Rikki & Vikki from the team over at PunguiNet is a fantastic little puzzle platformer game that looks like it could have been pulled right from the arcades in the late 1980’s. Even the bumper image over on Steam plays off of the vintage arcade cabinet logos from games like Beer Tapper and others.
If I were to compare Rikki & Vikki to another game, I’d probably say it fits best alongside something like Bubble Bobble. The basic idea is the same and even in 2018 it works quite well. You play as a fox and it’s your goal to collect all the keys in each board which unlocks the next stage while avoiding baddies.
This is a very arcade-like and means that the action is quick and rewarding. But it’s a little more than simply collecting keys as you’ll have to figure out how to reach said keys using special blocks that Rikki & Vikki can pick up and toss about each stage. These mechanics aren’t anything new, but how they are implemented lends to some really mind-bending puzzles.
There are a limited number of blocks on each board which you can use to climb and take out enemies. Taking out enemies will remove a block from play, so you’ll sometimes have to weigh whether you can avoid an enemy and save the block for climbing, or take them out and figure out another way to reach a key.
These blocks can be thrown and when they hit a wall they will stick onto it creating a platform. The trick is that the blocks will fall to the ground after a brief period of time making you plan your moves a few steps ahead. And and lot of times there are multiple ways to reach a key making for some interesting solutions.
You’ll also have to contend with the stages themselves, which are all really well laid out and a lot of fun to jump into. Because this is an arcade game, falling off the stage won’t kill you, instead it’ll drop you to the top of the stage like some weird vortex. This means you’ll have to think outside the box (literally) to figure out solutions to many of the puzzles in play.
Enemies in Rikki & Vikki feature some neat designs with some even being fairly disturbing, although I can’t place my finger on why. There were several moments playing the game where I got a really creepy feeling with some of the story elements and deaths. Maybe this was intentional, or maybe I’ve been watching too many creepy videos on Youtube. Who can say, but be warned to some uncomfortable moments that make the game feel deeper than it might be.
And just like all those arcade games of old you’ll have to face off against huge bosses every few stages. These boss fights are a lot of fun and while test your puzzle prowess as it’s one-hit death for you furry fox friend. Most of these are well-balanced, but the disappearing cat boss is pretty broken to the point I think most people will call it quits on the game when they reach him.
Games like Rikki & Vikki are all about pattern memorization. There is no A.I. here and everything has clear patterns, or react based on where the player is. In games like Mega Man this works great because you can beat each boss with your basic weapon as long as you have learned their patterns and how to avoid attacks. The idea is the same here, but the cat boss breaks this sort of gameplay idea.
Because he’ll vanish you won’t be able to avoid him. If you cross paths, even when he’s invisible, you take a hit which means death. Your only way to track him is when he quickly flashes his smile, but this is problematic. He often moves based on your position, and with the stage changing this means forming an attack pattern is nearly impossible. So, instead of learning the boss and becoming an expert, you’ll always feel like you are flying by the seat of your pants with this fight.
And as Rikki & Vikki is an arcade game, three deaths means game over with you heading back to the title screen to run the stages all over again. So, unlike Mega Man where you can get back to a boss quickly, here you need to run through everything again just to die in a heartbeat. You won’t have time to practice, and even if you do get past him, any future game over means trying your luck with the cat all over again.
Every other boss, while challenging, lets you better understand clear patterns. They are still hard, but you learn their patterns over time making the process much more fun. Thankfully, you can give up your high-score to retry stages over and over again. This allows you to practice stages without fear of earning a game over. It also lets you see how cheap that cat boss really is as I never felt like I understood him, even after beating it a few times.
Visually Rikki & Vikki looks great in its seven color glory. Everything is clean and simple to the point where I would love to see this as a real arcade machine. The developers say it’s “6 MEGA POWER” like the old Sega Genesis ads, so I do hope that they can team up with a publisher to get this on a Sega cartridge, or any physical release of some kind. This game demands the love at attention from someone like Limited Run Games.
And if all of this wasn’t enough, you also can play through the entire adventure with a friend in single-screen co-op. This takes the game to a whole new level as there is nothing like playing with someone, playing off each others ideas to solve puzzles and deal with stages as they become more complex with new obstacles and paths. This is a perfect game to play with someone and makes for some serious laughs.
Rikki & Vikki is a really nice surprise and the perfect way to close out 2018. It’s a challenging game so be warned as it’s a lot more challenging than the cute screen-shots suggest. With great music and a great visual style with some filter option for the classic, grainy look, I can easily recommend Rikki & Vikki to everyone. It may not reinvent the wheel but why fix what isn’t broken. Now go buy the game for the tenner they are asking so we can get a physical release!
“Rikki & Vikki is a nostalgic blast from the past that is even better when played with a friend”
Final Score:
3.5/5
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