First, here's the launch trailer to give you a good idea of what the game is like, since screens don't quite do its storybook aesthetic justice:
Also, thanks to
francium87 for reminding me that Wuppo was the
#1 Steam hidden gem as determined by algorithm in 2017.
Wuppo is one of the most enjoyable gaming experiences I've had in a long time. [/B]I've only seen a few mentions of it on Era.
Epilexia was kind enough to recommend the game to me last October in the eShop thread (sadly the game is not available on Switch). I hope that changes sometime because if ever a game came to mind for me as befitting the "perfect for Switch" meme, this would be it with its Nintendo fan-friendly aesthetic and humor.
So let me say I love Paper Mario in all of its forms, including its recent polarizing iterations. To me the most funny and surprising Paper Mario game was Super Paper Mario. Wuppo embodies the spirit of a Nintendo game for me, and it especially feels like a spiritual successor to SPM. It's funny in the same way that game is funny. It's also surprisingly poignant in the same kind of way SPM was (#Bleck was right).
You play as a wum, a roundish little individual that sits around the wumhouse all day watching TV.
Your adventure starts when the siren call of a delectable ice cream cone brings you to the front desk of your apartment complex.
For a Metroidvania
-ish-thingie, or as I like to call it a
Cutetroidvania™, this game offers some very diverse locales to visit. What I love about Cutetroidvanias and Metroidvanias in general is the interesting places you get to go and the new game mechanics which allow you to visit them.
So, the interesting places you visit include:
-Popo City, an underground socialist city
-Wondersplenk, an amusement park
-The cradle of primitive civilization
-The ends of our very dimension
-And more!
As you go you'll meet all kinds of fascinating and hilarious characters. You know the part of Paper Mario Color Splash (that none of you heathens played) where you meet the Shy Guy with the existential crisis? A lot of the
NPCs in Wuppo are similarly unique, offbeat and endearing. The dialogue trees are endlessly captivating to read through. Another thing I really like about 2D adventure games is the NPCs you meet. I love reading through their various dialogue and seeing what happens if you say unusual things to them. The main character in Wuppo is hilariously expressive in his reactions which just adds to the joy of playing the game. You also have a partner character on hand commentating on the action at times, and to an enjoyable degree, without being overbearing.
Per Unseen64,
inspirations for the game include not only Paper Mario but also Rayman 2 and 3, Undertale, Mass Effect and Banjo-Tooie, especially in terms of interacting with the world and its inhabitants. I think all of these influences shine through in interesting ways.
Like SPM,
the focus isn't on action but on exploration, platforming and 2D adventure game logic. You traverse the world, learn new moves, figure your way around some open dungeon-y type areas, meet interesting characters, and partake in some combat here and there. There is some backtracking to be done, and the world feels open and connected in an organic and incredibly well thought out way.
When action does come to the fore, it's mainly in the form of boss battles. These are a 2D twin stick bullet hell style of boss battles. Let me just say the game offers a difficulty setting you can change at any time. I was tempted to switch to Easy on a couple occasions but resisted and managed to make it through the game on Normal. I am seriously terrible at bullet hell games, but the bosses are so fun and creative that I am glad I powered through and was able to beat all of the main and secret bosses on offer, including the one that only shows up during a certain time of year.
Another thing I enjoy is Sidequests.
The major sidequest in Wuppo is collecting filmstrips. (There are a whole bunch of others, too.) What's awesome about these filmstrips is that they're the main form of entertainment of the inhabitants of the world of Wuppo, so in collecting them you get to learn more about the game lore (
delicious, delectable LORE), you get to watch a hilariously crudely drawn filmstrip, and you see how the characters who man the little theaters react to what's shown on film. One of these characters for example refuses to watch a diary filmstrip with you, but at a different screening area the character will think reading someone's diary is about the funniest thing ever.
Also the game has some primitive cro-magnon characters that are basically talking flowers, and their dialogue and attempts at making filmstrips are legit LOL-worthy.
There is also
a vast array of mini games, from taking up a newspaper delivery job, to competing in tests of wum pinballing, to muddy volleyball deep in a sinkhole forgotten by civilization.
How long is this game?
HLTB estimates
8.5 hours main story, 14 completionist. I'm guessing we put in a good 20 hours to 99.5% the game, and that's with barely touching an optional side mode.