Steam surprise free game has 100 percent positive reviews

This brand new free game on Steam has earned itself an incredibly impressive score, with some users stating that it seems far too good to be true.

Thankfully it’s not, and there’s actually a pretty wholesome reason as to why this banger is being given away for free.

Poco is a point and click, exploration-focused puzzle game from developer Whalefall over on Steam-- and it currently has a "Very Positive" rating with a whopping 100% of the reviews being positive.

This isn’t the case of a game getting a 100% perfect score on a technicality because only 15 or so people have reviewed it either, as Poco currently has (as of writing) over 450 reviews.

But what exactly are the reviewers saying about the title?

“this game is an absolute gem, the imagery feels like stepping into a dream - vibrant, colorful, and full of charm”, writes reviewer pixie.

“the characters are beautifully crafted, each adding something unique to the journey. there’s a magical, almost whimsical atmosphere that makes the whole experience feel both fun and enchanting. it was absolutely adorable overall.”

“There is no possible way this game is free”, states reviewer Rocketcatz.

“Has great art, music, characters, puzzles, and a little bit of a dark twist. Great way to spend 2hrs!”

Alright, so, there must be some kind of catch, right? Why is a game as critically lauded as this being given away for free?

Well, there’s two reasons.

Firstly, it’s a student project. As the team behind the game states on the Kickstarter page for the game, Poco “is a university thesis project that must be completed by May 20, 2025 in order for the team to graduate.”

Secondly, as you might have guessed from the last paragraph, the game was partially funded through Kickstarter. Although it seems that the team always intended to give it away for free regardless, I’m sure the $2,600 they received from their backers still helped.

Either way, we get to get our hands on this cute little banger for free. Looks like the folks behind this project have bright futures ahead of them.