I have a love/hate relationship with Pico Park 2

If you’re looking for a new and very fun game to play with friends, or you want something to give you an excuse to scream out your frustrations, then may I recommend Pico Park 2?

I know that sounds like an incredibly contradictory statement, but if you’ve ever played Pico Park 2 or the original, then you’ll probably understand my position. I love this game. It’s adorable, it makes me laugh, and it’s incredibly fun to play with up to eight friends. But I also hate it, it frustrates me like nothing else, and I have a four-year-old and a kitten, so that’s really saying something. 

I’m pretty sure that the love outweighs the hate in my relationship with Pico Park 2, because regardless of how much it frustrates me in one playing session, I always want to go back for another. The definition of insanity is doing something repeatedly and expecting a different result. I guess I must be insane, because I will always go back for more when it comes to Pico Park. 

It’s not a rage game, at least I’m pretty sure it’s not supposed to be, but can you imagine getting eight people together in a level where you’re not allowed to touch each other because doing so will kill you? How about getting eight people moving around and trying to figure out where you are in a room filled with randomly moving characters? The rage is inevitable, but so is the laughter.

Some levels prevent you from moving as long as someone else is. This isn’t so bad with two or three players, but it’s a nightmare with eight. And then you have to consider the fact the platforms are continuously pushing anyone who isn’t moving backwards towards certain death. Can you see where the frustration comes in to play here? 

Then, to add more chaos to the mix, one of the levels has everyone die if more than one person moves at once, and another lets you move only when you can’t see what you’re doing. These three levels are all part of world seven which, if you can’t tell, is not one of my favorites. 

I’ve been playing to write this, and in order to get the screenshots that accompany this article, and once again I have reached the point of rage quitting a pixel platformer puzzle game. But I don’t want that to put you off, because before you rage quit, you’ll have a ton of fun and laugh until your sides hurt. 

Pico Park is also a great test of communication skills, and a bizarrely sado-masochistic bonding experience. You know the age old relationship ‘test’ of building Ikea furniture together to see if you can get through an argument? I can only assume that whoever came up with that had never played Pico Park with their partner.

If none of this phases you, or you’re up for the challenge, then you can play Pico Park 2 now. It’s available on Nintendo Switch, PC (via Steam), Mac, and Xbox One. Have fun, and remember, you can do this.