Wuppo: Definitive Edition

The best thing about Wuppo is that I have no idea how to classify it. It has its own weird way of doing everything, from item shops to fast travel to damage presentation. Its closest notable analogues are Cave Story and Undertale, being cutesy packages concealing cores of world-building and plot, but neither of those match its platformer/action-RPG/adventure gameplay. Both are also better games, because Wuppo doesn’t particularly excel at anything. Its quirky audio is probably its best aspect. The only-mildly-wonky controls would then take second place, followed by the tangent-filled narrative, because its nonsense is actually justified by its lore (no, seriously).

At the other end of the spectrum, the initially charming visuals become cruder and less informative over time, and the roundabout level design is exacerbated by transportation that adheres to a pointless in-game clock. The madcap combat is pitifully shallow but manages to put up a little challenge regardless, while the puzzles are as odd as everything else, which means they run the gamut of quality and difficulty. The writing lies right in the middle, since it has enough humour and personality to grab the player’s interest, but not enough to maintain it. Finally, the Definitive Edition’s biggest change is Mario Galaxy-style “helper” co-op, which is barely worth mentioning.