Pode Review

Pode is available now on Nintendo Switch. It brings a cooperative experience in the form of a gorgeous puzzle game and it tries to blend old and new with the hopes of making the next great indie game.

Pode right off the bat is a beautiful game. The textures are vivid and detailed and the characters really pop on screen with excellent colour saturation in a style that oozes originality. This game looks special and is honestly up there with the major AAA releases on the Switch. It is so nice in fact, that I often stopped playing just to admire the scenery painted before me. It oozes quality in the visual department, which surprised me.

Pode is a co-op adventure at heart but can indeed be played solo. It is a simple mix of puzzle platforming that in essence should be well suited to Nintendo’s platform. Each character is distinctively different. Playing as the fallen star allows you to drift while jumping, whereas playing as the boxy type character allows you to carry objects to certain places as well as jump higher than the star. If you are playing solo you can switch characters with the press of a button in order to solve the puzzles throughout. Luckily Pode is another game that harnesses the two Joy-Cons as separate controllers in co-op mode so you won’t need an extra set to play this game with your child or loved one.

The game has a cutesy story that I won’t spoil here too much and there are cut scenes throughout the game that offer some depth to the overall package. Sound wise the game is top notch too, each character sounds different, offering cute grunts and audio bytes to add character. It’s a game that starts you off thinking “aw how cute” before you even get into the meat of it.

That starts to wear off quick though, as you I learn how brutally difficult the game can get. This isn’t due to the game being intentionally difficult though, this is because Pode has some serious issues with controls and depth of field. With everything bursting at the seams Podes visuals can occasionally make the game frustrating to play. Before the latest game patch I played with my partner and we often found certain puzzles way to tough due to the iffy jumping controls. This is because at times it is hard to gauge the distance between the foreground and the background. Podes imprecise jump controls often had us landing beside or in front of the ledge we intended to hit up. Add that to the frustration of the jump button not always working when pressed, and you like me will get an extremely frustrated loved one who no longer wants to play.

This alone is the game’s downfall as everything else clicks. The characters are fun and cute, the environments are stunning and for the most part the puzzles are well thought out. You do feel like you are in a deep mystical world with some cute challenges to overcome. Using each other to clamber certain ledges and carry objects to their destination works well. Traversing through each location is interesting as there is always something a little different to see and using our powers to grow certain crystals or plants to bring a scene to life is simply wonderful.

There is definitely a foundation here that makes Pode a special game, you can tell that the developers really put their heart and soul into each and every piece of this family friendly game. The developers have patched the game already too which does well to tighten up the controls a little bit, but even so there are still a few minor problems that need ironing out. Jumping is more precise however and me and my partner have finally managed to finish the game.

Verdict

Overall Pode is an awesome title on the verge of perfection. It is outstandingly gorgeous and offers some really breathtaking moments told in gameplay and through well crafted cut scenes. It also fits well on Switch with its cute characters and an abundance of style. The game is of a quality reminiscent of a AAA release and is available at a fraction of the cost of its AAA brethren. The game does have a few issues but I am sure the developers will continue to patch the game up so that all of the kinks are ironed out. Pode is without a doubt a must buy for Switch owners and even with its flaws, a superb experience.