Dokuro Review (PS Vita)

'Dokuro' weds bones and royalty in classic puzzle platforming

Written by Drei Medina

There's nothing much to say about Dokuro since the game is such a straight forward 2D puzzle platformer which seemed to be the lovechild of Super Mario and Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee.

That being said, I honestly enjoyed all the game had to offer including moments of old school platforming fun and mind boggling puzzle frustration.

Dokuro starts with the introduction of the game's three main characters: the Dark Lord, a princess and a generic skeleton minion.

The story unravels as the shabby skeleton falls for the princess and attempts to snag her from the clutches of the Dark Lord before they are wed. He then attempts to sneak her out of the castle and the adventure begins.

During the game you will have to solve puzzles ranging from simple to complex difficulties so bring a lot of patience while playing Dokuro.

Puzzles include the typical spikes, flames, pitfalls and monsters which block your path so you have to figure out how to hurdle each level to keep the princess out of harm's way.

Each stage usually consists of ten levels which have a combination of what I would like to refer to as “puzzle” and “speed” levels.

Puzzle levels basically require you to use your mind coupled with concentration to complete it.

Speed levels meanwhile require your focus to usher the useless princess to safety within a certain time span to prevent her being squashed, burned or impaled... Or just being killed.

A boss is usually waiting at the end of each stage which you have to defeat to progress further.

For me, Dokuro's boss battles were the most fun part of the game as it gives a short break from the tense and tiring puzzle solving action in previous levels.

Boss battles are basically my stress outlet in the game which allows me to release all my pent up frustrations from previous levels on the boss.

All in all, Dokuro is a simple game. Yet even with its simplicity, I know Dokuro will be one of the games in the PS Vita stable that I wouldn't be forgetting for a while due to the fun factor it brings.

Dokuro which is mostly shown in 2D black and white visuals is also a testament that enjoying a game does not solely depend on superior graphics.

The verdict: 8/10 [good game]

Dokuro is your typical puzzle platformer that offers fun and casual gaming with challenging but do-able levels at every turn.

The game's charm comes with the excellent balance made between alternating easy and dumbfounding levels that ultimately allow you to build a pent up frustration which you can release on the bosses.

[Note]: If you have plans of purchasing Dokuro you might want to consider buying the digital copy since you would save a lot of cash unless you are a physical collector.

Pros:
+ Boss battles
+ Creative gameplay
+ Fun puzzle platformer action

Cons:
- Frustrating at times