CHOOK AND SOSIG: WALK THE PLANK
■ Adventure games are the ultimate in handcrafted experiences. Sure, your story may branch, based on choices made, but it’s not like they’re ever going to rely heavily on procedurally generated content (excluding some experimental text adventures on itch.io which may prove me wrong, as well as crossgenre titles on Steam). Otherwise, when playing an adventure, the designer is telling you a specific story. In Chook and Sosig: Walk the Plank, this process intensifies, because the action occurs via a board game, between friends.
Why do you sail to a goblin island? In one of several amusing cutscenes, the game master reveals they lost their pirate pieces but still had goblins. Can another player add their dinosaurs? No. At least, not in the free demo available on itch.io. I don’t always include unreleased games in the indie pages, but I do like soon-torelease games that you can sample now. I also found that there are four other Chook and Sosig games which are short, fun and “choose your own price” so it seems like a good time to connect you to them.
I’d recommend playing these games in order. The first is actually more of a quirky, visual novel with multiple, sequential endings. We meet Sosig, a former kitten star, and some of the ghosts. It is surprising, delightful and very silly. The second, A Case of Murder, addresses the murder of Sosig’s neighbour. It’s still, largely, a series of beautifully presented conversations, but you investigate by finding objects at crime scenes and making some narrative choices. You’re also introduced to Exley, who runs board game nights.
Interestingly, A Case of Murder is still unfinished, but the third title, Chook and Sosig: Hit the Club starts afresh and, this time, it’s more of a point and click adventure game. You’re on a quest to join Exley’s gaming group. Everything unfolds in the one room pub, but there’s a satisfying progression to conversation and logic. In a way I’ve come to expect, the fourth title then takes Chook and Sosig on holiday and is nothing to do with Exley’s group at all, before returning to the point I was originally trying to make, regarding the fifth, upcoming game.
The “game within a game” concept works cleverly, for this dialogue-heavy kind of adventure. Indeed, it’s as if the first few games practised mechanics and implementation, to arrive at Walk the Plank, which neatly combines them all. You solve puzzles in character, then view cutscenes of everyone playing at the table.
The Chook and Sosig series is mostly concerned with conversation and visual problem solving. It has that charming quality you’ll find in many indie adventures and is suitable to play with kids. I started developing a genuine affection for the gang and it’s nice when a game is simply about the healthy dynamic between good friends, rather than more challenging content. Card Hunter is another title that captured this in recent years. Due for release this year, Walk the Plank is for lovers of adventure games and easy friendships.