Pode

Some flawed puzzles don't stop this beautiful, adorable platformer from being well worth your time.

At its core, Pode is a fun puzzle platformer with some neat ideas. If players have a friend to sit down with, it’s a blast to run through, from its gameplay through to its cute design and great soundtrack. Solo play is still decent if a little awkward, but even then it’s easy to get lost in its charm.

Pode's a fantastic effort. The colourful world that you spark into bloom is well presented with a wonderful soundtrack complimenting the visuals. The platforming works well as you utilise each character's abilities and the pace is nicely maintained from level to level. Sometimes the camera can conspire against you and some puzzles can initially appear obtuse, but there's so much charm to this.

Pode does a good job of being adorable, puzzling in all the right ways, and fun, all in the span of a few hours and while it’s worth mentioning the game seems a tad too short, the consistent pacing throughout makes it feel like a bit of a longer journey than it actually is. Despite camera issues that made the platforming and gameplay mechanics a bit more challenging than it needed to be, and although it could have used a more engaging storyline, the environments and the bond Glo and Bulder share bring an enchanted feel to the entire game that’s hard not to find charming all the way to the very last moment.