co-open Review

I have found yet another great hidden object game where we can walk around in a cute setting finding random items for NPCs. I present to you: co-open, a game about a little bird's very first shopping experience! If it sounds simple, it's because it is. Simple, yet incredibly charming! In co-open, you are left at the grocery shop as your grandma tells you she's going to let you try out shopping for the first time, and your job is just to pick up what you want to buy for the day... that is, until you meet some NPCs looking for help finding what they have on their list!

Although the game can sometimes feel a bit creepy (or maybe it's just me), I can promise you that it is not. This really is a wholesome game about a kid learning how to find things at a grocery store! You will find nothing but sweet NPCs, random items around the world, and a lot of puzzles about locating the stuff your friends need.

Aside from thinking the game was going to become some gory scarefest, I also assumed it would be easy, short, and leave me wanting more (although, who wouldn't after such a cute game ends!). Thankfully, co-open does a good job at having you running around trying to find the objects you're asked for until you decide you've had enough. Some of them are easy, some are extremely easy, and others had me scratching at my head until I was led down a path of desperation and started doing random things to trigger accidental progression. It's okay though, because you can end your run at any point by grabbing some stuff (or just one item, whatever floats your boat!) and taking it to the cashier. There, she'll ring up your bill, and your grandma will be notified and pick you up! 

That's one of the many charming things about co-open — it's relaxing in a stress- and commitment-free kind of way (unless you have some weird trauma with cute games and always assume it'll turn gory, like me; then it's an anxiety fest). Although it's not on Steam and you can't achievement hunt, you can get all the collectibles in the game — some of them are earned by helping the NPCs, and the others are numbers you'll find spread around the world that you can call in-game to get some extra dialogue. I didn't get to find them all on my first playthrough, but I got pretty close! 

As for the audio, it was a big reason as to why I refused to believe this game wasn’t scary — the sounds and music track give a very creepy vibe, especially when you enter a certain area. I don’t know why this particular type of somber and scary type of audio was chosen, but I can’t help but to wonder if maybe it was intentional to troll the player! 

Let me ominously remind you: please don't feed the cats!

The last thing I'd like to mention that really sticks out to me about this title is its graphical style. There's a 2D/3D mix, where 2D characters and items exist within a 3D world, causing them to turn very thin and look paper-like whenever they move. The uniqueness wasn't the only thing I liked either, as the NPCs and items were all drawn beautifully, making the entire game a joy to explore. 

All in all, co-open is a great experience for those looking for a simple yet relaxing game about finding objects for friendly NPCs. Between the adorable concept, the gorgeous graphic style, and the fun gameplay, I don't see why anyone wouldn't want to pick this title up!