Blog post title
Pikuniku is an adventure video game developed by French-British indie collective Sectordub and published by Devolver Digital. It was released on January 24, 2019 for Linux, macOS, Nintendo Switch and Microsoft Windows, and was later released on March 12, 2020 for Xbox One and on February 9, 2021 for Stadia. The game won numerous accolades from 2018 to 2020 including the 2020 Best International Indie Game award at the Pégases Awards.
The game has the player control the titular red creature, Piku, through a colorful world to put an end to a plot to harvest the entirety of the land's resources, and saving the creatures of the island.[2][3]
A sequel to the game, Pikuniku 2, was announced on June 9, 2026.
Development
Consisting of four staff members, Sectordub is a collaborative studio composed of Arnaud De Bock, Rémi Forcadell, Alan Zucconi, and Calum Bowen. The game was published by Devolver Digital.[4]
The beta version of Pikuniku was revealed during development in 2017. However, the version of the game was not published, and the final game had gone through various changes on release.[5]
The final version launched for Linux, macOS, Windows, and Nintendo Switch on January 24, 2019, Xbox One on March 12, 2020, Stadia on February 9, 2021,[6] and Android and iOS on April 7, 2026.[1]
The game was released under the name "Pikuniku" (ピクニック, Pikunikku), which means "picnic" in Japanese.[7]
Gameplay
Single-player
Pikuniku is a puzzle and adventure game where the player controls the protagonist and main character Piku through levels and solve puzzles to progress. The majority of puzzles involve kicking and pushing objects onto switches to open doors and access rooms, allowing the player to proceed through the level. Throughout the game, the player encounters villagers, who they can interact with, and spend coin currency earned in the game's levels on items such as hats.[2][8]
Piku can lasso his legs to swing from hooks and zip lines and curl into a ball and roll. He can also go into minecarts and pipes. These abilities allow the player to move around faster and reach higher or previously inaccessible areas.[2][8]
Piku and Niku while rolling
Co-op
The game also features a local co-op mode with 9 levels, and the second player controls Niku, an orange creature similar to Piku. Both of the players must cooperate to navigate themselves to a boat at the end of each level.[2][8]
Plot
The game opens with a commercial in which the character Mr. Sunshine, a pink creature in a top hat, offers to give the island's citizens "free money" in exchange for their "junk" that he collects using his giant robots.
Afterwards, Piku is awakened by a ghost in a cave. The ghost is kind to Piku and tells him that he needs to leave the cave. After Piku comes out, he discovers that he has been erroneously painted by a legend as an evil beast, and after accidentally breaking the Mountain Village bridge, he is put in a cage by the frightened inhabitants of the village. However, Piku agrees he will fix the bridge, so the villagers decide he is harmless and release him.
Once Piku has earned the townsfolk's trust by fixing the bridge, he explores the area. He talks to the town's troubled painter who drew a non-scary face for a scarecrow around a field of corn. Right after Piku replaces the old one with his drawing, a flying robot comes and sucks up all the corn the townspeople have been growing and scatters free money to placate them. Later, Mr. Sunshine is on another robot and announces that he is going to take a member of the crowd back for a tour of his volcanic base. He chooses a townsperson Eli, who is picked up by the robot and taken away.
Following the defeat of the first robot, a villager from the first village Piku explores, the Mountain Village, comes asking for help from the Resistance, saying that the robot is stealing all of their village's corn. Piku then returns to the town, which is now raining, and with the help of the Resistance, defeats the robot.
When they return to the team base, the Resistance is approached by a worm asking for help because the water in their home dried up. The group suspect Sunshine Inc.'s involvement and decide to help, using the newly reactivated metro system to reach a lake. When they get there, they find that the robots have built a dam and one is sucking up all the water with a straw. The Resistance head underground into the mines to meet the worms.
After the story's events, the player can explore an altered post-game world where everything is restored and going well for the citizens of the island.
Soundtrack
Pikuniku (Original Soundtrack)
Soundtrack cover art by Charlotte Mei
Soundtrack album by Bo En
Released January 24, 2019
Genre Instrumental
Length 1:14:24
Label Bo Entertainment
Composition
The Pikuniku (Original Soundtrack) has been described as "funny and lighthearted", and having the same "light touch" as the game. It is praised for fitting with the different environments of Pikuniku all the way to game's conclusion.[9]
Track listing
All tracks appear in the single-player game, unless otherwise noted.[9]
All music is composed by Bo En.
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