Papo & Yo - PlayStation 3

A Triumph Of Imagination

Matt Miller — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 16:45:00 GMT

Amid a cavalcade of military shooters and fantasy hack n’ slashers, a game with something more personal to say is refreshing. Few topics are more intimate than the one expressed in Papo & Yo. Created as a parable about creative director Vander Caballero’s childhood experience with an alcoholic father, this narrative puzzle game slowly tells a challenging and thought-provoking message. Papo & Yo is a moving allegory about family, abuse, and the power of imagination to rise above.

The game opens on Quico, a young boy hiding in a closet as something monstrous stalks outside the door. A magic passage in the back of the wardrobe offers escape into the South American favela that Quico calls home, and with the help of chalk lines on the cement, Quico’s imagination transforms the shanty buildings into a grand adventure through which he can leap and climb. As he journeys, a towering monster joins him. The monster can aid in growth and progression, but as soon as the monster devours a poison frog, it flies into a rage and Quico must flee.

Quico’s world is well realized, but the visuals are sometimes lackluster. The repeated tilesets of the run-down slum buildings is limiting, even if beautiful sights, from breathtaking graffiti wall art to distant glimmering rainbows, pop up here and there. The visual limitations carry over into some subpar technical implementation; I encountered numerous clipping issues, and even fell through the game world several times during my multiple playthroughs.

Papo & Yo involves moving and pushing boxes, timed platforming, lever pulling, and other familiar activities. These exercises are only moderately challenging and usually linear in structure. While the puzzles themselves rarely astound, the magic of the experience comes from the way those puzzles affect the world, changing what might be an overly simplistic challenge into a surprising and memorable moment. Moving a small cardboard box might simultaneously transpose the location of an entire building. Tracing a chalk line might be the key to opening a portal into another world. Nearly everything in the game is an analogue to something greater and more significant.

That concept carries over into the story, in which players slowly piece together a sequence of characters and events that shaped and shattered Quico’s life. The final conclusion of the drama may be a contentious one, drawing some harsh conclusions about the way a child must come to terms with their parents’ failings. Those interested in games that stretch the boundaries of interactive narrative will appreciate this startling and emotionally nuanced examination of a complex topic.

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Hands On With Papo & Yo

Josh Straub — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 19:25:00 GMT

The soon-to-release Papo & Yo, from Minority Studios, was one of the most distinctive games shown at this year’s E3. Its unique art style is what caught most people’s attention. But after going hands-on with it, it’s clear that this game is much, much more.

When the game releases on August 14, no doubt it will look to some players like nothing more than a simple puzzle platformer. That’s an unfair assessment. In Papo & Yo, the player is Quico, a young boy who, along with his friend, Monster, solves puzzles in a surrealistic South American shanty town. Monster is an aptly-named, hulking pink beast with razor-sharp teeth. Throughout the game, players will have to learn to work with Monster (and other characters the player will run into) in order to complete puzzles.

The gameplay in this title is incredibly smooth, and the title is paced in such a way that the player is always pushed to keep exploring around the next corner or past the next puzzle. When a button is too large for the player to push, it’s time to lure Monster over to it with a coconut and make him stand on it. If a wall is too high to get over, Quico simply feeds Monster coconuts until he falls asleep so he can use Monster’s height and trampoline-like stomach to jump over the wall.

In addition to Monster, there is also the robot Lula, who functions as a jetpack (while she rides around on Quico’s back), and as a guided projectile to hit certain buttons and levers. In addition to these two characters, Quico himself also has a great degree of control, since the world of Papo & Yo takes place in his imagination. He can move buildings that are in the way either by picking up cardboard-box versions of them and moving them around, or by making them sprout legs and move.

Because it takes place in a child’s imagination, Papo & Yo’s presentation is distinctive. It uses lighting and color to reflect the mood of the game, and construction plays a big role as the player progresses. Buildings are stacked helter-skelter, and with the turn of a key, walls can open up to reveal passages made purely out of Quico’s daydreams. Overall, the visuals in this game are incredibly engaging and impress upon players the power of a child’s imagination.

There are many unique elements in Papo & Yo that contribute to a thoroughly enjoyable experience. But the thing that makes the most impact is the story and underlying metaphor. Vander Caballero, creative director at Minority, designed Papo & Yo as an allegory for his own life dealing with his alcoholic father. The way this plays out is that when Monster ingests a poisonous frog, he turns from Quico’s docile friend to a flaming, rage-monster intent on killing the boy. The player’s main goal is to find a cure for Monster’s addiction to these frogs. Quico needs to use all his wits and gain a deeper understanding of what drives Monster and who Monster is, if he hopes to accomplish his goal.

After reaching the end of the previewed portion of the game, the player is left with more questions than answers. Will Monster ever get over his addiction? What will happen to Quico in the process? Most importantly, the player is left with a deep-seated desire to see the adventure to its end. Papo & Yo releases on August 14 for download on the PlayStation Network for $14.99, and $11.99 for PlayStation Plus members.

Escaping Into An Imaginary World

Jeff Marchiafava — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 23:24:00 GMT

Sony revealed Papo & Yo a week before E3, and we were instantly intrigued by the creativity on display. This week we got a chance to play a demo for the creative puzzle/platformer, and our time with the game didn't disappoint.

If you didn't read our announcement preview, Papo & Yo tells the tale of a boy named Quico, who lives in a South American favela with his friend, Monster. Quico and his gigantic pal normally get along, but whenever Monster eats a poisonous frog, he loses control and becomes a danger to the small boy. The story is an allegory for Creative Director Vander Caballero's childhood experience of growing up with an alcoholic father, and is beautifully conveyed without resorting to any heavy-handed narration.

The E3 demo takes place inside the favela, where Quico must turn a series of magical gears in order to stack the floors of a tower. The tower can then be bent around the environment like a giant snake, allowing Quico to run up the side of it to access new areas of the level. The player must also periodically guide Monster, who towers over Quico. Luckily, Monster has a sweet tooth, and will follow Quico around whenever he picks up a piece of fruit from the environment.

I was impressed by the sense of awe created by both guiding Monster and the shifting tower in the level. Not surprisingly, Vander cited Ico and Shadow of the Colossus as inspirations. He says he wants to create a triple-A gaming experience as a downloadable title, with five percent of the budget of a retail game. To accomplish this means capturing those larger than life moments that only video games are capable of, and the demo succeeded nicely.

Vander is no stranger to game making, having worked on series like Army of Two, FIFA, and Need for Speed. But growing older has motivated him to create new experiences. He told me that he can't bring himself to just make another shooter, and that he's disappointed video game haven't aged as he has; He feels like we're still playing the same games we were ten years ago.

If I learned anything from my 30-minute demo of the game, it's that Papo & Yo is far from the same old game experience players are accustomed to. We'll bring you more on Papo & Yo as we approach is currently undisclosed release date. In the meantime, you can see a bit of the game in action in the E3 trailer.

See The Changing World Of Papo & Yo In New Trailer

Jeff Marchiafava — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 23:00:00 GMT

This new trailer Papo & Yo shows just how much influence the player has on the game's vibrant and surreal world.

Papo & Yo is an upcoming downloadable title for the PlayStation 3. You play as a young boy named Quico, who must help save a monster before it destroys the boy's home. You can learn more about the story and its influences in Matt Miller's previous preview, but the new trailer shows a variety of puzzle elements and creative twists to get players excited.

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We still don't know a lot about Papo & Yo, but we'll find out more at E3, so be sure to come back next week.

[Source: PlayStation.Blog]

Papo & Yo Announced For PSN

Matt Miller — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 18:06:00 GMT

Looking for the next indie darling? Good money is on Papo & Yo to get some big attention at E3 next week.

An intriguing new game was announced late this week by Minority, a new studio based in Montreal. The game revolves around a young boy named Quico, his robot Lula, and a giant, rhino-headed monster named, well, Monster. Monster is addicted to poisonous frogs, and when he eats them, he turns from Quico's best friend into a deadly enemy.

Papo & Yo is set in a favela of South America, where Quico must try to find a cure for Monster before he destroys everything around him -- including Quico.

Creative director Vander Caballero had some fascinating insight to share regarding the game's creation in a post to the PlayStation Blog.

"Well, the tale told in Papo & Yo is about myself and my father, a good man but also an evil one," Caballero shares. "Like many, he used alcohol and drugs to cope with a challenging life, and I was caught in the middle of it. The emotional core of this game is ultimately a fable about my relationship with my father."

"I remember playing videogames in my difficult childhood days. I remember how the unpleasant world of adults loomed around me and made me feel vulnerable," Caballero continues. "But I did not feel like that when I was playing as Mario: I felt powerful and in control of a fantastic world. I loved defeating bosses that were larger than life to me, and today I thank you Miyamoto; now is my time to give back."

Pretty remarkable stuff to try and communicate through a video game. We'll be watching Papo & Yo closely in the coming months. In the meantime, check out the first trailer for the game below.

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