PIO

 

In the indie game space, some of the most interesting games can come from the work of students or game jams, as they sometimes explore some unique mechanics or spins on existing ones that have a lot of potential for further exploration. One such game is PIO, a recent game I found from browsing the free section of Steam, made by Korean team Star of Star at the ChungKang College of Cultural Industries. The visual style and interesting gameplay ideas caught my attention, enough to download and try it for myself. Although the game is pretty short, and can be beaten in about an hour or so, I still liked it enough to want to see more from its mechanics and setting.

In a world divided into tiers, Pio lives in the lowest tier, the Graveyard of Stars, due to being born with a weak light. However, Pio longs for the upper tiers, and takes the opportunity to take the Trials of the Stars, completing which will allow him to meet Gort and ascend to the next tier.

 

Pio desires to ascend to the upper tiers of his world.

While there isn’t much to the plot, there is a lot of potential for further worldbuilding due to its intriguing setting. By the end, it’s clear that Pio still has a ways to go in reaching the upper tiers of his world, and it’s one that I would want to return to and learn more about.

What makes PIO stand out is its unique gameplay, that being that it’s a platformer in which you attack enemies using the platforms themselves. Holding the attack button on a platform fires at enemies until its pips runs out, in which case the platform disappears and you must wait for it regenerate and be careful not to linger on an empty space for too long. Some platforms even offer unique effects of their own when slammed on, adding a level of complexity as you try to figure out which special abilities to use in a given moment based on your remaining health. While the game presents a lot of ideas in its short length without feeling overwhelming, it’s a fast-paced, yet surprisingly strategic battle system that I feel deserves further exploration.

 

A sample of combat with various platform types on display.

 

While the game does feature keyboard and gamepad controls, it behaves weird when it comes to the latter, which I opted for when playing. Using a DualSense still requires awkwardly using the keyboard for some actions, but a wired Xbox 360 controller does not, so I had to use that even though I found it less comfortable. On top of this, neither layout matches the one listed in the options menu and Steam officially does not recognize the game as supporting controllers in spite of the game itself saying it does. In any case, controllers do work, but it’s a little finnicky.

PIO also has a visually attractive art style, bringing to mind games such as Klonoa while featuring aesthetics and a color palette that evoke the themes of stars and constellations, in addition to a similarly fitting soundtrack. The environment and character designs feel inspired in this way, and Pio himself has a nice design that begs for a plush toy. The platforms themselves are also well-designed, with glyphs and colors that tell you what they do at a mere glance to keep the gameplay flowing smoothly.

For those looking for a unique twist on platforming, PIO is a free game worth checking out. Despite its short length, its world and gameplay are rife with possibilities for further exploration and I would like to see what the development team does next.