BOKURA
- August 9, 2023
- ところにょり
- 5h median play time
Get on Steam"Bokura" is a drama platformer game that can be played in both single-player and multi-player modes, with a strong emphasis on co-op. The game features an intriguing story and spectacular visuals, with ingenious music that adds to the dense atmosphere. However, it is very grinding, full of bugs, and requires effective communication as players see different things on their screens. The game encourages players to question their reality and work together to find solutions.
iPad
iPhone
Mac OS
Nintendo Switch
PC
Phone
Windows
Android
Mobile Platform
Tablet
Reviews
- The game features a unique co-op mechanic where each player sees a different world, requiring effective communication to solve puzzles.
- The story is emotionally engaging, with a bittersweet narrative that resonates with players and encourages reflection on relationships.
- The art style and soundtrack are charming, enhancing the overall experience and atmosphere of the game.
- The game can be buggy, with issues such as disconnections and glitches that may disrupt gameplay.
- Some puzzles can feel tedious, especially when one player has to wait for the other to complete a task, leading to frustration.
- The story leaves many questions unanswered, which may leave players feeling unsatisfied with the ending.
- story1,838 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The story of "Bokura" is described as highly compelling, featuring a blend of emotional depth and surreal elements that resonate with players. It revolves around two childhood friends navigating a mystical world, with themes of regret, friendship, and personal growth, often leaving players reflecting on their experiences. While many appreciate the narrative's emotional impact and unique storytelling mechanics, some find it confusing or feel that it lacks closure, suggesting a need for multiple playthroughs to fully grasp the story's nuances.
“The story captures your interest by beginning with the player describing their regrets about a past event.”
“Bokura is a great puzzle-platformer with hand-drawn art and an emotional story.”
“The story is equal parts heartwarming as it is truly disturbing.”
“However, what this game struggles with is its story: the game even starts off with a wall of text — the levels get interrupted with dialogue scenes that often seem to be going nowhere.”
“The story is messy, none of the choices end up really mattering much, and the game design is frustrating and buggy.”
“The story felt unresolved with lots of loose threads that went nowhere and just left us confused.”
- gameplay662 mentions
- 52 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this co-op puzzle platformer is praised for its innovative mechanics and the unique experience of each player seeing different elements of the game world, which fosters communication and collaboration. While the puzzles are engaging and gradually increase in difficulty, some players noted issues with clarity and occasional jankiness in mechanics. Overall, the game offers a fun and memorable experience, though some felt it could benefit from more cohesive storytelling and smoother gameplay execution.
“The platforming and puzzles start out quite easy but ramp up over time, introducing new mechanics and integrating the need to communicate with the other player.”
“Interesting mechanics of not seeing the same world or even the same things in those worlds as your co-op partner, making you have to communicate effectively.”
“The gameplay is fun and creative and makes you have to communicate creatively with your partner in the game.”
“The only negative thing I have to say is that the mechanical world is hard to read visually, lacking clarity between the various components about what is what and what is interactable.”
“Some mechanics feel forgotten (like holding up a bridge) and one part dragged on very long (especially for the play in the robot world).”
“Throughout our gameplay sessions (we played three times), the person I've played with and I encountered numerous instances where objects we were interacting with inexplicably vanished into thin air or not being pulled with us when brought to a ledge, forcing us to laboriously restart lengthy puzzles with the redo button or dying on purpose.”
- graphics416 mentions
- 59 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim for their charming and unique art style, with many players praising the cute pixel graphics and beautiful visuals that enhance the overall experience. However, some reviews noted a stark contrast between the aesthetics of the two characters, with one perspective featuring more grotesque elements, which may not appeal to all players. Overall, the visuals are described as engaging and integral to the storytelling, making the game a visually captivating experience.
“The visuals are beautiful and it's so much fun to play.”
“With an impressive soundtrack that sets the tone for each exhilarating moment and graphics that immerse players in stunning environments, this game captivates from the start.”
“The graphics are so adorable (and grotesque) and the story pulls at your heartstrings and makes you mourn what you never lost.”
“To be honest, it starts with cute graphics and puzzles that make you think, but then it shows some gore and awful graphics and makes you betray your friend. It's not something you will enjoy with your friend, but something that you will either quit in the middle, as I have done, or just reject that you played long enough.”
“This game has crude (and I do mean crude, even for pixel art) graphics.”
“Some gory/grotesque graphics you can see from the trailer of the game are pretty much going to appear once in a while throughout the game, so if you don't want to see such things at all, this game is not for you.”
- emotional326 mentions
- 99 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of "Bokura" is widely praised, with players highlighting its deeply touching narrative that evokes a range of feelings, from joy to heartbreak. Many reviewers noted that the game not only features a heartwarming story about life and friendship but also includes unexpected dark themes that resonate on a personal level, often leading to tears. Overall, it is described as a unique co-op experience that effectively combines challenging puzzles with a rich emotional journey, making it a memorable and impactful game.
“I cried while playing and really made me reflect on many relationships growing up.”
“This game is such an emotional ride that was genuinely so worth it.”
“Not only did this game provide an amazing co-op puzzle experience that meets or even exceeds what Portal 2 provided, but it was also extremely emotional, becoming one of the few games that have managed to get tears out of me.”
“The game has a cute aesthetic, but the story is so boring that it became a chore to complete.”
“The game has a cute aesthetic, but the story is so boring that it became a chore to complete.”
- music272 mentions
- 68 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread praise for its beautiful, whimsical quality that complements the visuals and enhances the overall experience. Many players noted its relaxing and charming nature, although some mentioned that it can become repetitive over time. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's emotional depth and atmosphere.
“The music is well done and whimsical, and I would constantly ask my partner what they were seeing.”
“With an impressive soundtrack that sets the tone for each exhilarating moment and graphics that immerse players in stunning environments, this game captivates from the start.”
“The music and graphics are beautiful in their simplicity, contrasting the subtleties of the storytelling, and the game overall is a delight to play.”
“Music: 5/10; unfortunately, it gets bland and repetitive quickly.”
“I felt bad for my friend when I realized that they had to listen to the ear-grating animal side music for 5 hours.”
“The story is boring, the characters are boring, the music is boring, and the world is boring.”
- stability78 mentions
- 3 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 97 % negative mentions
The game has been widely criticized for its instability, with numerous players reporting various glitches and bugs that can disrupt gameplay, including level-breaking issues and server-related problems. While some minor glitches are considered manageable, others have been described as game-breaking, particularly during cutscenes. Overall, the consensus is that the game is too buggy for a smooth experience, leading many to recommend waiting for fixes before playing.
“In my opinion, it's not that buggy (even though I have only played for 3 hours). I will update if I encounter more bugs.”
“The game is unplayably buggy and unstable if your connection isn't perfect at all times.”
“Buggy as hell, we experienced level-breaking glitches with objects every few levels, and at one point when we tried to fix the bug, the game shunted us back about 5 levels.”
“Glitch note: there's a strange but rare game-breaking bug where the game freezes up during a cutscene and turns brown.”
- humor72 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised, with players highlighting its ability to create funny moments through cooperative gameplay and character interactions. Many reviews mention laughter stemming from mishaps, misunderstandings, and the emotional rollercoaster of the story, making it a delightful experience for friends playing together. Overall, the game's clever dialogue and innovative puzzle mechanics contribute to a charming and humorous atmosphere that resonates well with players.
“Using different perspectives to be able to interact with puzzle mechanics is very cool and caused a lot of laughing and accidentally jumping into water.”
“At multiple points, I felt myself almost tearing up, and at many points, we found ourselves laughing and enjoying what I'd consider one of the most fun communication-based puzzlers we've had the pleasure of encountering.”
“Having to communicate with the other player can lead to some rather hilarious mishaps when you don't do so properly, but it's so rewarding walking each other through puzzles to learn the story.”
- replayability64 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 41 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with some players praising its ability to offer different perspectives and character experiences, enhancing the overall enjoyment. While many appreciate the unique co-op mechanics and story twists that encourage multiple playthroughs, others note that the replay value diminishes after a few runs due to limited content and repetitive puzzles. Overall, it is seen as a fun experience with decent replay potential, especially when played with friends or partners.
“Amazing story and easily replayable game.”
“The replayability is tenfold with the unique character experiences that each of the deuteragonists have with the reality of the game world on their individual screen, that I wanted to immediately replay as blue after completing a playthrough as green, to see how the gameplay experience differed with the inherent knowledge of knowing what to expect.”
“Excellent game with a unique twist on co-op, highly recommend it for couples or close friends as it provides a challenge, interesting story, and replayability.”
“Replayability: 3/10; of course, as stated earlier, you have not finished the game until a third completion.”
“However, there is no replayability past the third run; even then the third run is not really a playthrough, you walk ~2 minutes uninterrupted.”
“The story ends with a lot of cliffhangers that forces you to replay the story with different decisions that kinda sucks as the game doesn't seem to have much replayable content...”
- grinding28 mentions
- 11 % positive mentions
- 11 % neutral mentions
- 79 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is frequently criticized for its tedious and repetitive puzzles, which often require players to redo simple tasks after failures, leading to frustration. While some players find satisfaction in completing these challenges, the overall sentiment leans towards the gameplay being more boring than engaging, particularly in later sections. Additionally, technical issues like poor frame rates and lack of key remapping further exacerbate the grinding experience.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“The puzzles are very simple and often more tedious than difficult.”
“No support for key remapping, awful 30fps frame rate, puzzles that are simply tedious to start over with and some terrible game physics/movement to top it all off.”
“The last mechanic has a whole 20 minute section dedicated to player 2 doing virtually nothing and player 1 tediously guiding them through blind parkour, which wasn't challenging but tedious.”
- atmosphere26 mentions
- 92 % positive mentions
- 8 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive and heartwarming qualities, enhanced by charming pixel graphics and a fantastic soundtrack. Players appreciate the cozy environment that fosters deep emotional engagement, making it an ideal choice for a brief, enjoyable experience with friends. Overall, the combination of clever puzzles and a lovingly crafted aesthetic contributes to a captivating and positive atmosphere.
“This small puzzle-adventure had an insane atmosphere for a game with pixel graphics, and it's playable in a few hours.”
“I cannot put into words my enjoyment of the wholesome atmosphere that helps work a player through some deep emotions and thoughts.”
“The atmosphere and art style are incredible, and the puzzle gimmick is awesome.”
- optimization10 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is considered average, with some users reporting minor performance issues and bugs that do not significantly detract from the experience. On high-performance PCs, the game runs smoothly and features impressive graphics, particularly for a pixelated platformer.
“Runs smoothly and the graphics are amazing.”
“Performance is good; it's a pixelated platformer.”
“Performance or gameplay meets the passing mark but remains average.”
“A few performance issues and a couple of bugs encountered, but nothing that broke the game or took away from the experience.”
- monetization4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game heavily relies on microtransactions, with multiple reviews highlighting the prevalence of in-game purchases.
- character development2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The character development in the game is praised for its appealing and cute design, which resonates well with players.
