TAKEAWAYS
- Öoo is a smart, short and satisfying puzzle-platformer
- Bomb Caterpillar mechanics make for a unique means of traversal
- Music and visuals serve as the perfect complement
REVIEW
The unassuming but alluringly-titled Öoo is the latest game from NamaTakahashi, who previously released the excellent puzzle-platformer ElecHead. Those who enjoyed that zippy little adventure will find even more to love in Ooo, which follows a similar structure while introducing an entirely new style of traversal.
Öoo puts you in control of a Bomb Caterpillar, which is exactly what it sounds like. The cute little critter is made up of a big circular head and, in the beginning, a single segment that doubles as a detachable bomb. Stuck in labyrinthine hallways (that happen to be located inside a giant winged creature that recently swallowed you) with stationary yellow frogs gating off new sections, you’ll have to come up with creative ways to use your explosive boost to explore the world further.
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Like any good puzzle-platformer, these conundrums start off simple enough. You’ll learn to stand atop a bomb to launch yourself upward and reach high ledges, or stand beside a bomb so the blast launches you to the left or right depending on orientation. Things get complicated rather quickly, and another wrinkle is thrown into the mix when you eventually sprout a second bomb segment.
It’s amazing to see how the puzzles evolve with the addition of just one more bomb. After that key moment the world really opens up, and there are definitely some satisfying head-scratchers along the path to victory. Öoo becomes a game of chain reactions, challenging players with the irresistible task of figuring out how to work both bombs in tandem to get your head where it needs to go next.
A single highlight among many is the way Öoo teaches players and rewards lessons learned. You’ll pick up a new technique by necessity only to find a dead end right after. With the power of fast travel, though, you’ll use your ensuing eureka moment to zip back to an earlier section to implement the new technique to open up another area. The magic trick here is that you could have used that move all along; nothing was stopping you outside of the previous lack of contextual inspiration.
One of the recurring obstacles comes in the form of the aforementioned frogs. To get them to move aside you need to feed them a fly, so you’ll then have to acquire a fly nearby and figure out how to get it to the frog. You can’t go past any checkpoints while doing so, because those will slurp up the flies just as quickly as the frogs.
Öoo is one of those puzzlers that just makes you feel smart. The music is consistently catchy, the visuals are cute and minimal and the animations really sell the Bomb Caterpillar’s unique set of moves. At somewhere between two and three hours—three for me, which may speak to puzzles not being my specialty—it’s the perfect length for what it is, too.
Developers Tsuyomi, NamaTakahashi and tiny cactus studio really nailed a game that absolute deserves the “Metroidbrainia” distinction. Öoo is currently available on Steam for 10 bucks, but if you don’t have it already I wholeheartedly recommend bundling it with ElecHead for just five more.
Platforms: PC (Steam)
Publisher: NamaTakahashi
Developer: NamaTakahashi, tiny cactus studio, Tsuyomi
Available: Now
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