Is this THE LAST GUARDIAN?!?!?
When I downloaded Papo and Yo off of Playstation Plus, I was expecting a lighthearted puzzle-platformer that would leave me thinking, "that was a thing." I was also thinking it might be a game I don't finish as I find puzzle-platformers pretty hit or miss. This one, however, is all Hit and it dished out the emotion in a thoughtful way.
From the opening dedication and the opening cutscene, you know this game is going to be about a boy dealing with an abusive father. (Look at the picture posted above again....subtle isn't it?) Instead of being presented as some realistic, deep, drama, the game takes place in a dream like world that seems to be the boy's escapist fantasy.
You take control of the boy named Quico. You quickly meet a mysterious girl named Alejandra who seems scared of you at first but later acts as a best friend/guide role. There is also Lula, Quico's toy robot with a jet pack, who is animate and can talk. Then, there's monster....
This lazy douchebag.
Monster is the metaphor for the boy's real world father. (This is not a spoiler. You'd have to be an idiot to not figure that out in the first FIVE SECONDS of the game). Most of the game revolves around getting Quico and Monster from point A to point B in an effort to "fix" Monster. Monster's AI is basically a big dumb id who sleeps and eats and does nothing else. You can manipulate him with coconuts to get him to go where you need him as he seeks them out automatically. A lot of the time he is passive and in one instance he saves Quico's life. Monster ALSO seeks out frogs, which he really likes to eat....but that's where things change.
Once Monster consumes a frog he goes into rage mode and becomes aggressive, constantly attacking you. What is interesting here is that this is NOT a fail state in the game. He cannot kill you, but man, does he beat the ever loving shit out of you. He seems slightly faster than you, gives you little time to recover after tossing you like a rag doll, there is no such thing as a dodge button, and he can cut off a turn like a semi-truck. I know this is a cliche thing to say but, "I've never been so helpless" in a video game. The only way to get Monster de-raged is to feed him a rotten coconut, which forces him to vomit out the frog. Frogs are obviously a metaphor for some sort of substance abuse. SPOILER (It's alcohol).
"It makes me feel alive, because it is alive man"
These metaphors are the best part of this game and I love games that tie storytelling into gameplay this well.* Lula is a toy that Quico cherished as protection. Alejandra is, I THINK, Quico's older sister but I'm not entirely sure (I think this is one of those lost in cultural translation things because at times she comes across as almost a girlfriend despite SPOILER AGAIN ((she has the same father as revealed late in the game.))) (Sooo many parentheses!!!!!))))))). There is also how Quico deals with Monster. Lula and Alejandra both caution Quico about trusting Monster too much. Quico, meanwhile, seems optimistic that Monster can be a good guy.
*Sidebar: I actually think the indie game scene has the ONLY people experimenting with storytelling through gameplay, which is a shame since video games could tell stories in a very unique way. Something like Minecraft doesn't count by the way. I hope to cover this topic more in depth in a future blogpost. I have opinions and stuff!*
This blogpost is getting long but I feel like I'm forgetting something.....
Blocks? SQUARES ON THE GROUND? WHAT IS THIS MADNESS?
OH, right! Gameplay. The dream-like world is set in a Latin American shantytown with various gears, keys, levers, and handles all outlined in some sort of magic chalk. Activating these moves literal buildings to help you get from place to place. The puzzles themselves range from obvious to mildly tricky, but I never spent too long being stumped on one. An early bridge building puzzle looks daunting at first since the camera spins around showing DOZENS of points to interact, but once you start it, you find out that each thing you activate is just a part of a bridge, which you can manipulate to reach new parts, and so on.
What kind of key unlocks a wall? Ever heard of DOORS?
While the puzzles are pretty easy, there are times that can be frustrating because there are puzzles you can only get past WITH an enraged Monster. Make one poor jump and you fall to the ground where Monster relentlessly beats on you. It's difficult getting back up to the platforms, especially if you are thrown into a corner where the beatings from Monster seem worse.
This game does have it's flaws but they seem entirely on the technical side of things. Objects clip through other objects from time to time. Certain mechanics are introduced once but never used again like throwing frogs against walls and one single platforming section having disappearing platforms. Twice, the frame rate had a severe drop that lead to some choppy chase sequences but those drops only lasted a second or two so I'm not going to be like TotalBiscuit and whine about it for 27 more paragraphs.
Nothing smug about that.
Regardless of some flaws, the gameplay is solid. If you want a challenge, this is not the game for you. If you want a unique, interesting, metaphorical, escapist look into a dark past, this game is for you.
I appreciate this game. I thank the developer for sharing a personal story in such a compelling way. I don't have an abusive family member but I too have some dark shit that happened to me in the past, just like literally everyone. This game makes me wonder if I could create something so imaginative to exorcise those demons.
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