Biped
I love playing games with my friends. My friends are great, they are fun to play with, and above all, they don’t mind that I am terrible at most games I play. Which is great, because the next game on my list was Biped, a co-op platforming adventure with some really mechanics, but most importantly, the ability to kick your friend off ledges.
Am I the problem human? No, it is the friend who is in the way who is the problem!
Biped is a co-op puzzle-platformer where you and a friend each control a cute robot. The two players must work together to co-ordinate their movements to solve colour puzzles, platforming puzzles, and a variety of other fun tasks. It’s a very cute game with nice environments and scenery and with controls that, once you figure them out, are somehow both intuitive and non-intuitive at the same time.
Also, sometimes you need to be rescued.
The controls are what will make the player either love or hate this game. They are as much a part of the puzzles as the puzzle designs themselves. Players move either by alternating right and left clicking, or by holding both mouse buttons and scooting in a particular direction. The idea of controlling each leg individually is a really unique and inventive one, and makes for some interesting puzzles, including the one included in the images above. This mechanic also does a really good job of ensuring the players co-operate on a deeper level than most co-op games I’ve played. There are some puzzles I’ve only solved because I started calling cadence to keep track of whose turn it was to move. It’s an interesting twist on the genre.
I have two legs, so I can do two things!
That said, controlling each of your robot’s legs involves an incredible amount of micromanagement, to the point that I suspect it can be a turn-off for a lot of players. Much of my frustration with the game does come from forgetting which mouse button controls which leg and launching myself in a way I didn’t intend. That’s frustrating in a solo game, but when both you and a friend have the same issue, it’s easy to get frustrated with each other.
In my playthrough with my friend, we’re patient enough with each other to work through it and to understand how to co-operate better. Not every pair will have the same experience, and I can see the game getting dropped because of that frustration. I found, however, that I enjoyed how the mechanics of Biped got me to work more closely with my buddy than I do in most games, and that made the whole experience much more fun.
If anything, it’s a great date night video game. The puzzles aren’t so challenging on their platformer merits that mechanics frustration gets amplified by them. The challenge of the game is in working together and co-ordinating. When surrounded by cute scenery, fun colours, and cute robot friends, it’s a really sweet game.
Developer: Next Studios
Genre: Puzzle, Platformer, Adventure
Year: 2020
Country: China
Language: English
Play Time: 4 Hours For The Story, More For The Challenge Levels