1. I found this looking through the ancient dregs of Humble Bundles past in my Steam library. I was like, hey, a 3D puzzle game that is not trying to be Portal and I hit the download button posthaste. Turns out, it is really more of an adventure game. I'm still glad I played.
2. This actually even veers toward walking sim territory but avoids the "wow, look how atmospheric this game is" while you do absolutely nothing trappings of the genre by having a plot you are directly involved in and also having actual gameplay challenges.
3. There is no character in the game called either Papo or Yo. I guess the title means something like daddy and me in Brazilian Portuguese. This is story relevant. You'll figure it out as you play.
4. The atmosphere of this game quite reminds me of the 2006 movie Pan's Labyrinth. It is set up as a child's fantasy but it is clear that this fantasy is rooted in very real danger to its protagonist, Quico. It is charming on the surface but the unreal sheen to it is slightly unsettling from the very start.
5. Having read many reviews of this game, I feel obliged to join in in saying that it is set in a Brazilian favela--as if any of us knew what that word meant before playing this game. It is s third-world type slum w/ lots of warm orange and brown tones, terracotta and stucco. It serves as a perfect background for the fantastical elements of Papo & Yo. Having a giant monster going through a more modern looking city gets a bit too King Kong if you ask me.
6. This monster looks intimidating but the main character, Quico, regards him w/ easy familiarity and initially he seems harmless enough. The gameplay here revolves around mild puzzle solving and platforming to help Quico let the monster his way through the favela.
7. This is not exactly Mario 64 as far as the platforming nor is it Portal as far as the puzzle solving but neither is it completely trivial. Nobody is going to have much trouble getting through this but everyone is going to have to try some sections more than once.
8. This is story focused to be sure but the story is mostly told through
gameplay so it never feels like you are just there. There are a few
expository cut scenes but almost every step of the way, you are directly
involved in everything that happens.
9. You are not given really any choice in how you handle things but this is because the developers have a very clear and well-developed story they want to tell. The purpose of the gameplay is to draw you into it.
10. Quico really scampers up ladders, making this the one game in existence where climbing ladders isn't interminable.
11. The in-game narrative is allegorical in a way that is eventually explained to you completely but it would stand on its own even if the fantasy world was not so strongly tied into real life.
12. I recall liking the music while playing but can't for the life of me remember a strain of it shortly after playing. I'd say this makes it adequate for the game's ambition but perhaps nothing exceptional.
13. If I were to teach a course on designing narrative-focused games, I'd have my students play through this game before the first day of class. It is accessible but not so easy you lose interest. The story is compelling w/o being heavy handed. The narrative gives you plenty to think about w/o sacrificing the moment to money joy of gameplay. Even years later, I find many games of this genre to still be struggling w/ getting all of these elements to fall into place consistently.
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