Bokube Demo

The fact that indie developers do not have to deal with high expectations or a demanding fan base means that they are free to truly let their imagination run wild in every regard. Big studios come up with new ideas as well, but they rarely take big risks in terms of gameplay mechanics, which is why they often fall flat once they hit the market. Thankfully, the indie scene is larger today than it has ever been.

Bokube is an interesting mix of puzzle mechanics and platformer elements, in which your goal is to get to the end of every level or overcome certain challenges. The whole thing feels a lot like Sokoban, given the fact that many of the mechanics are the same, but there’s a lot more to it than that. Hence, you also need good reflexes and decent coordination to overcome some of the obstacles throughout the adventure.   In essence, your character can roll from one tile to the other in fixed increments, as well as perform a few other actions, such as jump (only if he is standing still), drag items around, or activate buttons and switches. Every level contains multiple enemies and traps that must be avoided using your character’s skills, but your reaction time is paramount as well in certain situations.

Another thing that makes it very easy to assess the situation is the camera, since you are free to adjust it whenever you want. Whether you want to pan, rotate or zoom in, you can easily get the best view of the level at any point, which is great in this case. There are some situations that would not have simple solutions if you were stuck with a static perspective, even if it’s a top-down experience.   The character controls are snappy and responsive as well, so you do not need to worry about dying because of input lag or anything of the sort. You still have to take into consideration the fact that your character is moving in increments, so there are times when you have to wait for the animation to end before you can move in a different direction. The colorful graphics help with the atmosphere as well, and the level design is not bad either.

When it’s all said and done, Bokube mashed a couple of interesting elements together here, and it seems like it’s on the right path, even if the demo is not very long. However, the developer needs your help to complete the project, and you can participate by contributing to the game’s Kickstarter project.