Okabu review

When Okabu's tribal world is corrupted by industrial pollution, it's down to "cloud whales" Kumulo and Nimbe to purify the place and bring back equilibrium. It's a simple plot for a simple game, one about going from A to B and either moving things, spraying things with water or... moving more things. On each of the two whales rides one of four little tribespeople, each of whom possesses a special power. One can charm incidental characters and get them to press switches and activate machinery, while another can harpoon items.

Your role is to toggle between the two whales with a tap of triangle to progress through the world; as such, co-op play is the central conceit, and with two couch-bound players the experience is far more engaging and rewarding than the lonely dragging and dropping of a singleplayer run-through.

The opening hour of the game proves laborious in isolation or with friends, though, as HandCircus takes hand-holding to the extreme, relentlessly signposting the levels' chores and hampering the opening few stages with drawn-out, reiterative tutorials. Once you've moved into the broader world, however, things start looking up. You're left to figure out most of the linear puzzles yourself, guided only occasionally by some garish arrows. The camera, suspended above your chosen whale, proves difficult to work around as the game takes in some high-walled fortresses, but overall, Okabu offers an accessible, child-friendly introduction to videogame puzzling.

Unfortunately, all of the game's ideas have been implemented before, and with more focus and verve. Crystal Dynamics' Lara Croft And The Guardian Of Light, for example, shows how co-operative puzzling can be immediate without the need for excessive sign-posting, marrying simplicity and strategy for a wide audience.

While HandCircus previously made fun for all ages on the iPhone with smart and snappy platformer Rolando, Okabu is a step in a different direction: it's too easy and basic for adults and likely too mellow for children drawn in by its bubbly aesthetic. It's a shame, because Okabu's is a quietly charismatic world, one destined to be overlooked thanks to its grind of an opener and failure to match its visual vigour with mechanics that haven't been used better elsewhere. [5]