OIO Review (PC)

‘Oh-eye-oh’? ‘Oh-eee-oh’? I’m not entirely sure how this indie game’s title is meant to be pronounced, but it nonetheless refers to the main protagonist. Indeed, OIO as a title appears to be derived from said character’s facial features (very large eyes and thin nose) and it’s safe to assume that it’s also the main character’s name. OIO then, is a wooden character, with a square head, whose fellow wooden friends have all been petrified from a beam of sunlight, leaving OIO alone to investigate and save his people.

OIO is a puzzle platformer. The aim of the game is to guide OIO through 12 levels, with various obstacles in his way, such as moving platforms, spikes, the usual drill. However, after the first level the game distinguishes itself by giving OIO a unique power: The ability to grow ‘branches’ out of clearly-marked, green, fertile patches. Simply executed by aiming the mouse in the desired direction to fire in and left-clicking, OIO will launch a seed and a solid branch will grow to a set length out of the ground or wall. This is restricted to the direction the fertile patch is facing but from that first branch, other fertile patches are attached also, allowing for further growth from that branch using the same method.

But, there is a limit to this growth; once a third branch is erected, it will turn the ‘tree’ brown and will no longer have fertile patches to use. Once another patch is activated, the previous ones will dissolve. The branches are colour coded; the first branch is always a fresh green, the next has brown stripes, and the third is all brown and cracked. Made a mistake? Then aim a seed in the same way but instead right click to dissolve the desired branch. This also reverts all other branches in a created tree back a step, unless you dissolve the ‘master’ branch, of course. It’s a delightful feature and gets you thinking, to the degree of picturing the tree structure you need in an area before proceeding to create it.

As the levels progress, there is predictably more reliance on this branch method just to continue through the game, such as growing a branch to keep a switch held down, knock over objects, and so on. That, coupled with the requirement of precise timing of positioning and jumps, and you have yourself a little gem; it’s fairly challenging, but never too taxing or frustrating.

I enjoyed the look of the game; OIO is animated very capably, he and his kinfolk look quite cute, too. The levels themselves tell the story in their appearance; the first levels take place with a more organic feel, such as tree roots, plants, etc, but these soon develop into mechanical and industrial surroundings with a much darker tone and feel. This highlights the evolution of OIO’s race through to the game’s conclusion. There is also a great learning curve to OIO. The ‘branch’ methods described above are introduced early on, but get more complex as you progress. Later, the game makes the safe assumption that you have mastered this technique and goes on to then introduce more hazards, such as moving platforms combined with more difficult fertile patches to aim at. You’ll need pinpoint timing, and so on. None of these various hazards are too repetitive, either.

There is very little in the way of sound in OIO, but is quite atmospheric, its marriage to the visuals is apparent, and achieved very well. There is background music for each level and the soundtrack adjusts from ambient to fast drum beats, the more perilous your task. There is no speech of any kind, nor is there any narration. As detailed above, everything about the adventure is from the visuals and soundtrack. They take you on the journey.

The only drawback to OIO is its length. Each level takes around the 30 minute mark (give or take for deaths) to complete, and is priced around £6.50, which is roughly £1.10 a level. In comparison with, say, Limbo, which is a slightly similar game type, it’s actually twice the value. However, both have very little or no replay value to speak of; OIO does have collectibles in the game, in the form of orbs and book pages, but these are only for achievements, which are localised within the game menus, and thus, for hardcore completists only.

In spite of these minor niggles, the game is a pleasure to play through. It never pushes you too hard, nor does it drag you back. It knows that what it has taught you will remain in your mind, so you are ready for the next challenge. As mentioned above, some may question its price (due to its length), but it’s comparable with today’s prices. On a final note, this is an indie game, and they need all possible support to continue developing fun, engaging titles such as OIO. Check it out.

OIO is available for the PC and Mac through the official OIO website. You can also try the demo yourself for free.

2 Comments