Papo & Yo

If you're looking for an ethereal, Limboesque puzzler that will challenge your intellect, this isn't it. What's required of you is always obvious, thanks to a predictable mish-mash of platforming and box puzzles. [October 2012, p76]

Despite a few rough edges, this surreal platforming adventure is a heartfelt, emotional experience that's well worth your time.

An allegorical puzzle game about a boy trying to help his alcoholic father. The compelling story explores a serious issue, but the game is somewhat lacking gameplay wise.

I cannot remember the last time I played a game with so much heart & soul in its textures and scripts. Unfortunately, although Papo & Yo is probably one of the most heartbreaking, emotional and emphatic games of this generation, the feelings and experiences are above the playable side, something that makes the constant puzzles mostly mere an anecdote, but gives at the same time a powerful walkthrough.

Never feels challenging, so it lacks exhilarating highs.

Papo & Yo is not a technically perfect game, and is perhaps a little short for the asking price, but it covers a topic that is rarely discussed in the world of video games thoughtfully with an inventive style that provokes an emotional response at several points.

It's fun, cohesive and meaningful yet suffers from a lapse in replayability and all-round polish.

A few rough edges don't detract from an adventure that is as emotional as it is brain teasing, and is worth experiencing whether or not you can relate to the subject matter.

There is, however, a powerful experience here. Papo & Yo makes its player face the terrible relationship of abuse in a very personal way.

Beautiful, but short. It could have been bigger, a PlayStation Network must-have, but Papo & Yo doesn't show ambition and offers an adventure with a great potential and a lot to polish. It's an emotional journey recreated through some unforgettable landscapes, however, when it comes to actual gameplay there are many things yet to be improved.

And while polishing the game up a bit more would do little to impact the replay value, it would certainly have provided a more lasting memory than what Papo & Yo currently delivers, which is a shame because otherwise it's a game that is definitely worth experiencing.

After finishing Papa & Yo, we were left with mixed feelings. The game offers a unique emotional experience through the creative fantasy world of Quico, accompanied by great music. But the platforming and puzzling never really gets challenging and the game is filled with bugs and technical issues. This makes Papa & Yo an unique game, but not the game it amazing game it could have been.

All the great storytelling in Papo & Yo can't prevent the simple fact that the gameplay just isn't here.

Though it may dip a little in the middle Papo & Yo finishes strongly, making good use of the game's evocative musical score and themes to create a resonant conclusion that may be a little on the nose, but still feels risky and experimental compared to the narrative tropes typically used by most games.

Papo & Yo really tugged at my heartstrings, like few other games have managed as of late, and on that basis, despite some valid criticism, I feel it really is a worthwhile little game.

In an age where indie games are finally beginning to bloom as a way to experiment with narrative, Papo & Yo still feels like a brave step forward into uncharted territory. And as with all first steps, it's something of a clumsy one, perhaps unsure of itself and its own limitations.

Papo & Yo is undeniably one of the most unique PSN games you'll encounter. It makes brilliant use of symbols, metaphors, and beautiful presentation to tell a very dark and personal story about abuse, addiction, and consequences. And in that sense, it renders the gameplay issues -- from unwieldy controls, tedious late-game segments, and slightly one-note mechanics -- all the more unfortunate.

Papo & Yo is a title of binary worth; not worth ignoring its issues, but still worth seeing through. While the trip it takes to reach the emotional highs of the story's payoff is indefensibly turbulent, there's no denying that they are indeed dizzying.