Wuppo

*Wuppo* is a 2D Indie action platformer developed by Knuist & Perzik, a two-man team from the Netherlands. Development began in 2009, officially releasing on Steam in September 2016 with several trailers (and even a contest) in-between. You can find its Steam page here.

Taking place in a bright, colorful, hand-drawn world, *Wuppo* focuses on the story of a lone *Wum* traveling the world in search of a new home. You'll fight numerous enemies, encounter charming creatures, collect countless items, and uncover secrets about the world's rich history all while listening to an ever-changing soundtrack by Thomas de Waard. The game can loosely be described as a platforming adventure-game hybrid, with the game putting lots of emphasis on dialogue and exploration, with the occasional boss fight to spice things up. Notably, the game contains many simulationist elements, such as a train system that runs real-time independently of the player, a Day-Night cycle, and a theme park that features lines you have to physically stand in while waiting for your turn on the rides. All of this adds up to create a world that is surprisingly detailed and well realized for a game as simple-looking as this.

In 2021, a competitive multiplayer spin-off game entitled *Wuppo: Breft Festival (Forever)* was announced. Its Steam page is here, and its Kickstarter page is here.

**Other Stuff Spoilers!**

* Abnormal Ammo: Between all the paint and mud lies the Newspaper Cannon - a device that ejects bundles of recent media and crossword puzzles with enough force to push its wielder back.
* Amusement Park: Wondersplenk. It does a great job of emulating a real one - it has a ticket-like currency in the form of Splenkhakker coins, souvenir shops, lineups, minigames, and rides!
* Anthropomorphic Food: King Cone, a boss fought in the Wumhouse, and Murk, fought at Dorst Cafe.
* Big Bad Duumvirate: Bankkrent and Chef Fnaquere. Chef Fnaquere is the Brains, being the mastermind behind the Fnakkers' feud with the other races. Bankkrent is the Brawn; he's the Final Boss, but is more of an Almighty Idiot who doesn't seem to be entirely aware of the consequences of his actions.
* Big Good: Redav Kned, a creature from the Krenkktorium that wants to link his world and the game's together in order to share ideas and objects. He's a Nice Guy, though, and works in opposition to the Bankkrent.
* Bilingual Bonus: Most names are either Dutch or Dutch sounding words:
	+ Allesweter = Allknower.
	+ Allesdenker = Allthinker.
	+ Blusser = Fire Extingusher.
	+ Bankkrent = Term for expired food you find under the furniture.
	+ Denksnavel = Thinkbeak.
	+ Dorst Cafe = Thirst Cafe.
	+ Redav Kned = Father Think, written backwards.
	+ Tussen Dimension = In-Between Dimension.
* Blackout Basement: It's incredibly hard, but possible, to make it through the tunnel without a light source. The only light throughout these caves are the glowing jellyfish creatures and the occasional bio-luminescent plants.
* Bonus Boss:
	+ Bram, the monster in Dorst Caffe, and the Traffic Light With Fists (TLWF) do not need to be defeated to progress the story.
	+ Zwepel, the Ultimate Pumpkin Nightmare is a secret boss that can only be fought after beating the game.
* Boss-Only Level: The Flipside.
* Boss Rush: Unlocked after beating the game.
* Character Development: Carlo, the Wumhouse's customer service Wum. At the beginning of the game, he's clearly not impressed with ice-cream Wum's messy behavior and even has the guards forcibly extract them from the Wumhouse. When you manage to get back in, he's still angry - but somewhat sympathetic - toward you. It only gets better from here, as explained in his diary filmstrips.
* Chekhov's Gun: The game will frequently call back to itself as the plot progresses. For example, you obtain a hat very early on that is *specifically* mentioned to resemble a fnakker. When the Popo City drill breaches the Sinkhole wall, you can disguise yourself as a Fnakker by wearing said hat.
* Chekhov's Gunman: The Wum's who man the projectors: the Allesweter and the Allesdenker. You later encounter the Allesfnakker in the Sinkhole, and he is the only one of the three projector masters that will reward you for showing him the Blione filmstrip- which you obtained all the way back at the very beginning of the game.
* Charged Attack: The Bazooka.
* Digital Piracy Is Evil: If the game detects you've pirated it, all shopkeepers will call you out and lecture you to stop. They'll even make items free if you show no remorse, to make you feel less accomplished. "Heyyyy, it's my all time favorite thief, also known as my least favorite customer!"
* Double Jump: The Wum and most other races are capable of this from the start.
* Dressing as the Enemy: When you enter the sinkhole, you'll need to wear a pot helmet to avoid being spotted.
* Easter Egg: Bufter, the salesman. He's hidden in the demo version of the game.
* Eldritch Location: Krenktorium, and the Tussen dimension to a extent.
* Failure Is the Only Option: At the start of the game, Carlos reminds you of the time you spilled ice-cream through the entire hallway and warns you specifically not to do it again. Guess what happens when the ice-cream starts dripping?
* Fantastic Racism: Subverted. While the Wums are the most plentiful and intelligent of the planet's races, they don't have any problems with the others for the most part. The Bliones are hostile but can be negotiated with, the Kneft are vermin akin to rats, and the Wums have a positive relationship with the Splenkhakkers and Blussers. The Fnakkers, on the other hand, are an entire race of belligerent Jerkasses who want to rule over the rest of the races. Their inability to share with the other three major races of the planet led them to getting tossed into the sinkhole. Wums now have a pretty severe hatred of the fnakkers by the time the game begins.
* Fortune Teller: The Splenkhakker at *Fortunis Splenk* offers to read your future for Splenkhakker coins. The 'future' can be anything from actual glimpses ahead, hints on what to do, and even just flavorful trivia.
* Foreshadowing: Early on in the game, you can encounter the Sinkhole to the right of the ruins. If you note the placement of Popo City and the Wumhouse relative to the Sinkhole, you'll find that the Drill Hall leads *directly* into the Sinkhole.