In the endless search for games to play with friends other than PEAK, I stumbled upon Biped 2. The sequel to a moderately successful coop action adventure game, the gameplay of these games feel like a hilarious challenge in and of themselves. Much like Baby Steps, for clarity, Biped 2’s mechanics are that of a literal walking simulator in which you put one of your two little robotic legs in front of the other in order to progress. Faced with a myriad of obstacles, hijinx ensue in each level, no matter the level of mastery of this type of peculiar gameplay. The best part? That this sequel amps the chaos by adding up to four players instead of the two in the first entry.
I do not like the word friendslop, first and foremost. I will say, though, that there is a kernel of truth in what this vulgar but succinct description of a certain genre of games has, which is experiences to share with friends that would otherwise not be as fun. Because what is not fun with friends? Comparing if a coop game should hold up as the same as playing it solo is missing the point. The goal of this genre is to ridicule you in the funniest way possible in front of your friends. To burst out laughing at your misery while failing to do one of the most mundane activities possible, like in Overcooked 2 or Moving Out 2. In Biped 2’s case, the simple act of walking is reason enough to crack up at you or your friends’ inability to do so.
The way Biped 2 basically works is by moving your left and right stick to pull each leg forward, sideways, or backwards, as the situation requires. This does not feel easy to do, at least in the beginning, while adapting to the purposefully obtuse control scheme. This leads to an easy to learn, hard to master approach in which even when you think you have the movement pinned down, a misplaced leg will cause your downfall more than once. In every one of the seventeen levels, several carefully placed gold coins enticing you to risk it all for a new cosmetic, to make sure your walking is rock solid is step one.
With a paper-thin story of having to light up some beacons across the Earth to save it, I really cannot blame Biped 2 for not focusing on it, because that is clearly not what we are here for. I will commend them for putting in an effort in the silly writing the NPC robots around you snarkily say to you. This allows for a varied number of biomes, from the Final Frontier to a jungle and so much more. Falling platforms, pushing rectangles, obstacles and items that you can grab by literally pulling up your leg throw all sorts of curveballs that will have you on your toes at all times.
Biped 2 is best played with its new four player mode, either in couch coop or online. Bumping and crashing with each other is all but assured, causing endlessly hilarious moments when collaboration is thrown out the window in favor of mayhem. Coordinating each step together sounds just as impossible as it actually is, but pulling it off ends up in being one of the most rewarding coop experiences out there. In the end, after an embarrassing amount of chaotic tries, finally being able to connect with your fellow quirky robots to be able to progress onto the next area—more difficult than the last—is what it is all about. Because what is friendslop, if not the hearty laughs we make along the way.
Biped 2 is now available for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X and PC via Steam.
Thank you to our partners at PR agency UberStrategist for the review code.
