Apopia: Sugar Coated Tale Review

Games not being what they seem is always an exciting premise, especially as you dig deeper into the story you’re exploring. Undertale is an example, having drastically different gameplay depending on whether you choose a pacifist or genocide route. Apopia: Sugar Coated Tale explores this idea in a similar way, mixing the darkness of reality into the whimsical colourfulness of the world you explore. After seeing the mix of the two realities on its Steam page, it was an experience I couldn’t wait to dive into, that came together beautifully.

Apopia: Sugar Coated Tale is a 2D story-driven adventure game that merges adorable, inviting imagery with an underlying unsettling presence. You play as Mai, a girl who has found herself trapped in the bunny-infested world of Yogurt after falling down a hole while hiking in the snowy mountains with her mother. Mai quickly discovers that Yogurt is oppressed by BOSS’s dictatorial rule, that the main gate is forever sealed, and no non-bunny people are allowed inside Yogurt. Making matters worse, Mai realises she has memories of two different mothers – one exuding love and happiness, while the other is drenched in rage and sadness. Not only must she free Yogurt and find a way out, but she must piece together the memories of her mother to recall who she really is.

To help her achieve this, Mai will need to use her newfound ability that lets her venture into other people’s minds by touching them. This is better known as their Dark World, and it allows her to discover what they are afraid of, ashamed of, or simply things that they don’t want to expose to others. The Dark World is another reality you can physically explore, and allows Mai to uncover dark and traumatic secrets to help solve puzzles littered throughout the game, as well as learn more about the characters she meets.

Well, that’s one way to start a conversation

Apopia: Sugar Coated Tale has many puzzles to get through on your journey. Some of these require some back and forth as you collect items, but given its cosy nature, puzzles are simple, and it luckily didn’t feel like an overwhelming amount of busywork to solve them. Plus, hints were shown in multiple puzzles if you somehow got stuck.

My favourite part about Apopia: Sugar Coated Tale was the gameplay mix. During heightened moments, such as fighting a boss, exploring the world, or in certain parts of the Dark World, it’ll suddenly shift into a rhythmic game, a dungeon crawler, or even a romance game. This approach made the gameplay feel fresh, and it was a fun change that was regularly featured, especially near the end of Mai’s journey.

You don’t always play as Mai either, as at times you’ll do missions with Nico, a pink snarky cat with a hand-like tail, and other quirky citizens of Yogurt who are also determined to free the Kingdom of Yogurt under the BOSS’s dictatorial rule.

Can’t even trust a gingerbread man

There are many characters to fall in love with, and although they are not voice-acted but rather represented by a tone, it still has an emotional impact as you uncover the story. It’s easy to decipher who is talking by their tone and the colour they are represented by, which comes in handy during the game’s storytelling.

I found myself immersed and got emotional at the general message Apopia: Sugar Coated Tale sends. It discusses themes such as the journey of understanding yourself, and that you don’t need to be alone when going through the dark parts of your life. This game was incredibly relatable, as I was reminded of my own and close family and friends’ hardships and how important mental health truly is.

Apopia: Sugar Coated Tales’ eerie Dark World can be unsettling at times, thanks to the visuals looking like a blackboard. There were moments when the game made me jump when certain visuals popped up, especially the red pixel-like graphics lurking around the corner, along with sudden sounds that made my blood run cold.

Why did you want me to listen to you?

The character and world designs are done exceptionally well, and the music and visuals complement each other. The music has an upbeat tone in Yogurt and has extremely cartoon-like hooks that will have you nodding to the beat. Whereas the atmosphere in the Dark World sends shivers down your spine. But what really stole the show was the comic-strip cutscenes that played throughout the game, which were full of dramatic zoom-ins and detailed visuals.

Unfortunately, I experienced a few bugs during my playthrough that hindered my enjoyment. The most frustrating ones saw the text being squished down, making it hard to read the text, and the controls didn’t function properly occasionally. Thankfully, most of these are easy fixes.

Surprisingly, Apopia: Sugar Coated Tale took me around seven and a half hours to get through, and the hints helped the time go by smoothly. I genuinely wasn’t expecting it to be long when I first saw the game; it was nice to really dive deep into the world of Yogurt. Especially since there’s also a plethora of video game references littered throughout, such as Minecraft, Skyrim, Undertale, and Super Mario Bros that will make you smile.

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Final Thoughts

Apopia: Sugar Coated Tale is a hidden gem in the adventure genre that tells a relatable story exploring dark themes, despite being in a vibrant world. It is completely worth diving into, especially if you enjoy titles such as Omori and Undertale.

Reviewed on PC // Review code supplied by publisher

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