The colourful and uplifting trailer is what got me interested in SOPA: Tale of the Stolen Potato and also the fact that it seemed like a short game, perfect to take on in between bigger releases. It also reminded me of Lost in Play, a quirky adventure with a focus on movie-like animations that doesn’t overstay its welcome.
We all need a good palate cleanser every now and then, and this South American tale of retrieving a potato stolen by a frog seemed like just what I needed.
ℹ️ Reviewed on Xbox Series X | Review code provided by the developer. This review is the personal opinion of the writer. Got unanswered questions about this game?
| Developer | StudioBando |
| Publisher | StudioBando |
Things I liked!
- Colourful & light-hearted | The story is about Miho going into a magical pantry in search of a stolen potato, which was snagged by a mischievous frog. It never takes itself seriously and at no point does Miho seem too surprised about the next crazy adventure he finds himself in. He just goes along with the madness, as do all other characters in the game. And I love that.
- Animations & Facial expressions | Perhaps what I loved most about the game were the over-the-top facial expressions of all characters. It really feels like feature animation quality at times and it adds a lot of character. From the hat-wearing frogs to the way the dog looks at you in the opening:
- Short but sweet | I’ll get back to this later, but I liked how SOPA didn’t overstay its welcome. It was just long enough for me, through I can see the short runtime being the biggest issue for other players.
- Mostly fun list of achievements | I can appreciate it when the achievements aren’t just given to you for beating the story, but require some experimentation. There is one skill-based achievement that asks you not to hit any rocks while steering a bathtub through wild waters that I think will forever stay below 1% completion, because it just seems too impossible to pull off, but all the others just require interacting with the world in interesting ways. Like paying attention to your grandmother’s stories and being quizzed by her for actually listening.
- Attempts at humor | I never really had to laugh at the game, but it’s silly enough in its presentation and the situations and characters you come across, that I was amused the entire way through. I also didn’t mind the mumbling, which, despite not using actual words, sounded surprisingly Portuguese.
Mixed & disliked!
- No clear hint system | SOPA falls into the classic adventure game trope of requiring a very specific solution to a problem, and usually it needs to be in the exact sequence the game intended you to follow. I only got stuck once in the game, and it was very early on, when I just didn’t figure out which box to add oil to so I could slide it across the floor. I needed to talk to a specific frog for it, and while I had received an in-game hint in the form of another frog telling me about using a lubricant, it doesn’t give you that hint as a quest or a notebook entry. It seems aimed at younger kids, but I could easily see most of them struggling to understand what exactly is expected of them if they don’t have prior adventure game experience.
- Not visually detailed | I liked the facial animations, but at the same time, SOPA feels like it’s missing some final polish. Human faces can look weird at times, the environments are pretty bare-bones, especially at the edges of levels, textures are rather bland, and there are some anti-aliasing issues here and there.
- It’s very short and has no replay value | I think this is a plus, but at the same time, the base price of the game is around €20 and you could easily beat it in just 2.5 hours, with no replay value other than picking up some missed achievements. There is also no “Select Chapter option” at the end of the game and you can no longer go back into the magical world on your completed save, so if you miss a particular achievement or two, you’ll need to replay the entire game from scratch…
How long did I play the review before publishing? 4 hours
How long to beat the story? 3 hours
How many Achievements did I earn before publishing? 840/1000
How long to achieve 1000G | ~4 hours
You’ll love this game if you like these | Lost in Play, Before Your Eyes, Venba
CONCLUSION
Score: 68/100
SOPA serves up a whimsical broth of hat-wearing frogs, stolen potatoes, and love for the adventure genre, but it feels just a little light on seasoning and should have stewed for a little while longer.
Definitely worth picking up in a sale if you’re looking for a short adventure with a light-hearted tone, just know that it won’t keep you busy for long.
Robby lives and breathes video games. When he’s not playing them, he’s talking about them on social media or convincing other people to pick up a controller themselves. He’s online so often, he could practically list the internet as his legal domicile. Belgian games-industry know-it-all.
