Papo & Yo

 PC
User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 149 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 87 out of 149
  2. Mixed: 51 out of 149
  3. Negative: 11 out of 149

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  1. Andrew_Paterson
    Aug 2, 2013
    6
    Papo & Yo is an interesting if not exceptional experience. And this is the crux of it; someone had a story to tell and an experience to relate.

    If you play this game as a game particularly if you expect a challenging puzzle game you're going to be disappointed. Whereas if you liked games like Dear Esther then Papo & Yo will probably be right up your alley. The graphics are    Papo & Yo is an interesting if not exceptional experience. And this is the crux of it; someone had a story to tell and an experience to relate.

    If you play this game as a game particularly if you expect a challenging puzzle game you're going to be disappointed. Whereas if you liked games like Dear Esther then Papo & Yo will probably be right up your alley.

    The graphics are functional but scarcely stress the Unreal Engine. The sound is a bit lackluster and the puzzles themselves are not logical (though neither are they difficult). Basically push a white glowy thing which will enable you to push another white glowy thing or lead the monster to a white glowy thing.

    You will not be taxed by this and if you find yourself stuck then it's probably because you haven't run to the right area yet. I don't really have a problem with this as it allows the story to flow without frustration.

    Papa & Yo is a pretty solid game; I've had only two technical issues: once it's locked up my PC entirely requiring a reboot and then I've gotten stuck in a wall on moving block. I'd rate it a pretty solid 65/100 but was tempted to give it a 0. A voter block looks to be artificially inflating the user scores; at the time of writing only 7 of the 17 user reviews really looked legitimate.

    Finally is it worth your money? Yes I think so. Not all game can or should be massive AAA titles. Papo & Yo has it's niche and it fills it.    … Expand
  2. evild4ve
    Aug 24, 2013
    5
    I played this as a fill-in between other games, fully expecting it to be a schmalzy allegory for a boy dealing with his dad's alcohol abuse. That aspect of it was quite interesting to me personally, but I also support the idea of games moving into more difficult narrative and emotional territory. I think I read that this was actually autobiographical on part of one of the developersI played this as a fill-in between other games, fully expecting it to be a schmalzy allegory for a boy dealing with his dad's alcohol abuse. That aspect of it was quite interesting to me personally, but I also support the idea of games moving into more difficult narrative and emotional territory. I think I read that this was actually autobiographical on part of one of the developers making this game a risky proposition commercially and something very raw and close to someone's heart, creatively.

    The gameworld is quite beautiful, without being graphically impressive it is just nicely, nicely designed. Although the 3D environments were probably quite simple to put together and there are a lot of copied and pasted houses on show they are imaginative and clever. Things like (analog) levers that fold the entire map in on itself, or flexible ramps made out of flying houses. It should manage to put a smile on your face.

    The reason I give Papo & Yo quite a low rating is that it really boils down to a few (10?) extremely easy puzzles slotted into an extremely basic story. It would have been quite okay to quadruple the length of this game, stretch a few of the basic mechanics (freeform, epic-scale, physics puzzler!) into more challenging puzzles and pick up the story again a bit later after you've had some fun levitating huge buildings in from the horizon to land on top of tiny frogs or some such.

    The story is delivered so honestly that it can't be faulted for laying it on thick. But it's the sort of story that someone who hadn't suffered parental alcohol abuse would tell about parental alcohol abuse... but being told by someone who had. The most poignant moment in the game for me wasn't in the story at all it was when you kick a football at Monster, and just for a moment he snaps out of being a lumbering, coconut-chomping cartoon character and patiently throws the ball back to you, like a Dad.

    Overall, this is maybe a 2-hour wonder for younger players. If I was an alcoholic father, I would buy this game for my children so they knew what to do with me.    … Expand
  3. fartheststar
    May 6, 2015
    6
    Kindof cool puzzle game with effective themes of substance abuse and how it impacts kids - yes it may affect you when the monster turns on you and tosses you around the screen - but I got frustrated on one of the levels (build a bridge or something like that) trying to keep monster away from the frogs, and just decided to quit and uninstall after failing so many times. Maybe it's not fairKindof cool puzzle game with effective themes of substance abuse and how it impacts kids - yes it may affect you when the monster turns on you and tosses you around the screen - but I got frustrated on one of the levels (build a bridge or something like that) trying to keep monster away from the frogs, and just decided to quit and uninstall after failing so many times. Maybe it's not fair to the game, but frustration at knowing what to do but being unable to catch the frogs fast enough makes me rage a bit, and that's just not fun. It bugs me that I won't see the end, but, oh well. I don't know why I can't grab the frogs fast enough here - they just take off and run straight for monster at breakneck speed before I can orient myself after the animation. It seems like most other people think this game is too easy, but I'm just frustrated at it at the moment. Prior to this the game had lost my interest half-way through and I was just now coming back to try to finish it after many months away. I guess it's kindof one of those games that I'd call "decent" up to that point, but it didn't grab me and keep me coming back based on the long break before coming back. I feel like production values are pretty good. Visuals and world are intriguing, and sound is nice. I like games that let you explore, and this game has elements of that.… Expand
  4. Duskspark
    May 28, 2013
    7
    Remember playing games like Ratchet and Clank, Jak and Dexter, Sly Cooper, and many others? Those were the games that shaped our childhood, and Papo & Yo is one of those games that makes you think of all those while adding some original ideas of its own. It's a puzzle game, where nothing things are explained by gentle hints, fun Hint Boxes, and text bubbles. You rely mostly on your ownRemember playing games like Ratchet and Clank, Jak and Dexter, Sly Cooper, and many others? Those were the games that shaped our childhood, and Papo & Yo is one of those games that makes you think of all those while adding some original ideas of its own. It's a puzzle game, where nothing things are explained by gentle hints, fun Hint Boxes, and text bubbles. You rely mostly on your own skills, but when you get help of some companions, you'll be able to jump further, activate unreachable buttons, and so forth. Finally a game that is enjoyable for the younger ones as well as for others.… Expand
  5. Frast2013X
    Aug 2, 2013
    7
    Dość ciekawa gra logiczna, przy której raczej nie będziemy się nudzić. Ciekawy klimacik, i nie zrozumienie sytuacji które ciągnie się przez całą grę daję nam chętkę do zrozumienia o co w tym chodzi. O tej grze nie da się opowiedzieć, w nią po prostu trzeba zagrać. Jest przyjemna i pokazuje zagadki przy których będziemy musieli trochę pomyśleć, jednak nie będziemy musieli się strasznieDość ciekawa gra logiczna, przy której raczej nie będziemy się nudzić. Ciekawy klimacik, i nie zrozumienie sytuacji które ciągnie się przez całą grę daję nam chętkę do zrozumienia o co w tym chodzi. O tej grze nie da się opowiedzieć, w nią po prostu trzeba zagrać. Jest przyjemna i pokazuje zagadki przy których będziemy musieli trochę pomyśleć, jednak nie będziemy musieli się strasznie męczyć. Grze jednak brakuje wielu rzeczy. Samo to, że nie ma w niej pomysłów dzięki którym można by było polecić tą grę znajomemu, graficznie nie pokazuje wysokiego poziomu, fabuła pokazuje swój potencjał dopiero w 5 minutach przed napisami. Największą wadą tej gry jest to że nie wiadomo do kogo jest kierowana. Młodsi gracze nie zrozumieją fabuły i logicznych zagadek a starszym nie odpowie klimat, bohater-dziecko i za bardzo kolorowa grafika. Potencjał był, jednak nie wykorzystany.… Expand
  6. JimCorbett
    Jan 10, 2014
    5
    Papo & Yo is a completely average game. There's nothing overly bad or good about it. The gameplay is totally dull and uninspiring. You solve simplistic puzzles and perform basic platforming with a favela background. The soundtrack and graphical style are both average. The story, which some people claim to be emotional, is nonsensical and boring. On top of all that, the game will take youPapo & Yo is a completely average game. There's nothing overly bad or good about it. The gameplay is totally dull and uninspiring. You solve simplistic puzzles and perform basic platforming with a favela background. The soundtrack and graphical style are both average. The story, which some people claim to be emotional, is nonsensical and boring. On top of all that, the game will take you all of 3-4 hours to finish and you'll have no intention of ever wanting to play it again.… Expand
  7. Budget_Security
    Apr 27, 2016
    7
    A charming little indie game with nice presentation and art direction. The music is lovely and fits the scene perfectly. The graphics are technically average, but still look great. This game is fairly short, but about the right length for a game of this type.
    Most of the gameplay is simple puzzle platforming, but the style and atmosphere stops it from getting boring. The puzzles are well    A charming little indie game with nice presentation and art direction. The music is lovely and fits the scene perfectly. The graphics are technically average, but still look great. This game is fairly short, but about the right length for a game of this type.
    Most of the gameplay is simple puzzle platforming, but the style and atmosphere stops it from getting boring. The puzzles are well designed but fairly casual, so don't expect a challenge. This game would be suitable for young children, although they may not understand the adult message (which is fine).

    After enjoying “Brothers – A tale of two sons” (an amazing indie game), I searched for some more indie games that I hoped would be similar, and found this. While Papo & Yo is not as good as Brothers, it is still decent and I recommend it.    … Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
70

Mixed or average reviews - based on 23 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 23
  3. Negative: 2 out of 23
  1. Games.cz
    Aug 28, 2013
    70
    When you look at it it's a captivating tour along the foreign culture and child's phantasy that is in fact a sanctuary against real demons lurking behind three-dimensional puzzles. Playful and at the same time mature game experience, whose concept works only halfway through. But when it works, it pushes your emotions forward.
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  2. DarkStation
    Aug 12, 2013
    60
    Papo & Yo leaves me conflicted. On the one hand, I couldn’t be happier that Vander Caballero turned to video games as his means for self-expression. Unfortunately, the uninspired, frustrating gameplay adds nothing to the heartbreaking story contained therein.
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  3. PC Gamer UK
    Jul 24, 2013
    70
    Achingly beautiful. [Aug 2013, p.85]
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