It's time for another game in the Games for Gaza bundle; this time I played co-open
co-open is a game where you play as a child going out on their first shopping trip alone. I played the game for an hour and did not manage to find and do everything, so it is certainly about more than just that. While you can just wander the store, grab some items, and cash out, you can also explore the store and talk to people. There's plenty to find and see and tasks people ask of you. There's phone numbers you can find and call on the phones as well. I ran out of time and checked out early, but the game has a flexible gameplay loop that you can certainly replay and look for the things you missed. (I spent most of my time circling the roof trying to find my friends' ball, I never did find it ;o; forgive me, bird friends.)
co-open falls neatly into the category of a 'cozy' game. The art style is charming, the atmosphere never gets too dark, everyone is friendly and has their pronouns pop on screen when you talk to them. There's cats wandering the store and the music is calming. The idea of letting a 5 or 6 year old kid wander a store alone put me off at first, but it's clear the world of co-open is one where you can do that without worry.
Gameplay wise, it is a first person exploration puzzle game where you talk to NPCs, collect items, and give those items to said NPCs. (or buy them!)
If you're into cute and cozy things you certainly can't go wrong here.
co-open costs $8.00USD, or you can get it and over 200 other projects for $10USD in the bundle. (which is growing even closer to its goal!)
