Electric Nightmares

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Retro Platformer Poi Climbs Onto Early Access

Platformer power

Poi [official site] reminds me of every whimsical platformer I played in the 90s with its vibrant linear playground, shiny item scouring, atypically inspiring orchestral soundtrack, and droll and fluffy and oh-so-cute omnivorous mammal companions. When I asked news editor Alice if I could write about Poi today she said: "Sure, some people miss games like Bubsy". I miss Bubsy. Poi's out now on Steam Early Access. Nip inside for more details and a trailer.

Here, have a look for yourself:

Cover image for YouTube video

I mean, what's not to like, right? As you can see it's floating platforms, abstracts puzzles and double air jumps galore. There's even a token wisdom-ous explorer man, and a stereotypical science nerd to converse with along the way. And that soundtrack...

Okay, I'm not so naive that I can't see my nostalgia getting the better of me here, but Poi does seem like a solid throwback to Way Back When when this sort of thing was the bee's knees. That said, I'm a self-admitted sucker for similarly designed console classics - the Spyros, Crash Bandicoots and, yes, Bubsys. Subjectivity! Further down the line, developers PolyKid plan to introduce local coop and various challenges tied to the game's online leaderboards. In its current state Poi offers two worlds, five challenge levels and a glimpse at the work-in-progress hub world.

It's out now on Steam Early Access for £11 (or £7.36 with the launch discount).

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Joe Donnelly

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