$11.99Pankapu A storybook dream with a sword
Fight through a child's dreams as a tiny warrior, switching between three fighting forms to hold back the Nightmare.
Is Pankapu worth it?
Pankapu is worth it if…
- you want a platformer that is charming and pretty more than punishing
- you like stories told in two layers, with a sad truth under a fairy tale
- you enjoy revisiting levels once a new ability opens paths you could not reach before
- you have a soft spot for the look and feel of 90s platformers
Screenshots
A dream you fight through
Nightmares have invaded the dream, and you are the Dreamkeeper sent to clear them out. You run and jump through an oneiric world with a taste of the 90s about it: bright, surreal, and drawn by hand, from the hero to the bubble-shaped enemies to the leaves drifting past on the later levels. Each area carries its own weather and its own music, so no two stages feel alike. Combat stays simple and quick: cut enemies down with your sword, and as new Aegis forms open up, swap between them in real time to match whatever the dream throws at you next. It is a pretty game that never forgets to be a game.
A bedtime story with a shadow under it
The story is told like a fable read to a child, and it works on two levels at once. On the surface there is the tale of Pankapu: epic, a little naive, a little funny, the kind of adventure a kid would love. Underneath it sits the real story of Djaha'rell, a child troubled by a tragic incident, and the further you push into the dream, the more the two tales start to speak to each other. Clues about what really happened are tucked into the dream itself, and collecting what the levels hide fills in the darker parts. It is a gentle platformer on the outside with something genuinely sad at its core, which is a rarer combination than it should be.
Can you play it solo?
Can you play it solo?
Yes. Pankapu is built as a singleplayer adventure: you guide the Dreamkeeper through the dream on your own, at your own pace. The story unfolds whether you rush the levels or stop to poke every corner, and nothing requires another player beside you.
How difficult is it?
On the gentle side. The platforming asks you to think a little and the level design layers its challenges nicely, but most of the game moves at a relaxed pace, with plenty of checkpoints so a mistake never costs you much. It suits players who want a pleasant few evenings rather than a fight for their lives.
What is the story about?
You hear it as a fable, the kind read aloud at bedtime, while the darker real-world tale slowly comes into focus underneath. The two readings together are what give the game its weight.
Is there anything to do besides finishing levels?
Plenty. Each level hides collectibles and secret spots, and some of them only open once a later ability arrives, which gives the game its metroidvania streak: you can go back through earlier stages and reach what you missed. There are also bestiary entries to fill in as you defeat enemies, so the dream keeps a record of everything you have met.
