Pikuniku

Quirky design and surprisingly funny moments create an appealing, welcoming vibe that's hard to ignore. Pikuniku quickly captures your attention with its odd looking, spindly-legged hero, then slowly sinks its hooks in with weirdly satisfying kicking mechanics (it's worth it to try kicking everything, from rocks to characters). It's also got a strange cast of side personalities, who look like Uglydoll rejects and often react to Piku's kicks, prods, and actions with giggle-inducing responses. Add in some simple but enjoyable puzzles, along with overarching themes of social acceptance and environmental stewardship, and you have an unusually upbeat and pleasant game that turns its dogged inoffensiveness into an unexpectedly appealing asset. It's hard to imagine anyone playing this game without having at least an occasional grin.

Which makes it a little sad that it's over almost as soon as it begins. It's nice to see a winning idea taken to its full potential, but that doesn't quite happen here. The developers could have done more with the hat mechanic, for example, giving Piku additional abilities by donning even more hats -- sort like in Super Mario Odyssey. And while we get to use Piku's kicking power in some fun ways, including swinging from little footholds and breaking stuff to reveal surprises -- it feels like it, too, could have been further exploited. They say to always leave the audience wanting more, and Pikuniku succeeds in this. But it's also important to leave them satisfied, and there could have been a little more meat on this particular bone.