Every Thursday, Epic Games releases a game for free. 100%, no strings attached, free. You just have to use the Epic game launcher, and get it within the week it’s released before it’s replaced with a new one. Every Friday, I’ll release a review of the first hour of gameplay so you can get an idea of what the game is like in time for you to get your copy.
For a little about me, my first video game was Super Mario Bros. in 1986 (yes, I’m that old), and I’ve been hooked ever since. I’ve never beaten a Super Mario game, but you never forget your first love. As they were all the rage, I cut my teeth on platformers with tight controls, charming mascots, and raucous music. The first video game I ever beat was Sonic the Hedgehog, and that feeling of satisfaction has been the high I’ve chased for decades.
Soon thereafter, I discovered fighting games, which became my staple. Street Fighter II, and later, Tekken were the bane of my friend’s existence, as I would soundly trounce anyone who wanted a turn against me. As my friends drifted to stealth games like Metal Gear Solid on the Playstation and role-playing computer games like Fallout and Diablo, I slowly adopted a few on my own, but at a much slower pace. I had and still have a tendency to play a game until I’m absolutely sick of it.
In 1999, my friends wouldn’t shut up about Team Fortress. It’s a mod of Half-Life, a sci-fi First Person Shooter. I hadn’t played one before, so I was interested, and I’ve never played a game online, so I was shocked by how fun it was to blow up strangers.
Since then, my tastes have refined, and as my ability to play for longer hours have changed (being old, having responsibilities, etc.), but I still get to make a little time for the finer things in life. You know. Video games.
Pikuniku is a puzzle adventure video game developed by French-British indie collective Sectordub and published by Devolver Digital, that was released on January 24, 2019 for Linux, macOS, Nintendo Switch and Microsoft Windows. It was later released on March 12, 2020 for Xbox One. The player controls the titular red creature, Piku, through a colorful world, to put an end to a plot to harvest the entirety of the land’s resources.
Thanks, Wikipedia!
As soon as I sit down at my desk, Thursday morning, I open the Epic game launcher to see what is available for the week. Normally, I’m hoping for some kinda bang-zoom explodey game or something with a deep story and gritty characters. When I saw Pikuniki was the game of the week, I literally said, “womp-womp”. I didn’t want a weird game. I didn’t want a kitschy, quirky indie game. I wanted violence and grimdark stuff. I wanted jetpacks and shotguns with demons and Nazis to shoot.
I don’t know why I downloaded it. I smashed the download button and took a couple sips of coffee. Before I had time to open another website to balm my boredom, the game was done downloading. Huh. That was super fast.
I grabbed my controller and booted that bad boy up. Figured I might as well get it over with. What I got reminded me of my initial apprehension. It was some weird, quirky music, and an equally weird and quirky starting page.
Many games take you through a long expository cutscene to explain the setting and get you up to speed. Some other games drop you into the action in media res. Pikuniku… does something else. It’s hilarious, and I watched it four times.
The tutorial level is short, and I didn’t realize it was a tutorial level until it was over, but it could also be because I played around with a ball for like, ten minutes.
When you get going, you will immediately come to understand that you’re not in for a typical gaming experience. The controls are intuitive and simple, but the obstacles are challenging without being punishing. Piku, the red blob head main character is simply designed and like everything else in this game, deceptively simple.
There’s a level of care here, and attention to detail that is apparent if you’re looking for it. Otherwise, there is an adorably fun game with fun as the primary goal. I was so pulled in that I felt terrible when I accidentally kicked someone.
It’s a short game, but there’s a lot here so it’s very replayable. Screwing around when playing video games is half the allure. This instance didn’t punish me for it.
Knowing what this game is, I would have paid full price. I’m keeping this one as a mental health day title.
If this game doesn’t grab your attention in the first thirty seconds, I’ll eat my hat.
1 Delete and Never Play Again
2 One and Done
3 Once in a while
4 High Rotation *** I’ll play this one often!
5 Perfect Game
Everything about this offbeat, comedic puzzle-platformer was a delightful surprise. I would suggest getting your copy before October 8!