Pikuniku Reviews
Playing out like an interactive episode of Don't Hug Me I'm Scared, Pikuniku is a perfectly formed three hour adventure.
A wonderfully absurd tale of insurrection and kicking stuff in a cheery-looking world.
A short, funny platforming adventure about a weird little dude on a strange quest, Pikuniku is a charming delight.
It would have been nice if Pikuniku was longer and had a bit more to its story, if only because it means spending more time with its interesting and charming world. Still, what we have is a fun blend of physics-based gameplay, traditional platforming, exploration, eye-catching art and a fun cast that makes for one cute, highly-enjoyable experience. It's a quick little romp through a gleefully bizarre world that you won't regret checking out.
What a really pleasant time this is. It’s family-friendly, without being a kids’ game.
We struggle to recall a dystopia quite as cheerful as the one found in Pikuniku. It's a short game, but one packed with heart and imagination, with a great single-player component and excellent couch co-op that can genuinely be enjoyed by anyone. It makes us remember the fun we had cutting pieces from our friends in Snipperclips, but where we occasionally hit a brick wall with that game, Pikuniku sidesteps frustration in favour of a breezy and charming adventure; a perfect salve if you need a break from the backlog, but don't dive in expecting endless hours of gameplay.
Pikuniku is quirky, funny and more than a little bit mad, all adding up to a short-but-sweet, colourful platform adventure.
This puzzle-platformer's puzzles and platforming might be merely alright – and the music is a proper irritant – but Pikuniku is full of so much cheer and loveliness elsewhere. It's bursting with character in a story that's equal parts silly and uplifting.
It may not be long but you’ll have a big, dumb smile on your face the whole time; a pure realization of quality over quantity.
Its look and feel gives it a charming aesthetic that draws you in, and its solid controls coupled with balanced puzzles makes you stay a while. A funny campaign that has some true laugh out loud moments, but sometimes has vague mission objectives forcing you to wander around aimlessly until you stumble upon the next step.
In the wrong hands, Pikuniku could have been a shallow and ultimately forgettable experience, but its expressive dialogue, clever framing, and charming, upbeat soundtrack do enough heavy lifting to elevate it into something far more endearing. The characterization, in particular, is delightfully fleshed out. It's a simple game with a ton of heart that'll leave you beaming when everything's said and done.
My favorite gaming experiences are the ones that elicit a pure and physical response from me. Whether it's a horror game making me clench my cheeks or a story-driven game dropping my jaw and pulling a tear from my eye, those kinds of experiences are the ones that stick with me the most. With Pikuniku, I was smiling and laughing throughout the entire thing, and too few games get that kind of response out of me. Pikuniku is a treasure of a game, and I can't wait to see more from this team.
Despite being rather short, Pikuniku is sure to please players anyway thanks to its pleasant presentation, relaxed atmosphere, goofy characters, and its world that's just plain fun to explore.
Still, developer Sectordub have created a delightfully quirky experience with bags of personality. It might not last very long, but Pikuniku manages to deliver a lot of fun little moments before you see the end screen.
Devolver Digital presents Pikuniku, an endearing and outright hilarious all-ages platforming adventure game, but it's over way too quickly.
Pikuniku is definitely a bit of an odd title. It’s a little shorter than I was hoping, but across the entirety of the game I was never really uninterested or bored, I actually really enjoyed my time with it. If I had to say though, I feel like there could have been a little more effort put into really branching out with some of the mechanics, but I’m not disappointed with the game by any means, I just found myself left wanting more.
Are you in the mood for an absurdist yet cheerful adventure-platformer about corporate sabotage? Pikuniku just might be your game.
A charming little adventure with a good heart, a quirky atmosphere and a fascinating tone. Pros and cons can for once essentially be the same: some will be delighted by the randomness and the utter simplicity of the whole experience, while others might find it a bit too much.
Review in Italian | Read full review
This game belongs in the same breath as Undertale and Night in the Woods for the way it plays with its own video game-ness. Pikuniku bashes tropes, breaks the rules, and defies any possible expectations you could have.
Despite its childish look, Pikuniku tells us a revolutionary tale of a random guy joining a resistance group fighting against an evil corporation. Funny until the end, Devolver's new game may mostly count on its strange physics, even to the point of frustration when the game asks for strong platformer parts. The two-player mode might balance a very short length though.
Review in French | Read full review