Co-op games, ideally even together on the couch, are still very popular. Therefore, everyone knows the typical course of a co-op title, whether for two or even four: one does pretty much everything, while the others mostly stump and dumbfounded.
At the latest from three players onwards, a beneficiary joins the group, who quickly snatches away all objects from their noses without contributing anything to success. In this way, cooperative games quickly become competitive, which can put friendships and relationships to the test. The latter is also possible in the new co-op title “Biped”, which has just appeared on the PSN, but only because you really need each other here. Because of its innovative movement concept, Biped is the most cooperative game that we have had our hands on for a long time.
Couple for twice the fun
You control a small robot that moves using its two multifunctional gripper arms. “It’s not innovative!”, One could argue now. That’s right, but you control each arm separately with a stick. A parkour that can be found in games such as To complete uncharted with links, this control concept suddenly turns into a seemingly funny challenge. The same thing happens when you flip switches or follow certain sequences. Only in some areas can you glide effortlessly over the floor. However, in the single player this unusual control quickly becomes boring and frustrating, which is why you should urgently get a second teammate, whether on the couch or online.
Only then does Biped really blossom by converting the visually varied levels in such a way that a lot of skill and coordination is required of both players. Colors play a major role here, because each player is assigned one. For example, you have to cross gorges regularly using movable platforms, which always shine in one of the colors. If the player with the wrong color now puts on a foot, it disappears and both plunge into the depth. The solution: everyone can only move in alternation with their partner, because the color changes with each arm.
This creates a previously unknown dependency on each other. If you have to avoid an object on your side, you have to rely on the fact that your teammate moves in a coordinated manner, although he shouldn’t have to. At the same time, there are no competitive elements, because the collectable coins count for both, and if you run over your teammate, you risk the common harmony rating at the end of each level.
Biped’s learning curve is quite steep, which is why it can’t be described as too easy. This is mainly due to the greatest strength of the game, which is also its greatest weakness: one player cannot compensate for the other’s inability. As a result, Biped is not suitable for people who otherwise rarely hold a controller in their hands. Then a fun game round turns into a frustrating experience for everyone, which can already be the case in the first level.
The somewhat childish but quite adequate graphical presentation could be misleading and easily make the game a bad buy. A selectable level of difficulty could have remedied this. However, if you have a decent teammate and are not afraid of a skill game with the potential to destroy friendships, you can’t go wrong with Biped. The only downside was the scope, because with great skill the eight levels are quickly finished. Then there are only the tough challenges, where you have to complete each level in one go and in a very good time.
8.4 “If you have been looking for a real couch KooP title for a long time, you will definitely find what you are looking for with Biped and should strike immediately. Not only do you immediately fall in love with the cuddly robots, the entry is also quick and accessible while you are later Biped’s innovative control concept, however, sets it apart from the competition, which is why it can definitely be called an insider tip for a co-op! A genre that is urgently needed, especially these days. “
