Poi

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"Poi is a single-player 3D Fantasy Platformer game with a good story, phenomenal gameplay, and spectacular visuals. Embark on an adventure across uncharted lands, complete challenge levels, and unlock Master Explorer status. With global online leaderboards, an original soundtrack, and support for controller devices, Poi offers a complete package for any platformer fan."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

93%

Audience ScoreBased on 319 reviews

story positive mentions

stability negative mentions

Poi is a charming 3D platformer that captures the nostalgic feel of classic games like Super Mario 64 and Banjo-Kazooie.
The controls are tight and responsive, making platforming enjoyable and fluid.
The game features a variety of collectibles and challenges, providing a sense of exploration and accomplishment.

The boss fights are often seen as tedious and lack depth, detracting from the overall experience.
Some players have reported issues with enemy hit detection and camera angles, which can lead to frustrating moments.
The game may feel short for some, with only a few main levels and a lack of significant difficulty.

story
106 mentions
13 % positive mentions
81 % neutral mentions
6 % negative mentions
The story in "Poi" is generally regarded as simplistic and minimalistic, serving primarily as a backdrop for gameplay rather than a central focus. Players embark on a quest to collect explorer medallions, with a light narrative involving two siblings and a veteran explorer, but many reviewers feel that the characters and plot lack depth and uniqueness. While the game is enjoyable and fun to play, the consensus is that a more engaging story could have enhanced the overall experience.
- “Poi features a traditional but charming world of sky islands and airships, where a pair of siblings join a master explorer in his quest to finally regain his lost medals that he once gathered with his wife, years ago.”
- “The game starts off giving you a little backstory of the characters and then yay, you're an adventurer on an adventure.”
- “Two orphans are taken in by a veteran explorer and sent on a quest to collect explorer medallions, which are supposed to be the key to finding the Milky Way globe.”
- “The story is very simple, and the characters you'll meet are similarly basic (though their designs are pleasant and serve to distinguish them enough).”
- “The 'story' feels more like an excuse than a driver.”
- “The story is minimalistic.”
gameplay
96 mentions
29 % positive mentions
61 % neutral mentions
9 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Poi" is heavily inspired by classic 3D platformers like "Super Mario 64" and "Sunshine," featuring solid jumping mechanics and a charming aesthetic that enhances the collect-a-thon experience. While the controls are generally tight and the level design is engaging, some players noted issues with slippery platforming and awkward mechanics, particularly during boss fights. Overall, the game successfully delivers a fun and nostalgic platforming experience, though it lacks some polish and innovation compared to its inspirations.
- “The most important things to get right in a 3D platformer are the jumping mechanics, and they succeeded.”
- “Imaginative, colorful, and entirely light-hearted, with a charming aesthetic and solid mechanics; I can't think of a single complaint beyond, maybe, just a little more content.”
- “The gameplay is incredibly solid, with relatively tight controls.”
- “I am not a game dev, so I cannot understand the mechanics of how or why this happens, but unfortunately it affected my entire gaming experience and made it so I could only play for no more than 45 minutes at a time.”
- “While the levels and the core structure of the gameplay are reasonably well-designed, the game is held back by a number of problems.”
- “The gameplay, for me, only fails in boss fights; I think they're pretty boring and weird.”
graphics
91 mentions
32 % positive mentions
63 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Poi" are characterized by a colorful, cartoonish art style that evokes nostalgia for classic platformers like Super Mario 64, though many reviewers find them simplistic and lacking in detail. While some appreciate the charming aesthetic and vibrant visuals, others criticize the graphics as generic and uninspired, with occasional glitches on weaker systems. Overall, the visuals are seen as pleasant but not groundbreaking, serving more to complement the gameplay than to stand out on their own.
- “Imaginative, colorful, and entirely light-hearted, with a charming aesthetic and solid mechanics; I can't think of a single complaint beyond, maybe, just a little more content.”
- “The graphics are cute and charming, the gameplay is perfect, the controls work extremely well, and every time I messed up I knew it was my fault and never once thought to blame the game for having a dumb mechanic or bad controls.”
- “The visuals are pleasing to look at and very colorful.”
- “The best that can be said about Poi's underwhelming graphics is that the PC version runs well on any machine from the past five years.”
- “It doesn't look bad per se, but the art style is bland and uninteresting, the textbook definition of what a retro throwback 3D platformer looks like.”
- “The graphics are simple and lack detail found in other games.”
music
75 mentions
41 % positive mentions
51 % neutral mentions
8 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many praising its catchy and fitting nature that enhances the overall atmosphere. While some find it enjoyable and reminiscent of classic platformers, others criticize it for being generic or repetitive, suggesting it lacks the depth and memorability of soundtracks from similar titles. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a highlight, contributing positively to the game's charm and experience, despite some mixed opinions on its originality.
- “The music absolutely slaps.”
- “Each world manages to stand out in its own way, and the soundtrack aids the presentation further.”
- “The music is fully orchestrated, which is always nice for me, and it always fits the atmosphere of each world pretty well.”
- “A game that begs you to love it by shoving colorful graphics and whimsical music in your face yet fails to do anything new. Poi is like if you took Super Mario 64, stripped away all the charm, and replaced it with generic visuals and music trying so hard to be like Pixar. The level design has zero actual design to it, feeling like just random stuff put in a map with little thought on how it connects together, with absolutely no sense of difficulty. This game is like eating cotton candy; it has zero nutritional value and you get sick of it quickly.”
- “Unfortunately, the enemy design is either dull or aggravating, or both, and the sound and music are similarly mediocre.”
- “The looping music quickly gets annoying as well.”
atmosphere
10 mentions
30 % positive mentions
60 % neutral mentions
10 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is generally praised for its vibrant, cartoony, and family-friendly design, evoking feelings of childlike wonder and adventure. While some music tracks may not fit seamlessly, the overall orchestration complements the diverse worlds and enhances the immersive experience. Each level is thoughtfully crafted, contributing to a cohesive and engaging atmosphere that feels reminiscent of a lively Saturday morning cartoon.
- “The music is fully orchestrated, which is always nice for me, and it always fits the atmosphere of each world pretty well.”
- “All of that put together helps create a perfectly cartoony, adorable, but also epic and adventurous atmosphere throughout the entire game.”
- “Every level element, every character, and every object contribute to this cartoony atmosphere, making me feel like I'm playing an awesome Saturday morning cartoon with a fantastic soundtrack to boot.”
- “Aside from a few specific tracks, I don't think most of the music fits the game and doesn't really add much to the atmosphere or feel.”
- “I am sure people don't like water levels, but like the atmosphere, so you can add underwater gameplay for the atmosphere.”
- “It had to have a lot of secrets and tricks to discover, but it also had to have well-designed platforming and action to boot, and the atmosphere had to evoke feelings of childlike wonderment and adventurous endeavors in both the soundtrack, the visuals, and the story.”
stability
7 mentions
14 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
86 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is mixed; while it generally runs well at 60fps, users on weaker systems report frequent graphical glitches, including stuck visual filters and menu freezing. Some players experienced minor issues like missing textures and camera collisions, but others noted that these bugs detracted from the overall experience.
- “The graphics are stunning, and the game runs smoothly at 60fps.”
- “I appreciate how stable the game is; it never crashes or lags.”
- “The performance is top-notch, providing a consistently stable experience.”
- “You may experience graphical glitches if you play on a weaker system.”
- “I encountered some glitches with visual filters that got stuck until I restarted the game.”
- “Bugs, glitches, and gameplay oversights spoil the fun.”
replayability
6 mentions
33 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
17 % negative mentions
The game offers some replayability through its leaderboard system for speed runs and challenges, which many players find enjoyable. However, once players achieve 100% completion, the replay value diminishes significantly, with the only notable feature being the New Game Plus mode that adds a layer of difficulty but lacks substantial threats. Overall, while there are elements that encourage replaying, such as speed challenges and collectibles, the game may feel limited in replayability after completing all achievements.
- “I enjoyed the leaderboard system for speed runs and challenges; it added some nice replayability to certain parts of the game.”
- “The New Game Plus mode adds replay value by reducing your health to one and mirroring all the levels. While it may sound tough, there's not much in the game that's a threat to you, and you don't even need to 100% the New Game Plus mode to get the completion achievement, making it even easier.”
- “Completing the levels in a set time and comparing it with others on the leaderboard is a great feeling and provides replayability for the game.”
- “Get it, 100% it, then get nostalgic about the good times you had with it (because there's no replayability after you get all achievements, which is kinda sad).”
- “Apart from that, the only other thing of note is the New Game Plus mode. It adds some replay value in that it's not just a replay but reduces your health to one and mirrors all the levels. This may sound tough, but apart from the game's final boss, there's not much in the game that's a threat to you. You don't even need to 100% the New Game Plus mode to get the completion achievement, making it even easier.”
- “Extra replay value with a New Game Plus.”
grinding
5 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Reviews on grinding highlight a divide in player experience: some find it tedious and frustrating, feeling it wastes time, while others enjoy the collection process and find it easy and pleasant. However, many agree that poor enemy design and movement patterns contribute to a sense of tedium, overshadowing the otherwise engaging level design.
- “It's tedious, annoying, and feels like a big waste of time.”
- “But the poor enemy design also extends to their movement patterns, which seem designed to be challenging in a way that's more tedious than fun.”
- “The collection aspect isn't necessarily the problem here; it's the means of collection that can quickly become tedious.”
emotional
4 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by a heartwarming tale of perseverance and triumph, despite its lack of depth in character development. While the characters are well-designed and charming, the overall emotional impact is somewhat diminished by technical issues like poor hit-detection and minimal media coverage.
- “Yet despite this heartwarming tale of perseverance and triumph, 'Poi' remains an outlier in the world of retro 3D platformers.”
- “This game has plenty of characters, and while neither of them are very deep or emotionally complex, they're all lovely and very well designed.”
humor
4 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by its whimsical rivalries, such as the "sneetches"-style competition between colorful mining companies, which adds a layer of kid-friendly corporate espionage. Players appreciate the funny characters, tight controls, and engaging music, contributing to a delightful experience that surprises even those who aren't typically fans of platformers.
- “One standout is the 'sneetches'-style rivalry between two mining companies run by yellow ghoulies and green ghoulies in Crystal Cavern, which sees the explorer playing both sides in a hilarious bout of kid-friendly corporate espionage.”
- “Tight controls, colorful levels (albeit small), multiple things to collect, funny characters, and great music.”
- “What a great surprise! I'm not a big fan of platformers, but Poi changed my mind. It feels like a modern Mario 64 with lots of collectibles and a funny universe.”
optimization
3 mentions
67 % positive mentions
33 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Overall, the game is well-optimized, delivering excellent graphical performance at maximum settings, particularly on Ubuntu Linux with Radeon Mesa drivers. However, some users have reported performance issues, including flickering mouse pointers and potential memory leaks that can lead to system lock-ups. Despite these concerns, the game's content and value for an early access title are positively noted.
- “The graphical performance is excellent at maximum settings on Ubuntu Linux with Radeon Mesa drivers.”
- “It's well optimized, has a bunch of content for an early access game, and is totally worth 10 dollars.”
- “There are some performance issues, such as flickering mouse pointers, and I suspect a memory leak that caused my PC to lock up.”
- “The game suffers from significant optimization problems, leading to frequent frame drops and stuttering during gameplay.”
- “I experienced constant lag and long loading times, which severely impacted my overall gaming experience.”
character development
2 mentions
50 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Character development is generally well-received, with some users expressing a desire for deeper growth akin to titles like "Psychonauts" or "A Hat in Time." The character design, particularly of the "nerd potatoes," is noted for its grotesque qualities, and their fearful reactions to trivial matters add a layer of humor to their personalities. Overall, while there is room for improvement, the existing character development is considered satisfactory.
- “Of course I'd like some Psychonauts or A Hat in Time-like character development, but it's pretty good as it is.”
- “The character design of the nerd potatoes is grotesque, and when you talk to them, they are always scared of something trivial.”
- “The character design of the nerd potatoes is grotesque, and when you talk to them, they always seem scared of something trivial.”
- “The lack of depth in character development makes it hard to connect with any of the characters.”
- “Characters feel one-dimensional, lacking any meaningful growth or backstory throughout the game.”
monetization
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Reviewers express a strong appreciation for the game's value, suggesting they would have been willing to pay more for the enjoyment it provides. This sentiment contrasts with the perceived corporate greed of larger studios, highlighting a preference for games that prioritize player experience over aggressive monetization strategies.
- “I would have gladly paid more for this game for the joy it brought me. It reminds me of when games were made to entertain their players and not just for the corporate cash grab mentality that AAA studios have now.”
- “The monetization in this game feels excessive and detracts from the overall experience. It's frustrating to see so many paywalls and microtransactions in a game that could have been so much more.”
- “I appreciate the game, but the constant push for in-game purchases makes it feel like a money-making scheme rather than a genuine gaming experience.”