Game Reviews

Gopogo - Maybe pogo and play something else

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Gopogo - Maybe pogo and play something else
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| Gopogo
Oh wow, is that a new Nitrome game?

It is. But unfortunately it's the first slight misstep from the dev. It's got the same kooky art style and the usual interesting twist on touchscreen platforming, but things just don't gel together in the right way here.

Uh oh. I was wondering why you were crying

Yeah. Gopogo doesn't get the balance of accessibility and challenge right, its free to play mechanics aren't as smart as we've come to expect from Nitrome, and the core compulsion loop doesn't tangle you up quickly enough.

Okay, so what do you do?

You're controlling a character on a pogo stick. You automatically bounce up and down, and you can angle your landing by moving a finger left and right along the bottom of the screen. You need to bounce from platform to platform to complete the short levels.

But it's hard?

Super hard. You can land on a platform, angle your next jump, and if your pogo stick ends up too close to the edge you'll fall off. There are some standard platforming obstacles here, like crumbling ledges and jets of steam, but they become frustratingly difficult because of the controls. And then there's the free to play.

Not good I take it?

Not great. You get three lives, and when you run out you can watch a video or spend some of the coins you've collected to keep going. There's an endless mode as well, and you can earn extra lives by playing there.

It doesn't sound too bad

No, but those three lives can last a matter of seconds, and it means you don't get a chance to really get to grips with a level. And while the levels are small, there's a timing you need to hit just right for every jump. Miss it and you lose a life.

That does sound pretty tough

It's not the end of the world, and the game does have some really great ideas. It's just a shame that they get lost under the frustration that stems from dying all of the ruddy time.

Is this the first Nitrome game that isn't getting recommended?

Well, it's still better than a lot of the sludge on the App Store, and if you've played all of the other Nitrome games, you'll probably get a little kick out of this one. But don't expect it to get its claws into you in the usual way.

Gopogo - Maybe pogo and play something else

It isn't up to Nitrome's usual high standards, and while Gopogo has its moments, they're tempered by frustration
Score
Harry Slater
Harry Slater
Harry used to be really good at Snake on the Nokia 5110. Apparently though, digital snake wrangling isn't a proper job, so now he writes words about games instead.