Finding Polka – A Game that Makes You Pick Up Poo

“Outside of a dog, a book is man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read.” – Groucho Marx

Overview

Finding Polka offers a unique take on the hidden object genre, blending traditional mechanics of the genre with exploration, adventure, and puzzles! Players take on the role of Frendy in a bid to help her find an elusive dog named Polka.

Narrative

Finding Polka begins when Frendy, and her dachshund, Jazz, spot a French bulldog who bears an uncanny resemblance to her childhood pet, Polka. Before they know it, the dog is sprinting away, and the pair find themselves embarking on a wild goose chase to find the slippery pooch. The story is delightful, with occasional emotional moments as well as a touch of the abstract and surreal.

The game contains no dialogue or spoken words, and characters express themselves via expressions, simple gestures, and sound effects. As such, the narrative is told largely through the gameplay, making it very accessible.

Gameplay

Finding Polka boasts simple but engaging gameplay. The controls are minimal, allowing players to walk, interact, and zoom in and out as they explore 17 different levels, each with a different theme, such as a farm, a city, or even Area 51! The levels allow for some exploration and for players to choose the order and pace at which they do different things; however, environmental objects are often used to form barriers, limiting the playable space. This works quite well to provide extra context and place the level within a wider world without giving the player an excess of space that would become tedious to search.

Within each level, there are several activities that Frendy and Jazz can partake in. Unlike a lot of hidden object games, there is no pre-prescribed list of things to find. Alternatively, there are a number of NPCs requiring assistance, which will more often than not mean finding something that they need, sometimes involving light puzzle elements; on delivery, players are rewarded with a hearty high-five! As a dog owner, Frendy will also need to sporadically clean up poop or pee that Polka has left behind, a thankless but necessary task! Various mini-games are available solely for fun and do not affect story progression; these include whack-a-mole, mini golf, football, boat racing, and many more! The activity with the most impact on the game is finding photos of dogs dotted throughout the levels, and locating all of them will unlock a different ending.

Styling

Finding Polka boasts a charming art style, hand-drawn using ballpoint pen, giving it a wholesome, personal touch. It uses a limited colour palette of mostly black and white on cream, with significant objects indicated with yellow. There are occasional pops of other colours, such as a vibrant pink for the hearts that appear after completing a task for an NPC.

The soundtrack is quite varied, ranging from relaxing to upbeat, to 80s guitar, and eventually, slightly discordant and tension-building numbers. Mostly, players will be listening to background music, but if they pause too long, Frendy will get out her boombox and treat players to some diegetic hip-hop-style tracks. The sound effects are adorable and wonderfully implemented, really helping to breathe extra life into the various characters and environments.

Summary

Overall, Finding Polka is a fun way to spend 3-4 hours. It offers satisfying gameplay that draws on a range of genres, beautifully hand-drawn art, a clean, stylised aesthetic, and eclectic and thoughtful sound design. Its cute, endearing characters add emotional oomph to the relatable narrative that centres on friendship, love, a nd perseverence. I thoroughly enjoyed my time finding Polka, and I’d happily recommend this game to anyone who enjoys casual gaming experiences, particularly fans of puzzle, hidden object, and light adventure games.

Looking for more hidden object games with a slight twist? You may also enjoy these reviews:
Nippets – A Planet Full of Cats – Lost and Found Co. – Cats in Time