POPUCOM review

POPUCOM is one of those games that instantly grabs your attention with its vibrant visuals and cooperative attitude. If you’ve ever played Overcooked or Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime, you’ll probably know the kind of crazed teamwork that POPUCOM is aiming for.

But here’s the twist: there’s no single-player mode and you can’t just jump into with a rando. No, it’s strictly you and at least one other person you know, either local or online. I found this out right away when I tried to head into a game. I quickly realized I’d need to grab a friend before I could get past the main menu. Because of that, this review took a few extra days since Robert is always busy.

Different Shades of Comical Misunderstanding

POPUCOM’s core gameplay centers on color-based puzzles and platforming. You and your partner each control a character who can swap between two colors. You’ll then have to match colors to do things like clear obstacles, solve puzzles, and take down enemies.

One early riddle had obstructions that would slide out of the way when shot by a matching color. With a single hit it moved out of the way. But when Robert moved in to return the favor, he didn’t realize the blocks would slide back into place and got launched into the abyss. Yes, death is frequent, occasionally stems from an irate partner, but isn’t punitive. You quickly spawn back without a moment to dwell on things.

Let’s Talk Through This

As anyone who’s make it through Portal 2 co-op’s mode with a buddy knows, communication is essential for survival. Without voice chat POPUCOM is fun, with chat it’s a great time, and with a split-screen local game, it’s an absolute blast. Best of all, the game scales to accommodate players of different skill levels, offering aim assist or the ability to quash friendly fire. Pleasingly, there are even colorblind options.

Visually, POPUCOM is a deep bag of eye candy. The Splatoon-style aesthetic makes everything charming cartoonish. But it also makes the action easy to read, which is crucial because things can get hectic. The soundtrack is a persistently upbeat mix of techno and futuristic beats that doesn’t let you forget what a good time you’re having.

The More the Messier

There are two main ways to play POPUCOM: Story Mode is for two players while Party Mode accommodates up to four. Both are a blast, but Party Mode is where the real pandemonium happens. While the core mechanics remain the same with color-matching, puzzle-solving, and tense platforming, each additional human multiplies the fun. Stages become more unpredictable with bodies bouncing around, barrages of vibrant color, and the inevitably of one of your mates blocking an essential shot. But even in its wild moments, POPUCOM rarely feels frustrating. Largely, that’s rooted in responsive controls and a design that encourage screwing around as much as series progression.

That said, the game does have a few issues. If you want to accessorize the look of your character, prices are just high enough to make the five-dollar cosmetic DLC a temptation. The big caveat is that only being able to play with friends is going to lock some potential players out. It also means that longevity depends on how often you can wrangle up your friends. If your crew’s not into chaotic puzzle-platformers, or if you’re like Robert and always multitasking, POPUCOM might just gather dust in your digital library.

Getting Through it, Together

But for players who can meet the demands (or better yet, who live in the same house) POPUCOM is an amazingly fun shared experience. Sure, it doesn’t revolutionize co-op gaming, but it understands that responsive controls, enticing visuals, and sudden spats between allies makes for a great time. There’s a strong possibility that memories will be made and friendships strengthened with POPUCOM.

POPUCOM was played on PC with review code provided by the publisher.