Unfortunately, this is but a small flaw that forms the larger picture of how Pikuniku doesn't seem eager to be something more than a proof of concept, as the whole three-to-five hour journey feels more like a very long demo, or a small peak into an impressive, but unfinished title. The real issue is actually the lack of a decent challenge, especially for those who have some experience with the genre - or gaming in general, for that matter. The "natural" controls will still manage to annoy you once or twice, but as a whole, things are more enjoyable than irritating this time around. Puzzle-solving is arguably better, and revolves around simple obstacles with simple solutions - the vast majority requiring the push of a button by an object that will then activate a mechanism usually an object that must be kicked into position, with the rest needing the use of a key-item or "ability" which was given as a reward for a fetch quest. It's somewhat hard to explain, but since this is basically a physics-based puzzle-platformer, there's a certain "weight" and unresponsiveness here, which, coupled with Piku's relatively slow speed, make moving around less enjoyable that it should be. Starting with the controls, while they are decent, and the platforming itself isn't particularly demanding, Piku doesn't exactly move like, say Mario, Crash Bandicoot, and so on. Aside from the "plot," at its core Pikuniku is a puzzle-platformer, slash fetch quest, slash collect-athon, and while a good one, it has some issues. The low-key comedy on offer is literally half of the fun, and frankly, it's definitely the better half.
Thankfully, there's a, very well-implemented, quirky humour at hand, with the small cast available constantly throwing out funny line, after funny line. Straightforward doesn't mean forgettable, though. Pikuniku never becomes EarthBound, Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass, or pretty much anything from 2D Boy/Tomorrow Corporation - it's a pretty straightforward "destroy the evil megacorp" kind of storyline. Those expecting something with some extremely dark undertones, which creates a heavy contrast with the overall light-heartedness. Just like in, well, every dystopia-hidden-behind-utopia story ever, brave little Piku will soon find out that the company behind those frequent golden showers (eww) is the big bad villain of the show, and the one who you'll have to stop with the help of the local rebel scu… organisation.
Vector heaven on vector earth, right? Well, not really. So, Piku gets to pay a visit to the local town, whose citizens spend their days growing corn, and waiting for Sunshine Inc.'s giant robot to arrive, take the corn, and start throwing gold coins for everyone.
The Beast… oh, it's too cute to be called that - let it be called 'Piku,' from now on. Thankfully, this succeeds in providing Pikuniku with a unique look and vibe, which goes hand in hand with the goofy, elevator music-like OST at hand, and, more importantly, the folk that live here. Not very beastly, right? The world is equally minimalistic in its design, with everything, from houses, trees, and volcanos, being an assortment of simple shapes and solid colours. The so-called 'Beast' that lives under the mountain, and that is the hero of this tale, is just a red circle, with two black dots for eyes, and two red sticks for legs. Men and Little Miss characters? Take one, remove everything but the eyes and legs… and you still don't have something simple enough.
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