Quico is teleported to a magical land where he must guide a monster to salvation. But it is not easy work. The monster is, at best, indifferent to its plight, and Quico must cope not only with the obstacles in the world but the challenges that a monster inevitably brings.
1. Gameplay
Sometimes a game is entertaining not because of some unique mechanics or intricate plot but because of its depth and ability to convey a message or event from the designer. Papo & Yo is one of those games. It follows Quico as he deals with an apathetic and often difficult monster. You will, at times, have to practically lead the monster on a leash to get him to do what you need to progress. 
The entire game is an allegory for the lead designer’s childhood. Like Quico, the designer had an abusive, alcoholic father. Papo & Yo is a way to convey some of what it was like to deal with that kind of monster, and the revelations about the situation that the developer ultimately learned. It’s a somber story but it’s not depressing.
At its core, this is a solid game. I didn’t regret playing it. But it wasn’t really the kind of thing I would recommend to anyone looking for a great experience. If you want a game that tells a great story, Heavy Rain is a better game. If you want a game that has a solid message on society and life, you might be better served playing Gone Home or even Divinity: Dragon Commander. If you want a game with great puzzles, Uncharted 3 or Puzzle Agent would be more up your alley.
A number of the puzzles were really cool, though.
I think this is just an example of a game that does a few things very well, but nothing truly great. I enjoyed playing it, but it would be tough for me to recommend it to anyone else.
This game is pretty short. It offers a few hours of gametime at most and very little replay value. It’s an inexpensive indie game though, so you get what you pay for. It’s good for a few hours in an afternoon, but it isn’t going to last any longer than that even for achievements.
While the puzzles in this game weren’t always initially obvious, I never required a guide to finish this game. The only progression-stopping bugs I encountered were fixed by restarting from the previous checkpoint. Overall, there wasn’t much to be frustrated about.
2. Parental Notices
This game is almost completely devoid of violence, but it is included in a few key ways. The most obvious is when the monster eats a frog. Eating a frog causes the monster to go into a violent rage. He will instantly chase Quico and try to attack him. If he catches Quico, the monster will grab him, shake him around a bit, and then throw him. There doesn’t seem to be any permanent damage from this and Quico never died. 
This could be simply a metaphor for emotional pain rather than physical.
The only other thing that can be even remotely described as violence is when Quico throws a frog against a wall. This causes the frog to splat and a bit of green blood is seen.
Sexuality is not a factor in this game.
This is a game about addiction and substance abuse, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that substances are a factor. However, for most of the game they remain cleverly veiled behind placeholder objects. Alcohol is replaced with colorful green frogs. If the monster eats the frogs, he goes into an alcohol-induced rage. 
No, you stupid monster! Don't eat that!
The end of the game reveals this to the player, just in case this wasn’t made obvious enough in the rest of the game.
Bottle of Jack, anyone?
Gambling is not a factor in this game.
3. Other Factors
There are no modding tools available for this game.
Part of the game will involve Quico trying to find a shaman who can get rid of the monster’s rage forever. However, it turns out that the shaman doesn’t actually exist. 
Somehow you use the extracted rage to revive your friend/toy.
At one point, Quico and his friend go to an altar and try to extract the rage through prayer and by trying to injure the monster.
Basically, aliens.
Anti-law is not a factor in this game.
There are no multiplayer modes for this game.
Extreme sports are not a factor in this game.
Magic is a factor in certain parts of this game. While it is a minor factor when it comes to the jetpack toy and the monster, it’s most obvious when Quico is trying to extract the anger from the monster in order to revive his toy. This involves a ritual where the anger is extracted as fire from the monster.
Sometimes there are doors that allow Quico to teleport from one location to another. It’s like bending time and space, but without any sort of scientific explanation.
It could have been fun to put that into some puzzles too.
There are no additional factors in this game.
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