Pankapu

It's a very simple 2D platformer with a cool switching mechanic that I wished was pushed further, controls feel a little stiff and the best way I can describe it is a game that I could have played on Newgrounds way back in the day, just with much higher quality art and music. Though the game frequently goes on sale for about 90p, so it's definitely worth it at that price and would say you should pick it up when the sale is on.
However, while the game itself isn't super noteworthy, the story behind this game's development and its sequel that will most likely NEVER exist, is infinitely more interesting. Seriously, you reading the review, start researching this game's sequel & development for yourself and be as confused as I am.

Got it for free recently and really like it so far. Besides having a very beatiful Artstyle and some cool abilities, it has some metroidvania character so prepare for backtracking if you want all collectables and stuff! It reminds me a bit of Hollow Knight, which is a game I loved a lot.
It is a fairly difficult but enjoyable game so far. Its a little bit sad that you cannot use mouse controlls and the standart keyboard controlls felt really weird but since you can change them its totally fine and I found a comfortable controll system for myself!
Update: 100% done, a fun journey but could have been a bit longer! It got pretty hard tho (around 15h of gameplay for the 100% first playthrough for me)

I'm pleasantly surprised by how much I'm enjoying this, especially considering I got it for free (Steam is currently giving it away until December 18th ). The art style is very good; it's reminiscent of games like Bastion and the newer 2D Rayman games with its use of vibrant primary colors & oil paint aesthetic. The platforming is also similar to Rayman, and it has a Metroidvania design that encourages you to replay earlier levels after gaining new abilities as well as backtrack in the same level to explore multiple areas that branch off from the main path. Level & enemy design is creative, though combat is simplistic and underwhelming. Controls are not as bad as a lot of Steam reviews state; jumping in particular is dynamic, as the longer you hold it down, the farther & higher you jump, so you often have to time your jumps accordingly to avoid enemies & environmental hazards.
For those wondering whether or not they should grab this during the current giveaway, I absolutely think it's worth playing. It's cute, lighthearted fun and has a classic 2D platformer vibe. I can see this appealing to both casual players as well as those looking for a decent challenge, as its difficulty scales very well. There are other games that do what this does better (Hollow Knight, Ori And The Blind Forest, and Rayman Origins & Legends come to mind); regardless, this is a surprisingly good indie 2D platformer that exceeded my expectations.

Pankapu is a pretty great action platformer. You get to switch between 3 different forms, each with different play styles.
Replay value is high, as there is a ton of stuff to collect, some of which requires you to go back to older levels after you acquire new powers.
The difficulty is very satisfying. It can be pretty hard, but in a good way. Especially some of the later bosses. At first I felt like they were impossible. But each try I understood a little more, and got closer and closer to beating them. I always knew I could, it was just a matter of practice. To me, that's the very best kind of difficulty.
The levels can be hard too if you're trying to collect everything. But the same applies for these. Plus there is frequent checkpoints that refill your health, so it's all good.
Some of the enemies can be pretty annoying, but nothing you can't work around.
Overall, a pretty wonderful game.

---{ Graphics }---
☐ You forget what reality is
☐ Beautiful
☐ Good
☑ Decent
☐ Bad
☐ Don‘t look too long at it
☐ MS-DOS
---{ Gameplay }---
☐ Very good
☑ Good
☐ It's just gameplay
☐ Mehh
☐ Watch paint dry instead
☐ Just don't
---{ Audio }---
☐ Eargasm
☐ Very good
☐ Good
☑ Not too bad
☐ Bad
☐ I'm now deaf
---{ Audience }---
☑ Kids
☑ Teens
☐ Adults
☐ Grandma
---{ PC Requirements }---
☐ Check if you can run paint
☐ Potato
☑ Decent
☐ Fast
☐ Rich boi
☐ Ask NASA if they have a spare computer
---{ Game Size }---
☐ Floppy Disk
☐ Old Fashioned
☑ Workable
☐ Big
☐ Will eat 10% of your 1TB hard drive
☐ You will want an entire hard drive to hold it
☐ You will need to invest in a black hole to hold all the data
---{ Difficulty }---
☐ Just press 'W'
☑ Easy
☐ Easy to learn / Hard to master
☐ Significant brain usage
☐ Difficult
☐ Dark Souls
---{ Grind }---
☐ Nothing to grind
☐ Only if u care about leaderboards/ranks
☐ Isn't necessary to progress
☑ Average grind level
☐ Too much grind
☐ You'll need a second life for grinding
---{ Story }---
☐ No Story
☐ Some lore
☐ Average
☑ Good
☐ Lovely
☐ It'll replace your life
---{ Game Time }---
☐ Long enough for a cup of coffee
☐ Short
☑ Average
☐ Long
☐ To infinity and beyond
---{ Price }---
☐ It's free!
☐ Worth the price
☑ If it's on sale
☐ If u have some spare money left
☐ Not recommended
---{ Bugs }---
☑ Never heard of
☐ Minor bugs
☐ Can get annoying
☐ ARK: Survival Evolved
☐ The game itself is a big terrarium for bugs
---{ ? / 10 }---
☐ 1
☐ 2
☐ 3
☐ 4
☐ 5
☐ 6
☐ 7
☑ 8
☐ 9
☐ 10

the game looks adorably cute, but it pulls no punches with its difficult platforming and tricky enemies. it’s a fun challenge wrapped in a colorful package. the more you play, the more you’ll fall in love with it... even while throwing your controller.

Pankapu
pros:
//fast game with modern day graphics with easy controls that moves from location A to B to C and so on
cons:
//some difficult battles
//a lot of difficult platforming
//could use more health drops
//repetitive with increasing platforming difficulty
//some lack of directions/instructions
//items of significant interest are at hard to reach places
//all enemies respawn if you lose
//good game
Personal Suggested Purchase Price: $0.99 Or Less During Sale