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Several years ago, I played a free game called An Untitled Story, where you play as an egg. It had unlockable content and secrets, mini-games, upgrades, and several bosses, some of which were hidden and completely optional. After seeing the trailer and other features of Wuppo (WP), I'd have sworn it was made by the same people. From what I've found peeking online, there is no connection between the two titles, but it sure feels like an uncanny coincidence.


Initially, this game reminded me of a Metroidvania, but I realized that since you aren't learning new moves or unlocking tools to advance, it's not really a fitting label. Instead, I'd consider it an adventure game that occasionally requires specific conditions in order to advance, which wouldn't be too far off from some of the cryptic or unclear sections of NES releases. “So, I need a ticket for the tram, but can't just buy one. How do I make one of my fellow guests relinquish theirs?” I'm willing to admit this tripped me up for quite a while, having to find a guide in order to get past this hurdle. There's more than one area where I felt like it wasn't always clear what you had to do in order to progress, even without trying to find all of the optional areas or bosses. Despite playing on the insane difficulty level, not knowing what to do was a greater barrier than the bosses I had managed to overcome.

https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3542964813
I've played several games, but this has one of the most unusual layouts for a controller I've encountered. It feels really awkward and unnatural. You will eventually adapt and get used to it, yet I have to wonder why they arranged it this way. Maybe this wouldn't seem so confounding if there weren't odd, unnecessary inputs like whistling included in the control scheme.


You play as a jerk who pushes the limits of a hotel's hospitality to the breaking point, and get kicked out for making an ice cream mess. It's a little silly perhaps, but I don't find the protagonist someone I really support or want to play as. Instead, I completely backed the poor employee who had to put up with this nonsense. Personally, this doesn't seem like the best inciting incident for an adventure. However, if you appreciate this particular writing style and sense of humor, something different from the status quo might make for a nice change.

https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3542964220
The art design looks hand-drawn, but in a way that comes off rather amateurish, like something I might have done. Most objects are irregular in their appearance, which makes everything look distorted. Outlines around characters and objects look jagged and uneven, almost as if everything was a trial sketch that got published by mistake instead of the refined, polished final edition. To an extent, it fits the silly nature of the writing and world-building. However, I think it could use a bit of buffing to smooth out the rough spots, and that'd make for a reasonable middle ground. Plus, this adds to the difficulty in identifying what things are, even from your own inventory. When in shops, if it weren't for the summary, I'd have no idea what I'm looking at in most cases.


Matching some of the impression I got from the visuals, the instrumentation used to produce the songs makes me curious where they were sourced from. Instead of sounding like proper instruments, or the sort of sound effects you'd find in chip tunes, I have no idea where these noises come from. Despite this uncertainty, some of the different songs that play as you go from one location to the next help develop the identity of those places, such as the busy city that never slows down. By contrast, certain areas where you transition from one area to the next are almost entirely silent, I suppose because those mostly empty spaces have nothing to connect with. Either way, whenever you get into combat, those noises will drown out everything else, as it's much louder than the music is.

https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3542965259
🌟 For the right audience, the world and dialogue can be humorous.
🌟 It has a unique style.


❌ It's really easy to get lost or be unable to figure out how you progress to the next section of the game. I ultimately abandoned WP near the end for that reason. Having already had to look-up other sections, I just got tired of not knowing what to do.
❌ Waiting is built into how the game works, as there's things you can't speed through. For instance, waiting for the tram to pick you up, or standing in line to get into Popo City.
❌ Getting around the map doesn't feel as easy as I'd expect from modern titles.


🔍 You're not capable of moving around the screen very quickly, in contrast to other Metroidvanias. Dodging attacks is more about composed, careful movements at the right time, as you have to learn and recognize patterns.
🔍 Try to grind money whenever possible. Even if you ignore all the visual accessories, there's plenty of helpful items to buy. The healing hat is a good example.


Having made decent progress in WP, but never having the desire to see things all the way through, I think the strongest impression it gives me is clumsiness. For instance, when you're moving from one location to another, you're able to explore different routes and paths, yet the way you traverse the terrain doesn't look or feel elegant. It's not uncommon to go upwards vie alternating left and right gaps that adequately serves as a way to get from one place to the next, but they're awkwardly designed, compared to conventional stairs. When paired with unclear goals for making progress, the need to kill time so you can go certain routes, stilted controls, and rough, jagged visuals, it makes for a gameplay experience that never quite hits the mark. At one point, when I first acquired this title, it had a nearly flawless score, but is currently hovering around 94%. That's still not bad, and perhaps it's a degree of silliness and charm keeping it from going any lower. You may want to check it out, but I don't recommend the game myself.

cute game

beautiful game, beautiful everything