Quick Verdict: SOPA – Tale of the Stolen Potato is short, sweet, and visually stunning. If you’re looking for a family-friendly option on game night that will keep your lil gamers busy but also speak to your Inner Child, this will be a win for the whole family. A code was provided for SOPA – Tale of the Stolen Potato by the publisher and it was played on PC.
A code was provided for SOPA – Tale of the Stolen Potato by the publisher and it was played on PC.

Game: SOPA – Tale of the Stolen Potato
Developer(s): StudioBando
Publisher: StudioBando
Review Score: 8
Cozy Score: 10
Price: $19.99
Pros: SOPA has top-notch storytelling and absolutely amazing graphics. But its true strength– the way it showcases unconditional familial love, and how it strengthens as you grow up, as you share traditions passed down through the generations– will make you want to hug your Nana tight.
Cons: If you’re prone to motion sickness, SOPA has aspects that may trigger it. You can turn off Motion Blur, which may help. The price is too high.
Platforms: PC
Genres: Point & click, adventure

If you’ve ever wanted to step into a time machine and bask in the glory of your childhood – especially your imagination – do I have a game for you It almost feels like magic. But as Once Upon A Time’s Rumplestiltskin famously said: “All magic comes with a price.” 

StudioBando’s SOPA – Tale of the Stolen Potato has decided the price to recapture your youth is $19.99 for about four hours of gameplay. I’m no economist, but given the price of everything else these days… well, whether or not it’s worth it will be totally up to you.

The thing is, it’s a really fun game. The story is simple, but it has deep roots. It feels like a classic Pixar movie, where the emotional core paves the way for your imagination.

Well, at least it shares its pricing with modern Pixar, I guess.

Our main character, Miho, isn’t a fan of soup. But when Nana asks him to fetch her potatoes from the pantry to make her special Sancocho, he reluctantly agrees. But when he dares to venture to the pantry, a shady purple frog is swiping Nana’s potatoes!

Miho follows the thief, determined to reclaim the potatoes for Nana, and finds himself flip-turned upside-down in a magical world that features such delightful oddities as talking frogs, carnivorous fish.

Also, the people and creatures. I can’t forget about Celia the cow and Jellyman the… well, I don’t know exactly what he is. But I would protect him with my life. who live inside that talking fish. The characters themselves are incredible, each of them well-defined within the story’s framework.

SOPA is an adventure for kids (and kids at heart)

SOPA - Tale of the Stolen Potato
SOPA – Tale of the Stolen Potato

If you played any of the Humongous Entertainment point-and-click adventures as a kid, SOPA feels like a more modern, streamlined version. The problems that would come up (like needing to find a boat to cross the river) are both actually simple and deceptively so. 

There is logic in this point-and-click, but you’ll have to remember how the little kid version of you would think to progress. For example, one of the tasks Miho has to complete is finding the date. There is an item showing this, but it’s too high up for Miho to reach. As an adult, my instinct would be to grab the chair that’s just a few feet away and have Miho stand on it to reach what he needs.

But the story (and gosh, do I love this game’s story. The fact that it knows exactly who its characters are is refreshing) has already established Miho as clumsy and uncoordinated, breaking multiple things in the opening scene as he runs through Nana’s house. 

Plus, he’s just a kid, so having him stand on a chair to reach for something would spell disaster. I had to remember myself (also a clumsy little kid) at Miho’s age and think about how I would have done things back then, because adult logic just doesn’t hold up when you’re on a quest to find a potato for Nana.

It was actually really surprising how everything fit together. The story, narrative choices, and point-and-click aspects are all bolstered by a flawless level design. Every little detail was handled with care, every inch rendered under the eye of a perfectionist. 

My favourite part was definitely the cave inside the fish. It was such a cool addition, and I loved it– if anyone from the studio sees this, please take your level designer out for dinner. They deserve it.

 Also, whoever made the decision to have two control schemes (keyboard and mouse, or controller) can come too. Its accessibility is just the cherry on top. 

As Miho’s journey unfolds, so too does his determination to see it through. At the start of the game, he’s afraid of everything (including the purple frog stealing those potatoes). By the end, there’s a newfound confidence about him. The character growth is so subtly woven into the story, I felt all warm and fuzzy once I’d finished.

Watch the trailer for SOPA – Tale of the Stolen Potato

Now, the ending does imply that we’re getting a sequel. Without dropping any spoilers: I cannot wait to return to this world. I really think SOPA is going to become a cozy game classic, just as essential to the genre as Animal Crossing or A Little to the Left. Just like Nana’s Sancocho, SOPA is a game that can be handed down through the generations. But if you’re watching your budget, wait for a sale.

While you’re here, check out the review I did for Cardamom: A Musical Visual Novel. It was equally as good, and the price was right!