Bokura - A weird and wacky world with an intriguing story to play with a friend

Release Date: August 10 2023
Platforms: PC (Steam), Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android

More than just a puzzle game, Bokura is a wacky and amazing world, where you and a friend will explore together, and discover all the wonderful and disturbing imagery that it contains. This is strictly a title that is played with two players via co-op. You also need a way to communicate with each other.

There is no good way to describe what Bokura is. From a basic point of view it is a co-op platformer, however that would be doing it a fair bit of injustice.

The story starts you off as a character that is reminiscing about his past and about his friend. You then see two boys who are playing a brand of pokemon. They meet in the park and are trying to reach the statue at the top of the nearby mountains that are surrounded by forests. The game does have quite a lengthy but helpful introduction/tutorial to help you understand the mechanics of the game.

After this tutorial you then happen upon a scene where things start to get strange and interesting. Depending on the character you selected at the start of the game, you will either see creatures in a lush green forest or a dark and desolute world with robots. This is where you realise that both you and your friend are now seeing different things on screen. That is as much as I will say about the story as it is very much a story driven game and you should experience this for yourself.

Bokura has a clever use of different stages, while making you interact with different artifacts throuhgout the world to pass the stages. You will have to convey the neccessary information about your surroundings to your friend to either help him to go up a ledge or to help you move to a different section.

Throughout the game you will also be faced with a few different scenes where you and your friend must decide on which course of action to take. Depoending on your choices the ending scenes will change, so it gives the game a bit of replayability. Once you complete the game, the second time you play, you will be automatically given the character that you didn't play as the first time around. It took us just over 5hrs to complete it the first time around and about 3hrs the second time around.

I highly recommend you to play Bokura, just make sure you have a friend and you guys have a good means of communication.

I rate Bokura a 3.5/5 Stars.


Mellis:

Bokura is a cooperative puzzle-solving platformer designed specifically for two players. Before diving into the details, it's important to note that this game is solely focused on co-op play; each player must have their own copy of the game. Without a partner, you won't get past the start menu. Now that we've cleared that up, let's get into the review.

As mentioned, Bokura is a co-op puzzle platformer where each player sees different details of the stage and must verbally share what they see to solve puzzles and progress. The game's length is not overly long, and it can be completed in a single sitting (for me, it took about four hours). The controls are basic and easy to grasp, requiring no high skill level. Despite its simplicity, the game's design ensures that each stage feels fresh and engaging, avoiding repetitive gameplay by presenting new challenges as you advance.

The game does features an enigmatic story, but it's not heavily emphasized, allowing players who prioritize gameplay over narrative to enjoy it without distraction. As someone who values gameplay over story, this aspect didn't bother me.

As a game released in 2023, I'd rate Bokura 3.5/5 stars. However, I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a fun and engaging game to play with a friend over a short period.