Reviews

Penko Park review for Nintendo Switch, PC

Platform: Switch
Also on: PC
Publisher: Secret Mode
Developer: Ghostbutter
Medium: Digital
Players: 1
Online: No
ESRB: E10+

You really don?t have to look very hard to figure out Penko Park?s biggest ? and arguably only ? influence. It?s an on-rails photography game where you slowly roll through an abandoned wildlife park, taking pictures of the odd flora and fauna you find inside.

Clearly, it?s heavily indebted to Beasts of Maravilla Island.

I?m kidding, of course: Penko Park is basically Pok?mon Snap. A lower-budget, slightly weirder version of Pok?mon Snap, to be sure, but Pok?mon Snap all the same.

Just because Penko Park isn?t exactly original, however, it doesn?t mean that the game isn?t overflowing with charm. The park is full of strange-looking monsters, all of them looking like they were hand-drawn with care. The same goes for the world itself: it?s hardly photorealistic, but at the same time it feels lived-in.

In this respect, it helps that the more you play, the more you can uncover. Snapping pictures helps you unlock new tools, like a grappling hand and Ghost-o-Vision, which in turn help reveal more secrets that the park is hiding. Again, it?s not like there?s some massive, intricate mystery ? the game is only three or four hours long ? but it does enough to make you feel like there?s more to Penko Park than just getting your timing down to snap three-star photos.

And that, in turn, is enough to make Penko Park worth checking out. It?s not going to make anyone forget about the existence of Pok?mon Snap, but it certainly does enough to justify picking it up.

Secret Mode provided us with a Penko Park Switch code for review purposes.

Grade: A-
Matthew Pollesel

Recent Posts

Sail the seas with Captain Majima as Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii releases today

Treasure hunt, enjoy arcades, aid the locals, do anything but to assist out of work…

15 hours ago

DeadToast Entertainment reveals Shotgun Cop Man and announces demo for Steam Next Fest

Shoot your way through hell and arrest Satan…seems like a regular day on the job.

23 hours ago

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii review for PlayStation, Xbox, PC

Who’d turn down a return trip to a tropical paradise?

24 hours ago

Hunter x Hunter x Nen Impact dated for July 17th, pre-orders available now

The game will arrive before the next chapter of the manga.

1 day ago

Queen Dizzy finally graces the Nintendo Switch version of Guilty Gear Strive

You won’t have to pay a king’s ransom for this franchise mainstay.

2 days ago

Gameplay modifiers and new moves come to Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind

My dreams of making Kimberly the powerhouse of the team can finally come true!

2 days ago

This website uses cookies.