Given that everything these days seems to have ‘Early Access’ this and ‘Open Beta’ that, it’s been quite some time since I’ve played a bona fide game demo. Recently, I had the pleasure of doing just that with Chook & Sosig: Walk the Plank, the latest instalment in the painfully cute visual novel/point-and-click adventure series from Tookipalooki. I hadn’t heard of Chook & Sosig before firing this up but from the moment I saw the adorable hand-drawn characters and the witty, tongue-in-cheek humour, I knew I’d love it.
Chook is a sassy and slightly brash incorporeal chicken, while Sosig is a friendly and well-meaning cat. In this adventure, the duo has joined their colourful and kooky buddies for a night of tabletop gaming (think Dungeons & Dragons), with a distinct pirate flavour. The brilliantly illustrated characters, hilarious dialogue and swashbuckling point-and-click gameplay immediately brought back memories of the Monkey Island series, one that I loved as a kid. With the story being told both in character (Pirate adventure) and around-the-table banter between friends, it also feels a lot like my own tabletop RPG sessions, something that I haven’t seen in a video game before.
The demo was fairly limited and explicitly stated as such in the 4th wall-breaking narration, but it was just enough to reel me in and leave me wanting more. If like me, you loved the escapades of Guybrush Threepwood, I highly recommend that you check this out when it releases later in the year. Until then, I’m going to go back and play through all the other Chook & Sosig games and you should too!
*Chuckles* “I am in danger!”
