Do you ever get the feeling that every other game is presenting a different version of the same character? With most of this generation’s blockbusters featuring gruff soldiers or wise-cracking badasses, it’s no wonder most protagonists appear constructed with commercial appeal in mind. That sort of design is certainly effective, but it’s also exhausting and overpopulated. When you tell me your game’s main characters are pair of cloud/whale hybrids with silly hats, well, that’s a horse of a different color, and I’m suddenly interested in what it has to say.
Okabu is the first console game from the folks at HandCircus (and the first game to feature Cloud Whales). As you may remember, HandCircus was responsible for Rolando, the first legitimate game many of us bought on our iPhones. Comparisons with their previous work to Locoroco were inescapable, but Okabu breaks away from its peers by virtue of its rather unique presentation. The story places Kumulo and Nimbe, the aforementioned Cloud Whales, as potential saviors for the Yorubo, a tribe of people whose villages have been decimated and polluted by the nefarious Doza.
Okabu’s environmentally-conscious theme is innocent without being preachy and an overwhelming sensation of positivity bleeds through every level. It’s hard to place, but something as simple as the Peanuts-like smiles that grace the face of your two Whale Clouds (from here on referred to as just “Clouds”) places Okabu in the realm of a digital anti-depressant. Every time you’re administered the cheery characters and lively art it’s awfully difficult not to smile.
Structurally, Okabu is a puzzle/adventure game and contains twenty levels in four thematically different hub worlds. Your tasks generally involve cleaning up toxins or wiping out Doza, but the means by which your Cloud can accomplish this can vary greatly. By itself, your Cloud can soak up water in a puddle or pond and either rain it down or pop a reticule on the screen before aiming and spitting it out. Water has a myriad of uses, breaking down Doza and blossoming flowers among them. Your Clouds can also suck up tree nuts and spit them out as projectiles, but Okabu really opens up through the four characters whom can ride on your Clouds.
Monkfish’s harpoon is like a fishing pole and can be used to open doors, flips switches, and drag objects to different areas. Picolo’s ability can charm both animals and Yorubo, allowing Picolo to lead them to different areas in the level before pointing them toward accomplishing certain tasks. Roki, the most dynamic, carries a device that lets him control and manipulate a myriad of specialty Doza. The fourth character, Kat, can control a bird that can power machines by running in a hamster wheel, and can also fly around to pick up power cords and plug them into machines.
Local co-op is available, and appears to be the preferred way to play. I was only able to employ the services of another human for two levels, but it two simultaneous players made it easier to avoid Doza and blast through puzzles. The solution for solo play isn’t a bad one, the triangle button switches control between Kumulo and Nimbe, but Okabu seemed best enjoyed with a friend in tow.
Early on, I assumed Okabu would begin and end as a light puzzle game aimed squarely at a younger demographic. As it unfolded the upbeat theme maintained its universal appeal, but unfolded in a manner that increased in complexity without feeling impossible or overly difficult. Each level allows only two pre-defined riders for your Clouds. In the opening levels with Monkfish and Picolo, it’s relatively easy to figure out what you have to do. Roki and Kat’s set of abilities have a wider range of potential, and figuring out how to accomplish tasks that might seem easy with Monkfish or Picolo can be quite the challenge with Roki or Kat.
Level structure shifts between linear and open. In straightforward sections you’re solving a single puzzle that opens the way to the next puzzle area. In the more open areas, you’ll have to accomplish a set of interlocking tasks that build toward an end goal. For example, you might have to shoot special moonbeam nuts at marauding Chicklets to shrink them down to normal size, then pickup Picolo and lead the Chicklets to the bushes they’re specifically designed to consume. With the bush area cleared away Kat’s bird can plug in the revealed power cable for the rotating carousel, which can then be loaded with Yorubo whom can finally throw a switch to open a door on the other side of the pond (where more challenges await).
There’s actually quite a variety of stuff to do. Giant magnifying glasses and huge cannons can play a large role, as can goats and bulls Picolo must lead around to break through walls. Flames also pop up here and there, almost always next to oil that can be used to create a flame trail. The final level, which I am not at liberty to spoil, contains a sequence so involved and well orchestrated that it made me wish more of Okabu employed its talent, but generally the game progresses on an appropriate line of challenges. Okabu did leave me at a complete loss on a handful of occasions, though I always felt like an idiot when I discovered a detail I had carelessly overlooked.
Okabu succeeds as a fun puzzle game, but it wasn’t without its missteps. In the final levels the surrounding Doza love pelting the player with missiles. In theory it’s not so bad, I don’t think you can actually die and the only penalty is going back to a respawn tree and picking up the rider it knocked off, but at a certain point the plethora of missiles became overly aggravating. Roki’s fan truck thing, one of the many Doza he can control, did not help matters. It’s supposed to be used to pick stuff up and move it from A to B, but the control is mushy and inconsistent. HandCircus probably had simplicity in mind when they chose to affix control of the truck a single analog stick, but with wheels that never seem to be pointing in the right direction it’s near impossible to move with any sort of consistency. That truck is only in a handful of levels so it’s not that big of a deal, but it was a significant frustration in a game that’s usually preoccupied with joy.
Okabu also seemed to need another round in testing. I had to restart a level multiple times because my Cloud fell under some geometry and got stuck, and I was also subjected to a handful of complete crashes. Honestly that’s sort of normal for a 10-12 hour game, but having to repeat a level I had nearly finished was still annoying. Lastly, the last two levels also brought the frame rate to a crawl, which, given the modest visuals, was surprising.
On the brighter side, Okabu’s soundtrack is ridiculously good. Minor variations upon the same theme repeat through each world, but the diversity amongst them is impressive. Chipper tribal beat backed with chanting from Okabu’s made-up language are perfect for the brightly colored Lake Waka while more subdued synth lines and rhythmic drums support the gloomy Noko Woods. The best tracks were saved for Doza Fortress, which features a menacing pulse backed with a chanted chorus ending in a thunderous “DOHHHZA!” Ultimately it’s all pretty silly, but man is it fun and catchy.
