Back in the Bob Cousy days?
9) POCO (PC - 2025 : 3.6 hours played) 3/5
Through one of the Steam curators I follow, I became aware of a point-and-click adventure called POCO on the day it released, and since it was free and I was looking for a brief game to enjoy, I actually played and completed it the day after release. (See, I'm up with the times and lingo!
) So what is POCO exactly? Well, in brief, it's a story of the world's smallest clown who is banished from the circus - a circus on giant legs towering above the ground. He finds himself, after being unceremoniously tossed out, in a mysterious undergrowth full of lost and broken things. The intro sets up this premise nicely as diminutive POCO stands below a trio of large and imposing clowns, presumably authority-figures, demanding that he perform what amounts to impossible feats as you, in his shoes, try and act impossibly quickly to satisfy their unreasonable requirements. Disappointed with his "failures", the trio open a trap door that sees POCO fall all the way down into the rubble below, where he begins his journey. Ultimately, he meets and befriends a variety of other creatures, creatures that he hopes will help him build his rocket to travel back to the circus above, to his "home." Of course, in the process of getting to know these nether-inhabitants, it eventually becomes clear that home isn't necessarily the place from which you've originated. I won't spoil all the details, but ultimately it's a tale of misfits fitting in and realizing what home really means.In terms of the presentation, the hand-drawn art is wonderful and depicts a great deal of detail in the game's numerous environments. Seeing that this is a habitat for the small, you see all sorts of detritus that has been cast off from above and repurposed in creative ways to shape their world and various abodes. I loved that a GBA (or very close facsimile) was used as the television in front of the sofa for a family of worms, for example. All the colors are vivid, and there's so much attention given to bringing this place to life. I really loved the color and charm delivered by the artists who worked on this. And the audio is nearly its equal with lots of playful circus-tinged pieces that are, appropriately, a little off, yet somehow a soothing and enchanting accompaniment to a cast-off clown's journey. And the way POCO moves is endearing as he hops playfully while the little bell on his hat jingles and jangles as he bobs from screen to screen. Also, all the characters talk in "Sim-ish," which I personally love most of the time. Okami was one of the best examples of this, but it really fits in this case for me.
In terms of the practical elements, it's pretty standard point-and-click fare. There's an inventory, characters to engage with in order to get quests, pixel-hunting for items - although it's not as punishing as you find in many genre entries - and puzzles to solve. The puzzles weren't overly challenging either, but they were pretty satisfying and helped add that bit of resistance to progression that makes you feel like you're doing something other than just observing the narrative. There were also some mouse-based mini-games, which weren't the high point of the game. They could be a little awkward and fumbly and a little overly strict in a case or two, but they weren't a major problem. But those aspects could have used some refining in my view. I also would have liked the puzzles to have been a little bit more involved, but they weren't bad, just a tad simple as a collection.
But on the whole, POCO was a really charming little adventure with themes of class distinction, finding your place when your place turns out to NOT really be your "place," and making do with what you've got in a spirit of gratitude for what does belong to you and fits who you are. I thought it was a really nice experience, and being free certainly was quite surprising, given the overall quality. It's not overly lengthy. I spent about 3 and 1/2 hours with it and was pretty thorough, although I didn't get all the achievements/endings. But I did get the good ending, and that was satisfying and made the experience feel complete. It was a good game with plenty of personality - certainly better than what you ought to expect from a free offering, and I'm happy to have played it. 3/5
