Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato Review
Lighthearted South American adventure Sopa is full of warm Pixar and Ghibli charm.
Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato. Credit: StudioBando
Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato from indie developer StudioBando is a warm, charming adventure. Drawing inspiration from Spirited Away, The Little Prince, and Coco, it blends magical realism with South American folklore into a cozy experience that prioritizes heartfelt storytelling over mechanical complexity. The result is an endearing journey that succeeds more through its humor and atmosphere than its gameplay depth.
You are Miho, a rambunctious young boy visiting his grandmother. When Miho reaches into the pantry for a potato to make his grandmother's soup, a frog in a fedora steals the whole bag, and Miho discovers the pantry is a portal into a magical world. What follows is a 4-hour magical journey.
Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato. Credit: StudioBando
The game excels as a straightforward 3D adventure with LucasArts-style puzzle logic. Talk to characters, figure out what they need, find the right item, and move forward. The writing is consistently funny, full of absurd situations and witty dialogue. My favorite sequence involves Miho accidentally negotiating a tour boat fare down to free through a series of unintentionally perfect responses, a genuinely hilarious bit that showcases the game's strongest quality: its warm humor.
While I enjoyed the adventure side of the game, I didn’t feel that way about the action. An extended river rafting segment early in the game drags on far too long, requiring you to dodge obstacles while the controls feel sluggish and imprecise. It's a momentum killer that the game would've been better without, especially since the puzzle-solving and character interactions are so much better. To cater to those strengths, sequences like this should just be brief cutscenes instead.
Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato. Credit: StudioBando
Visually, Sopa captures that Ghibli-meets-Coco aesthetic beautifully. The art style uses soft, painterly colors and gentle lighting that creates a genuinely warm atmosphere. Miho’s grandmother's kitchen, bathed in golden light, is a great example of that warmth. Character designs are expressive and charming, from Miho's wide-eyed curiosity to the various talking frogs who populate the magical world with distinct personalities. The South American-inspired environments feel alive with detail. The soundtrack complements the magical atmosphere perfectly.
Sopa is warm and comforting. The humor carries the experience, the visuals create a genuinely inviting world, and the themes about family and legacy resonate emotionally. It's a cozy adventure perfect for a relaxed evening.
Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato is available now on Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox One / Series X|S.
Overall Score: 6/10
Played on: Steam Deck
