Info about Pogo3D: Official game description: It's as easy as riding a unicycle! ---------------------------------- Pogo3d is a technical platformer with a unique control scheme. Control your movement using only your mouse! Learn from your mistakes and grow! ---------------------------------- Frequent checkpoints save your progress after each obstacle. Get back into the action in less than a second. Beat your head against a brick wall! ------------------------------------ Experience the main story, as well as side content and even hidden areas. Features * 12 Story Chapters, each featuring unique visuals and novel gameplay * 3 Difficulties with different rules. pick the one that's right for your skill level * 60 standalone balloon-popping challenges. Try to beat the developer's best times * Custom challenge creation & sharing tools. Hide your own balloons in ridiculous places. Share with friends for maximum hilarity! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Release date: Dec 11, 2023 Categories: Precision Platformer, Mouse-Only Controls, Speedrunning, Challenging Gameplay, Exploration, Collectibles, Level Editor, Single-player - Hardware Profile: No data Feature extractions: - Community Price: No data - Playtime Metrics: - Game completion: 2.3h - Story completion: N/A - Session length: 1.0h - Endgame: N/A - Reasoning: Game completion is supported by two first-run reports: one at 90 minutes and one at 3 hours, so a midpoint estimate of 2.25 hours is reasonable. Session length is supported by repeated references to 30-minute checkpoint struggles and 20-40 minute stuck periods, suggesting typical play sessions around 1 hour when accounting for longer casual sessions. No reliable evidence exists for story completion or endgame playtime, so those are null. - Time-to-fun: - Summary: The game initially presents friction due to no tutorial or visible controls, but once players get past the learning curve, the satisfaction and speedrunning potential make it fun and addicting. - Stance: Clicks after - Anchor: Getting past the initial learning curve - Time to anchor: N/A - Friction: no tutorial; controls not shown in pause screen; initial learning curve - Unlock drivers: well implemented learning curve; mastery of controls; satisfaction from progress; speedrunning potential - Conditions: player must get past the initial learning phase; player must invest time to understand controls; player must experience the satisfaction of overcoming challenges - Player Archetypes: - Atmosphere Seeker (buy) - Motivation: Immersive atmosphere and narrative conveyed through set and sound design - Playstyle: Exploratory and observant, taking time to absorb environmental details and subtle storytelling - Experience: newcomer - Purchase stance: buy - Labels: N/A - Reference games: N/A - Speedrunning Perfectionist (buy) - Motivation: Mastery, speed optimization, and discovering new techniques - Playstyle: Repetitive practice, time trials, seeking shortcuts and glitches, perfecting movement - Experience: familiar - Purchase stance: buy - Labels: casual speedrunner - Reference games: N/A - Demo Convert (sale) - Motivation: Discovering a game that defies genre expectations and enjoying a surprisingly good demo - Playstyle: Cautious, trying the demo first, then recommending based on that experience - Experience: newcomer - Purchase stance: sale - Labels: N/A - Reference games: N/A Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category. Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews. What players like: - Game is fun and well-designed (weight 0.73): Players consistently describe the game as fun, well-designed, and rewarding, with many noting it is enjoyable both casually and for challenge seekers. This sentiment is the most common across all feedback. - Unique and satisfying movement (weight 0.69): The movement system is highlighted as unique, intuitive, and immensely satisfying once mastered, with players praising the pogo mechanics and momentum-based tricks. This is a core strength of the game. - Challenging yet rewarding platformer (weight 0.67): The game is described as a challenging precision platformer that is rewarding to overcome, with players noting the satisfaction of completing hard jumps and mastering obstacles. The difficulty is seen as fair and motivating. - Great for casual and skilled players (weight 0.53): The game is fun to play casually, but also offers depth for skilled players, with assist mode for less skilled players and challenge modes for experts. It caters to a wide audience. - High replayability and value (weight 0.47): Players note the game has insane replayability and tons of replay value, with many secrets, collectibles, and alternate routes to discover. The game offers long-term engagement. - Excellent for speedrunning (weight 0.44): Many players find the game ideal for speedrunning, citing high skill ceilings, fun speedrun potential, and the developer's challenge mode. The game's design encourages fast, skilled play. - Great level design and variety (weight 0.43): Levels are praised for being diverse, quirky, and interesting, with great maps and environments that keep gameplay fresh. The design encourages exploration and offers hidden secrets. - Secrets and collectibles add depth (weight 0.37): Hidden secrets, collectible coins, and challenge balloons provide extra goals and polish, appealing to completionists. These elements add love and depth to the game. - Generous checkpoints and fair difficulty (weight 0.33): The game features frequent checkpoints and no game overs, making it forgiving despite its challenge. Players appreciate the fair difficulty and clear objectives. - Atmospheric and immersive design (weight 0.29): The game's eerie atmosphere, lovely music, and soulful art style draw players in, creating an immersive experience. The set and sound design are praised for enhancing the mood. - Meditative and addictive gameplay (weight 0.28): Some players find the game meditative and addictive, easy to sink time into without noticing. The flow of movement and challenges provides a relaxing yet engaging experience. - Intuitive and responsive controls (weight 0.25): The controls are described as fantastic, intuitive, and simple, making the game easy to pick up. Players appreciate the precise and responsive feel that supports skillful play. - Satisfying mastery curve (weight 0.25): The game has a well-implemented learning curve, with a low skill floor and high skill ceiling, making it easy to learn but hard to master. Players find the gradual mastery of movement mechanics deeply satisfying. - Well-crafted and polished game (weight 0.19): Players describe the game as well-crafted, polished, and lovingly made, with a developer who cares about the community. The focus on gameplay over extras is appreciated. - Unique and creative concept (weight 0.19): The game is praised for its unique and creative concept, using a simple mechanic in many ways. It feels completely unique and stands out in the platformer genre. - Comparable to Dark Souls and CS (weight 0.17): Players compare the challenge and rewarding feeling to Dark Souls, and the fluid movement to KZ and surf in CS. These comparisons highlight the game's depth and skill-based nature. - Fun even without goals (weight 0.07): Bouncing around the world is fun even without specific objectives, indicating the movement itself is enjoyable. This adds to the game's casual appeal. - Worth the cost of a broken mouse (weight 0.07): A player humorously notes the game is worth the cost of a broken mouse, indicating high value despite potential frustration. This reflects the game's addictive and rewarding nature. Common complaints: - Frustrating difficulty and unfair deaths (weight 0.46): The game is described as extremely harsh, infuriating, and hair-pulling, with players dying repeatedly from hitting their heads or checkpoint poles. Some sections are so hard they take 20-40 minutes to figure out, and one player broke a mouse. - Lack of atmosphere and story (weight 0.29): There is no ambient noise or story narration, making the game not memorable. The story feels unnecessary and tacky, and the scenery lacks context, feeling all over the place. - Inconsistent level design and difficulty (weight 0.26): Difficulty spikes are inconsistent, with some levels like the storm drain being a wall while others like the temple are skippable. Uneven surfaces and slight angles cause frustration, and the last two levels are disappointing. - Poor ending and lack of final boss (weight 0.25): The ending is considered bad, and the game lacks a final boss. The meat creatures could have been a giant bossfight, but instead the final levels are let-downs with anticlimactic checkpoints. - Specific frustrating sections (weight 0.25): Certain checkpoints are too tight together causing repeated bounces, and some challenges have claustrophobic starting sequences. The first jump into pit of despair is blind and the worst jump, and the 17th stage is very difficult. - Technical and control issues (weight 0.25): The demo is unplayable due to a dummy start button, and using the touchscreen to navigate menus on Steam Deck is mildly annoying. Physics feel inconsistent, and controls are hard at first. - Lack of tutorial and guidance (weight 0.21): Players report no tutorial or controls in the pause screen, forcing them to guess what to do. The levels' attempts to teach mechanics are not clicking, leading to confusion. - RNG and spawn issues (weight 0.19): There are a couple of RNG sections and weird spawn orientations that add to frustration. Getting stuck on a checkpoint for 30 minutes is possible. - Confusing lore and mechanics (weight 0.14): The pogo rabbit meat death lore is confusing, and the bunny seems circumstantial in a game about bunny-hopping. This adds to the overall lack of clarity. - Short game length (weight 0.08): The game can be beaten in only 90 minutes, which may not justify the price or expectations. - Hollow logs bounce unpredictably (weight 0.08): The hollow has roundish logs that bounce you unpredictably, causing frustration. - Vending machine lacks items (weight 0.07): The vending machine does not have enough items to buy, limiting player options. Gameplay feedback: - Unique movement core mechanic (weight 0.97): The game's movement system is its defining feature, described as unique, intuitive, and momentum-based. It is the core mechanic that sets it apart from other platformers. - Challenging precision platformer (weight 0.36): The game is a precision platformer with extreme difficulty, often described as a rage game or masocore. It requires precise control and offers a challenging but rewarding experience. - Secrets and collectibles (weight 0.35): The game features hidden secrets, collectibles, and alternate routes, adding replay value and encouraging exploration. Coins and balloons are among the collectibles, along with challenges. - High skill ceiling (weight 0.31): The game offers a low skill floor but a high skill ceiling, making it easy to learn yet hard to master. This design encourages mastery of movement mechanics and rewards skilled play. - Checkpoints and death tracking (weight 0.29): The game provides generous yet challenging checkpoints in normal mode, with frequent checkpoints and fast deaths. It also tracks player deaths, adding a meta layer to the challenge. - Game modes and stages (weight 0.28): The game includes an adventure mode and a challenge mode, with stages to explore. New mechanics are introduced progressively, and the adventure mode features tricky surface angles. - Speedrun potential (weight 0.25): The game is well-suited for speedrunning due to its momentum-based movement and high skill ceiling. Players can chain jumps and build speed to optimize runs. - Mouse-controlled movement (weight 0.25): Movement is entirely controlled by the mouse, making it a unique mouse-based platformer. This control scheme is unusual and requires adaptation, but becomes satisfying over time. - Assist and challenge modes (weight 0.19): The game offers an Assist Mode for players who need help, alongside a Challenge mode for those seeking extra difficulty. This caters to a wide range of player skill levels. - Unique gameplay elements (weight 0.18): The game includes quirky elements like vending machines, meat creatures, and cosmetics to unlock. These add charm and variety to the experience. - Short but intense experience (weight 0.18): The game is relatively short, but its intense difficulty and unique mechanics make it memorable. It is reminiscent of Foddy-like games and CS surf or TF2 jump maps. - RNG and frustration (weight 0.12): Some sections involve RNG, which can frustrate players. The adventure mode's surface angles are particularly annoying, adding to the game's challenging nature. - Souls-like difficulty (weight 0.12): The game is described as souls-like, implying a high difficulty and a sense of accomplishment from overcoming challenges. It is skill-based and rewards persistence. - Momentum control nuance (weight 0.12): Players do not have direct control over momentum, which adds a layer of complexity. Mastering this is key to success, as it allows for bouncing and high-speed jumps. - No tutorial but teaches (weight 0.07): The game teaches players without a tutorial or explanation, relying on gameplay to convey mechanics. This approach can be confusing initially but leads to a deeper understanding. Performance notes: - Runs well on Steam Deck (weight 0.09): Players report that the game performs smoothly on the Steam Deck, indicating good optimization for the handheld device. Recommendations: - Worth the price (weight 0.16): Players consistently state the game provides good value for money, with one calling it 'worth your money' and another 'worth the price.' This indicates strong satisfaction with the purchase. - Try the demo (weight 0.15): Reviewers recommend at least trying the demo before buying, suggesting it effectively showcases the game's quality. One player positively recommends the demo, implying it is a good way to evaluate the game. - Universal recommendation (weight 0.15): Multiple players urge everyone to experience the game, with one saying 'everyone should experience it' and another recommending it to all. This broad appeal suggests the game has wide accessibility and enjoyment. - Great for platformer fans (weight 0.15): The game is recommended for anyone who enjoys challenging platformers or speedrunning, as well as fans of rage platformers. This highlights its appeal to niche but dedicated gaming communities. - Easy and high recommendation (weight 0.15): Reviewers give the game an 'easy recommendation' and 'highly recommended,' reflecting strong overall approval. These short but positive endorsements reinforce the game's quality. - Appeals to skill-based players (weight 0.09): The game is recommended for players who enjoy difficult CS Surf maps or kaizo levels, indicating it offers a high skill ceiling and precise mechanics. This positions it as a title for experienced gamers seeking a challenge. - Check speedrun quality (weight 0.08): One reviewer suggests checking Pogo3D speedruns if you have doubts about the game's quality, implying that high-level play demonstrates the game's depth and polish. This serves as a strong endorsement for skeptics. - Play immediately (weight 0.08): One reviewer emphatically says 'play this, now,' indicating a strong, urgent recommendation. This suggests the game is compelling and should not be missed. - Challenge mode is fun (weight 0.08): One player suggests trying challenge mode if you quit adventure mode, as it is 'arguably more fun.' This indicates that the challenge mode offers a different, possibly more engaging experience. Other player notes: - Frequently compared to Getting Over It (weight 0.36): Multiple reviewers compare the game to Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy, noting similar frustration and challenge. One reviewer adds that it is less punishing than that title. - Active community and developer interaction (weight 0.21): Reviewers highlight an active Discord server where the developer interacts and answers questions. The community is described as very engaged, with the developer being responsive. - Movement compared to CS and TF2 (weight 0.2): The game's movement mechanics are compared to Counter-Strike surfing and Team Fortress 2 rocket jumping, emphasizing fluid and skill-based motion. One reviewer notes a lack of direct momentum control. - Demo offers substantial content (weight 0.2): The demo includes the first three chapters and about 30% of the full game, providing a generous preview. One reviewer played the demo for over five hours. - Underrated and needs more players (weight 0.19): Several reviewers feel the game is underrated and wish the community were larger. They encourage more people to play it. - Developer praised for focus (weight 0.19): The developer is praised for focusing on solid core gameplay without flashy extras, and for releasing the game in the current ecosystem. This is contrasted with triple-A studios. - Game is short and quick (weight 0.14): Reviewers note the game can be beaten in about 90 minutes and is short in length. This brevity may appeal to some but could be a drawback for others. - No microtransactions and cheap (weight 0.14): Reviewers appreciate the absence of microtransactions and the low price point. This makes the game accessible and consumer-friendly. - Works on Steam Deck (weight 0.13): The game runs on Steam Deck, but menu navigation requires touchscreen input. This is a minor usability note for handheld players. - Compared to Dark Souls challenge (weight 0.13): The game is compared to Dark Souls for its challenge and reward structure. This comparison highlights the difficulty and satisfaction of overcoming obstacles. - Bunny on pogo stick concept (weight 0.13): The game is described as a bunny on a pogo stick, and also compared to Super Meat Boy with a pogo stick. This captures the core gameplay mechanic. - Expects replay and expansions (weight 0.12): A reviewer expects to 100% the full game more than once and looks forward to expansions and updates. This suggests high replay value and long-term interest. - Not an asset flip (weight 0.07): One reviewer explicitly states the game is not an asset flip or low effort, indicating quality and originality. This reassures potential buyers. - Compared to CS surf and kaizo (weight 0.07): The game is compared to difficult CS Surf maps or kaizo levels, emphasizing high difficulty and precision. This aligns with the skill-based movement comparisons. - Waiting for quality-of-life improvements (weight 0.07): One reviewer is waiting for quality-of-life improvements to the demo, indicating current minor issues. This is a constructive critique for the developer. - Prefers this over other titles (weight 0.07): One reviewer compares this game to another title and prefers this one, indicating a positive standout. This suggests the game has unique appeal. Emotions: - Enjoyment (weight 0.25): Players consistently praise the game's diverse levels, intuitive and fun gameplay, and high replayability. The sense of freedom, creative level design, and satisfying movement mechanics contribute to an overall enjoyable experience. - Satisfaction (weight 0.19): The game's well-implemented learning curve and rewarding controls provide a deep sense of mastery. Overcoming difficult obstacles and completing challenging levels feels immensely satisfying, making the difficulty feel fair and earned. - Frustration (weight 0.18): Players frequently cite the game's high difficulty, tight checkpoint sequences, and uneven surfaces as major sources of frustration. Specific moments like blind jumps and getting stuck on checkpoints for long periods amplify the annoyance, though some still acknowledge the game's quality. - Excitement (weight 0.1): The game's potential for speedrunning and creative challenges generates strong excitement. Players are eager to explore its mechanics further and are enthusiastic about the developer's future work, especially given the game's affordability and lack of microtransactions. - Admiration (weight 0.05): Players admire the game's soulful art style and the developer's ability to communicate through gameplay. The well-balanced design and focus on core mechanics earn respect and a belief that the game deserves wider recognition. - Confusion (weight 0.04): A lack of tutorial and unclear controls in the pause screen leave players confused. The game's lore and the abrupt shifts in scenery without sufficient context also contribute to a sense of disorientation. - Disappointment (weight 0.04): Players are disappointed by the lack of ambient noise and story narration, which detracts from immersion. Later chapters feel less coherent and restrained than the opening ones, and the game's short length (90 minutes) leaves some wanting more. - Love (weight 0.01): The game's eerie atmosphere is a standout feature that players deeply appreciate, creating a memorable and immersive experience. - Joy (weight 0.01): Simply playing the game brings joy, indicating a fundamentally positive and enjoyable gameplay experience. - Pleasantness (weight 0.01): The overall experience of the game is pleasant, suggesting a generally positive and agreeable time for players. - Annoyance (weight 0.01): On Steam Deck, having to use the touchscreen to navigate menus is a specific annoyance that disrupts the otherwise smooth experience. - Impressed (weight 0.01): The gameplay is inventive and impressive, showcasing creative mechanics that stand out to players. - Desire (weight 0.01): Players express a strong desire for more content, indicating that the game leaves them wanting additional levels or experiences. - Surprise (weight 0.01): Despite expecting a punishing experience, players are pleasantly surprised by how addictive and engaging the game turns out to be. - Amusement (weight 0.01): Reaching a certain part of the game without prior knowledge proves to be very funny, providing a memorable and amusing moment. - Accomplishment (weight 0.01): Beating the game on Assist Mode, despite struggling with difficult platformers, gives a strong sense of personal achievement. - Anticipation (weight 0.01): Players look forward to future expansions and updates, showing a desire for continued support and new content. - Compulsion (weight 0.01): The game is so engaging that players find it hard to put down, indicating a highly compelling and addictive gameplay loop. - Determination (weight 0.01): Despite many deaths, players are determined not to give up, showing a strong motivation to overcome the game's challenges.}