In Biped, you and a friend play as either Aku or Sila, two cute robots making their way through various colorful environments; lush forests, scorched deserts and icy mountains on a quest to activate some very important beacons. You use your controller's analog sticks (or mouse clicks) to control your robot’s two legs, and there’s not much else to worry about in terms of movement.
But these deceivingly simple controls are actually pretty challenging to master, and some of the more complex puzzles require perfect coordination if you’re racing against the clock.
Each level comes with several unique challenges that you need to solve if you want to advance further. Many of Biped’s puzzles center around gravity: huge spinning cylinders that you need to cross as they spin, unstable platforms that fall apart if both ends aren’t equally weighted, boxes that need to be passed on carefully, and other crazy stuff.
To beat the game's hardest levels, you need to be aware of your surroundings and communicate even the tiniest of maneuvers with your partner. Some platforms can only hold so much weight, so you need to coordinate your steps as closely as possible.
You’ll have to pull levers, balance on shaky tiles, and use ropes to swing through the air as you familiarize yourself with the robots’ sound of defeat when they fall to their doom—and you mess up your perfect score. And for the completionists, enjoy the challenge of timed coin-collection trials every now and then.
Speaking of perfect scores—Biped won’t make things easy for you. You might have reached the beacon and unlocked the next stage, but that doesn’t mean you’ve beaten the level. To make that claim, you’ll have to keep your deaths to a minimum of three, complete the stage in under four minutes, and collect all the shiny stars, some of which are very well hidden. The philosophy is simple; casual gameplay with skills to master for those who demand a challenge!
Biped’s levels come in two almost entirely different versions. The first is designed for two players, and the second is built with solo play in mind. And although you can, technically, complete quite a bit of content solo, you’ll likely have a lot more fun if you invite a friend to play with you. With Steam Remote Play, you can share a unique link and ask them to join the action even if they don’t own the game.
If you’re a perfectionist, you’ll likely spend quite some time revisiting levels after completing the main story. To unlock all of Biped’s cool hats and glasses, you’ll have to make an effort to collect all the gold coins you’ll find scattered across the world. If your goal is to earn all 15 achievements, well, make sure your controllers are fully charged.
If you’re feeling particularly creative, you can also try designing your own levels by arranging many of the game’s existing assets with the new level editor.
Which Biped level is your favorite, and why? Leave a comment below and let us know!