LogFAQs > #977640919

8. Papo & Yo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkrjby0lKRE

Papo & Yo is pretty easily the least played (and probably known) game in my top 10, and it's a damn shame. This is one of the greatest examples of "games as art" I can think of that never really feels like an art game. It's inspired by the real-life story of designer Vander Caballero's love/hate relationship with his abusive alcholic father growing up. You play as a young boy in a very poor town who navigates it by magically altering the surroundings in a surreal, childlike way. Papo, a big, friendly monster appears frequently to help you navigate puzzles and have fun with you, but if Papo sees some magical frogs run by, he'll drop what he's doing to eat them. If he eats them, he turns into a Hulk-like raging monster that will break things and hurt you, so you're puzzles often revolve around navigating the world while not letting him get to the frogs, and when he does, it feels like it's your fault that he's turning into a monster, even when it's ultimately inevitable or impossible for you to prevent. Which is the whole point. The puzzles aren't exactly Baba Is You levels of complex, but their interesting and really feel magical. The soundtrack is excellent and there's one track in particular that always sticks with me: the ending track when the boy finally is forced to give up on Papo, who dies to his addiction. This game made me sob, and not just like normal Disney movie sad scene tearing up, but deeply from-the-chest kind of sob.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38udbIqG0LQ