The game places you in control of an unlikely duo: an old blind man and a strange pig like creature. Both characters are lost in this unfamiliar world and decide to travel together in order to survive. Of the two, the creature clearly takes the role of the main character, as it is responsible for almost every action.
The creature moves in a very unconventional way. It crawls along the ground like a worm while carrying the old man on its back. Jumping is performed by grabbing onto the man’s head and flapping its wings, with pressing the jump button twice allowing for a double jump. Defense is handled by inflating itself like a balloon, while attacks are carried out in a deliberately absurd fashion by grabbing the old man and swinging him around like a weapon. As a result, the old man feels less like an equal character and more like a tool or extension of the creature.
While this premise is certainly creative and visually amusing, problems begin to appear almost immediately. The first issue is the lack of proper gamepad support, which is a major flaw for a platform focused game. There is partial support, as you can move and jump, but attacking and defending does not work. This forces you to rely on the keyboard, using fixed buttons that cannot be customized. Attack is bound to Z, defend to C, and jump to space. For players using a European keyboard layout, where Y replaces Z, this results in an awkward and uncomfortable control scheme.
The second and more serious problem lies in the gameplay itself. The game begins without any clear direction or explanation of your goals. From the starting area, you can move either left or right, but regardless of the choice you make, progression remains almost entirely linear. Occasionally you will find a side path, but these usually lead only to a bubble that restores a single lost heart or to a collectible item. There is very little incentive to explore, as these detours rarely feel rewarding.
Difficulty is another major concern. The game is extremely punishing, to the point where it almost seems to be aiming for a souls like experience. Nearly every enemy can kill you quickly if you make a mistake, and combat leaves very little room for error. To make matters worse, enemies respawn after a short period of time. This is a baffling design choice, as enemies do not drop items, grant experience, or provide any meaningful reward. Their presence serves only to slow you down and increase frustration.
This issue becomes especially irritating with flying enemies that can pass through terrain. These enemies often respawn while you are still navigating a room or fighting something else, allowing them to attack you from unexpected angles. Death is frequent, and when it happens you are sent back to the starting point of the stage unless you have discovered a toilet, which functions as a save and respawn location. Since there is nothing of value to lose, death merely wastes your time, forcing you to repeat sections you have already cleared.
The combat system itself does little to help. Defense is only effective against projectiles, making it nearly useless in close combat. Many enemies attack too quickly or have such wide reach that there is no realistic opportunity to react. On top of that, hit detection is unreliable. Enemies are invincible during their attack animations, meaning you can land a hit without receiving any feedback that damage was dealt. Only a brief knockback or stun confirms that your attack was successful.
Despite these shortcomings, there is a simple strategy that allows you to deal with most enemies. By moving close enough to trigger an enemy’s attack, backing away to avoid damage, and then rushing in for one or two quick hits, you can exploit the brief recovery period between attacks. With some luck and repeated button presses, you can defeat enemies before they have a chance to strike again.
Fortunately, toilets are placed often enough that backtracking does not become unbearable. Each stage culminates in a boss fight, and defeating the boss unlocks the path to the next area. Interestingly, the defend mechanic becomes far more useful during these encounters. By repeatedly using it during boss attack animations, you can block nearly all incoming damage. Bosses also follow predictable patterns, resting between attacks and giving you opportunities to strike.
After defeating a boss, you can choose to explore the stage further in search of collectibles. However, this quickly becomes tedious. The game never tells you how many collectibles exist in a stage, though a separate menu with six doors suggests there may be one per area. Since you cannot return to previous stages, missing a collectible means it is lost permanently. Adding to this frustration are slow, unskippable conversations where text appears letter by letter, preventing you from advancing at your own pace.
Overall, the game makes a strange first impression that improves slightly once you adapt to its rules. Even so, there is little here to justify extended play. The experience feels largely generic, lacking standout ideas, and it would benefit greatly from a lower price.
