This platformer co-op title from the creators of Arknights is refreshing and not something we're used to from them. Our Popucom review will let you know a little more about the game, and maybe even convince you to grab the game to play with your friends.
Co-Op Experience - A little bit of a struggle for Local
The game is exclusively for those with companions, and what's cool is that not more than one copy is needed to play with up to three friends at a time, considering it has
The main story of Popucom is built for two players, and has you helping the eggbot build a rocket to destroy the big bad - pretty straightforward, but gets you going to collect your four unique abilities. You're mostly required to use them all in levels past the ones you collect each in.
While Popucom does have remote play making your life way easier (not having to buy multiple copies of the game in this economy), playing couch co-op proved to be surprisingly difficult to set up. It took quite a bit of time on my end to figure out what was wrong, but the end of the story is that not all controllers are plug-and-play friendly.
If you're on Steam, make sure to fiddle with the controller input translation from the game's library page, as that was what finally solved the issue. Don't make my mistake and waste that much time.
Adorable Design reminiscent of Splatoon
Co-op games like this do need to have a good visual design, unique or attractive in some way. I did enjoy the level design but especially liked the character design. A simple selection of different player accessories will let you customize your cute avatar.
Don't bother trying to pick out a theme color, as colors and switching between them is a core part of gameplay. You also get to unlock more outfits as you go, some of which you'll only be able to obtain by playing the party mode or getting the paid DLCs.
Puzzles which are far from Easy
Both player and level design in Popucom has a lot of soft cartoony flair, but gameplay is nowhere as easy-going. Continuous focus is needed for puzzles and they sometimes get very intense, though individual steps in a level remain short with plenty of checkpoints in between.
Some puzzles are very dynamic and require perfect sync between players, while others allow you to take your time and assess the approach for as long as you like. Some puzzles can be solved in unintended ways, though you'll need to get creative.
Each player sports three lives by default, but there's no real punishment for losing them so long as one of the players is alive on the field. If you're left with no lives left, the show can go on as long as you spam a button to free yourself from a bubble, provided your teammate can hold out. It's usually pretty easy or pretty difficult with little in between. Getting hit by certain enemies can quickly become annoying as they can get you stunlocked.
An important note is that you do need at least one controller on top of the usual keyboard-mouse setup to play locally, which means someone will struggle with aiming on the controller, and aiming sure is aplenty in this game.
Difficulty grading of the levels is subjective to say the least. Sometimes you will want to aim carefully, while at other times you beat the boss without realizing it's already over. While the overall difficulty is not high, some boss fights might make you want to pull your hair out.
Fun Puzzles with an even more Fun Design
Overall, while the game is cute and otherwise pleasantly polished-looking, some fights and puzzles will surely frustrate with their clunkiness. All the colors and the balloons, stickers and hidden bonus content might tire you out within the shortened width of the split screen. If your focus is laser sharp, however, you are sure to enjoy this wholesome and fun co-op adventure with one or more friends.
What are your favorite Co-Op games of all time? Let us know in the comments below, but you can also check out our other Reviews here on Pro Game Guides.
Hristina is the Assigning Editor for Pro Game Guides. She has a Master's degree in English Language, Literature and Culture from the University of Belgrade. She's used her love of English to write blogs, anime quizzes, books as well as work as a Content Editor before starting at PGG as a Staff Writer. She lives for the horror genre and you'll often find her playing Dead by Daylight, Lethal Company, and Phasmophobia. Hristina's comfort games are Outlast, Last of Us, and Until Dawn, which she has played or watched other people play more than 10 times each.