BENGALURU: There are weeks where I feel the prospect of figuring out the ropes of playing the latest AAA release extremely daunting. Baldur’s Gate 3 was released just last week, and it has me covering and retreating to my cosy, familiar part of the gaming world which does not require me to study intricate game mechanics or spend hours on character customisation before playing a game. I turned to Pikuniku this week. It is not a new game — just a soothing old tune to gently guide me back to that joy of playing a videogame to completion.
Created by Devolver Digital, it features a tiny blob with legs that finds itself bouncing into a village that has a lot of problems. The first of these problems involves fixing a bridge. Among other extremely low-stakes puzzles, the game will have you play a basketball-football hybrid mini-game, survive through elaborate missions of hide-and-seek, and even conduct a bird-related fetch quest.
The mechanics involve the main character solving issues in the village — achieved through rolling around the village, kicking objects, and talking to other characters. This makes it a little difficult to categorise Pikuniku into a specific genre of game. Just when I thought ‘puzzle platformer’ might fit, the credits started to roll. As you see, the game does not take longer than four hours to complete the main and side missions. So it does not really qualify as your typical epic puzzle-platforming trial. But it does pull you in with its earnest simplicity.
The small map of the game unfurls as more main missions are completed, to reveal a realm of interconnected homes and shops within the village. They each contain several easy-to-solve puzzles, mini-games, and interactions with zany NPCs, who are all awaiting the big-brain of our main character to disentangle their issues.
Pikuniku is equal parts absurd and introspective, and that’s probably why I’d recommend playing it. At one moment, it had me fighting with a toaster that was attacking me with bread. In the next, I joined forces with a group of leaves that were determined to take down an environmentally unfriendly, capitalist society (represented by a giant robot).
Between these increasingly random escapades was also a pivotal life lesson within the game. A pear-shaped villager came up to me and educated me on the right way to wash a dish that contained pasta: immediately, or the grated cheese would crust up, making it difficult to clean. Pikuniku is suitable for beginners, and those who are struggling to find the inspiration to finish a videogame. The game is currently available for PC (Mac and Windows) and Nintendo Switch.