Apparently the grandest of adventures can start over the oddest of material objects. Namely, in ‘SOPA – Tale of the Stolen Potato’, developer StudioBando has us take on the role of a young boy named Miho as he attempts to help his Nana finish her soup. All she needs is a potato, but the pantry where said potato lies is actually a portal of sorts to another world where frogs muck about and Nana’s potato sack is now nowhere to be found thanks to a purple frog with a big attitude. But seeing that Miho only needs one potato, he sets out to get it in this bizarre world of 3D adventure goodness.
SOPA is a short 3D adventure game with plenty of cinematics in-between, showcasing the game’s lovely visual style, pleasant cumbia-styled beats, and fantastic animation work. Miho will find himself helping everyone as he hunts down the potato(es) his Nana patiently waits for. Really, she’s quite patient seeing as Miho is taken from rivers to markets and the like. And like every adventure game, you will need to think “inside the box” to complete the puzzles that stem from problems such as “I have ant grease, and no one wants it” to “I want my radio fixed but I won’t let you touch it so you can do so because reasons”.
The game’s puzzles are simple and so long as you interact with everything you find, you’ll connect the dots and find solutions in no time. Find things, use ’em on people and other things, or combine things together to make new things; the spirit of every adventure is within SOPA. One thing I really enjoyed about the game was just how silly the whole ordeal is—with the game hiding a bit more behind the scenes. I won’t go into spoiler territory but see what all the characters have to say—including Miho’s Nana! Don’t leave stones unturned and humour yourself with the dialogue choices you get. SOPA is a creative adventure and fans of the LucasArts genre of point ‘n clicks will find themselves at home in this little kid’s greatest adventure.
The only issue I took with this game is that it’s a bit of a technical mess. Movement feels janky, animations often skip frames, some audio fails to loop properly, and at one point I needed to plug in a controller to access Miho’s inventory, and I did experience a softlock towards the end of the game. Nothing game-breaking, but these little issues add up to make for a rather clumsy experience. Though I do appreciate the game giving all the actors in the world physicality as it gives the player a sense of presence within the world, especially when you’re in zones with lots of characters running about or in Nana’s house, where running into things might cause a ruckus. I love that bit of attention to detail.
SOPA – Tale of the Stolen Potato is a lovely adventure title that shows just how creative storytelling you can be with the smallest of foods. It encapsulates a piece of Latin America within its gorgeous art, enchanting music, and engaging puzzles. Technical issues do eventually compound to make for a bit of a cumbersome experience, but I can look past that to recommend this adventure to all. ∎
SOPA - Tale of the Stolen Potato
Played on
Windows 11 PC
PROS
- Lovely visuals and animation work.
- A fun story that all stems from a potato.
- Puzzles are simple and fun to figure out.
CONS
- Technical issues.
