BOKURA, The Puzzle-Adventure Game For Two

Test your teamwork and solving skills with alternate worlds

The Puzzle Game That Leaves You Questioning Your Reality

Bring In A Player Two For This One

BOKURA (違う冬のぼくら in Japanese, translated to Us in a Different Winter) is a tale of two young childhood friends who have their own separate family issues, and wanting to leave all those problems behind, decide to run away from home together. As a last hurrah, they then concoct a plot to destroy the statue of the town mayor’s head on a nearby mountain. Unfortunately, their plan is cut short when they come across a dead deer. The mere sight of the deer causes them to pass out…and they wake up to find themselves in worlds unfamiliar.

The gameplay is the kicker here, as it requires two players on two separate gadgets to function, and can only be played that way. The Steam page explicitly says, “Players must communicate with each other to play this game. If you are not playing in the same location, you will need another communication method, such as voice chat. Before buying the game, please keep in mind that the game itself does not provide a separate communication method.”

In short, you and your player two have to work together to solve puzzles. Easy enough, right? Well, the catch here is that you and your partner-in-crime see two wholly different alternate universes. What you see on your side of the screen is not what your partner sees on theirs, hence the need to play on two separate devices. One sees a colorful world of animals, while the other sees a more gloomy world of machines. Their reality is not one and the same.

The game then encourages both players to work together and overcome the evident differences, while also reliving the boys’ childhood through their story.

A Whimsical Adventure By A Whimsical Developer

Japanese developer tokoronyori (ところにょり) is no stranger to the indie space. Known for his original distinctive style and games full of mystery such as Lonely Planet, farewell planet, and renal summer, he specializes in an interesting way of storytelling through game mechanics and a delightful pixel art style.

Most of his games were released for mobile and in Japanese, but BOKURA is the second of his works released in English and on PC, the first being farewell planet / おわかれのほし. And he is determined to create more of these games that give its players an experience to remember. “For example, I would like to collaborate with other creators to make games that incorporate the imagination of people other than myself, games for smartphones that incorporate functions unique to smartphones, games that can only be experienced on the new devices that will replace smartphones, games that offer a solid world view and story, movies and games that offer a solid experience, and games that are genuinely fun to play. I also want to make games that are like movies and novels, where the view of the world and the story can be experienced.”

But for now, we’d have to wait a little longer for more from tokoronyori—”There are so many things I want to do and create, so for now, I would like to take care of my health and eat lots of tomatoes and broccoli,” he says in an interview with Kodansha Creators’ Lab.

You And Your Partner Against The World

BOKURA is an interesting little puzzle-adventure game with stunning pixel graphics and a unique premise, focusing on teamwork with you and your partner, and understanding the different perspectives you both have. Sometimes you may clash, sometimes you may get frustrated because they’re not looking at things the way you are—but it can be solved when clashes are resolved amicably and through thorough communication. It’s an intriguing tale that may hit a little close to home.

Overall, BOKURA is a hidden gem with a storytelling flair and narrative that manages to deliver an experience to remember, just as tokoronyori intended it to do.

BOKURA is available on PC (Steam), Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android. Additionally, to play with your player two, they must also own a copy of the game as well.