$5.49BOKURA Two Screens, Two Different Worlds
Two runaways, one shared journey: solve strange puzzles together by talking through what each of you sees.
Is BOKURA worth it?
BOKURA is worth it if…
- you have one friend or partner you want to share a short, strange story with
- you like co-op where talking to each other is the actual mechanic
- you enjoy cute pixel art with something darker underneath
- you want a story game you can finish in an evening or two
- you like games that play very differently the second time round
Screenshots
Two screens, two different worlds
BOKURA is a side-scrolling puzzle adventure built for exactly two players, each on their own machine. The trick is that your screens do not match. The same character might look like a picture-book animal to one of you and a robot to the other, and objects you can interact with may behave differently on each side. So you talk. You describe what is in front of you, ask what the other person sees, and piece the truth together out of two half-pictures. It is a puzzle game where the real puzzle is the gap between your two views of the world.
The story of two runaways
Two boys run away from home. They come across a dead deer, faint, and wake up in worlds that no longer look the same: one of animals, one of machines. From there the story follows their journey and their friendship, with choices along the way that send it in different directions. The pixel art looks cute and friendly, and the story underneath is darker than that, touching on real and heavy subjects in a way that stays light on its feet. It is short, around three to four hours, and it is the kind of story that lands harder because you experienced it with someone.
Talk your way through the puzzles
Every puzzle needs both of you, and neither of you has the full picture. One player might be waiting at a switch while the other describes a machine only they can see, and the solution only appears when the two descriptions click together. The difficulty ramps up gently, and the final long puzzle ties the whole journey together in a way that feels genuinely satisfying. You also make the big calls together: the story branches on critical choices, and deciding them out loud with another person is part of the point.
A game you cannot start alone
The first choice in BOKURA happens before the game even opens: who do you play it with? There is no single-player mode and no computer-controlled partner, no more than two and no fewer. The game gives you no way to talk inside it either, so if you are not in the same room you will need a call running alongside it. That sounds like a hurdle, and it is, but it is also what makes the game work. Everything in it, from the puzzles to the story's decisions, is built around two people actually communicating.
Made for exactly two people
If you want something to play with one specific person, this is about as tailored as co-op gets. You each need your own copy, you sit down for three or four hours, and the whole thing runs on your conversation: describing scenes, arguing over choices, laughing when you realize you have been talking past each other for ten minutes. Then play it a second time. The roles swap, you see the other side of every puzzle and story moment, and a short third run unlocks a secret ending. The second playthrough is where the story really pays off.
Questions you might have?
Can you play BOKURA solo or with a bot?
No. It is strictly a two-player game: one other person, on their own machine, with their own copy. If you are not sitting in the same room, you will also need voice chat, because the game has no built-in way to communicate.
How long does it take to finish?
A second run, where you swap roles and see the other player's side, takes roughly two to three since you know the puzzles. All in, the full experience fits comfortably inside ten hours.
Is it really necessary to play it twice?
Necessary is strong, but the second run is widely considered the best part. You take the other boy's perspective, so you see a completely different version of the puzzles and story moments you already know, and a third short run unlocks a secret ending. Half the game is invisible from one side alone.
Are both players' sides equally good?
Not quite. The animal world is the stronger side: clearer visuals, more to interact with, and a better sense of what is going on. The machine side can feel slower, with more waiting for the other player and less obvious information on screen. It is worth knowing before you pick who plays which world.
Is the story as cute as it looks?
The pixel art is adorable, but the story goes to darker places than the art suggests, with some unsettling and grotesque imagery along the way. It deals with real, heavy subjects through the eyes of two ten-year-old boys. The story divides people: some find it moving and surprisingly deep, others find it muddled.
