unhealthy at listening or giving directions, you would possibly wrestle with a few of the puzzles, however my brother and I excel on this space as analytical people. Take into account that you’ll need to make use of an exterior supply to verbally talk together with your accomplice. There’s no built-in chat system. Thank goodness for Discord.

There’s additionally a twist that I gained’t give away. It’s a must to see for your self as a result of it’s such a enjoyable twist. Let’s simply say that it gave me Alien vibes and provides one other layer to the story. Talking of the story, BOKURA: planet is cute, a bit mysterious, however nothing mind-blowing. One factor that bothered me was the minimize scenes initially of the sport. They had been a lot too lengthy and will have been minimize in half with out taking away from the story or environment. It felt a bit indulgent with the foolish banter between the characters, nevertheless it’s not utterly irrelevant. Each characters have completely different goals, and who you select issues, so it’s vital to concentrate to their dialogue and ideas. Not one thing you wish to skip.

My brother and I each love soundtracks. Music has been part of our lives since childhood, in order that was a characteristic we instantly seen inside the sport. Quirky and vibrant are phrases that come to thoughts, and melody enhances the environment of the brightly pixelated world. Every little thing from the music to the sound results to the colours blends into this excellent harmonization that absolutely immersed me within the gameplay. It was exhausting for me to dislike any facet of the sport. BOKURA: planet is comparatively brief and might be performed in a single sitting, so in case you’re in search of one thing extra sturdy, this would possibly fall flat.

General, I liked the mechanics, gameplay, design, and story. That is a kind of video games I’ll wish to revisit, particularly with individuals who have by no means tried it. For $5.49, you possibly can seize it on Steam (Home windows or Mac). It’s well worth the worth. A kind of hidden gems that’s enjoyable in case you’re into a mixture of collaboration and deception. Simply in time for the Christmas season. Who doesn’t wish to be a bit bit naughty and good?

This evaluation is predicated on a retail copy of the sport supplied by the writer.