Only with Xbox Game Pass would I go on a wild journey to chase after a frog that stole my Nana’s potatoes

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I just finished playing Winter Burrow and was still in the mood for unique indie games, so I picked another one I’d been meaning to try. That game was SOPA: Tale of the Stolen Potato, a charming and short story-driven adventure about a boy trying to catch a frog that’s made off with his potatoes.

Hopefully, that quick overview shows you that SOPA has the same imaginative spark I love in small indie games. It took me a little over three hours to finish, and every minute was packed with clever puzzles, charming stories, and memorable moments.

Similar to my experience with Winter Burrow, SOPA isn’t flawless, and the ending feels a bit rushed. However, I’m glad I played it. It’s great that SOPA: Tale of the Stolen Potato was added to Xbox Game Pass this year, and it’s also available on Xbox and PC with Play Anywhere.

A wild feast of childlike imagination

I’m Miho, though that’s likely not my given name. My life is full of unanswered questions and hidden details – for example, I’m being raised by my grandmother, Nana, and no one really explains why.

It quickly becomes clear you’re still a child. This isn’t just about your perspective, but also how others react to what you do. You approach everything with a young person’s curiosity, but Miho tends to respond with the disinterest of someone who needs constant thrills and enjoyment.

You can run quickly, but it seems like objects in Nana’s house don’t react well to you – they respond to your energetic movements as a child, and Nana will tell you off for it. You’ll likely notice this strange behavior even before the main story, SOPA, begins, as the game is subtly preparing you for the bizarre adventure ahead.

You’ll see SOPA lay the groundwork for the nonsensical adventure you’ll embark on.

It’s going to be quite an adventure, all starting with a simple request from Nana: help her make sancocho, a delicious and hearty Latin American soup (some call it a stew!). Your mission? Just grab one potato from a bag hidden in the back of the pantry. Sounds easy, right?

Don’t wait until your pantry becomes a terrifying, endless maze, where even a frog in a hat is stealing your potatoes. And definitely don’t let a fight over those potatoes lead you on a spooky journey through the pantry, ending with you lost and defeated by a rushing river. Basically, restock before things get completely out of hand.

All of that, and this is where SOPA: Tale of the Stolen Potato finally begins.

Perfectly bite-sized, but a little abruptly ended

As an analyst, I’ve spent some time with *SOPA: Tale of the Stolen Potato*, and it’s a relatively short experience. Because of that, I won’t be doing a deep dive into the story and gameplay just yet – I want to uncover all of its mysteries first. However, I can tell you right now that *SOPA* is likely to be a surprisingly enjoyable game.

This game is a straightforward adventure with simple, though sometimes clunky, controls. It doesn’t quite fit into the puzzle or mystery genres, but it hints at elements of both, leaving you with a sense of intrigue.

I don’t want to give away too much about the game. Just try interacting with everything you see and talking to all the characters – you’ll probably figure things out that way, especially if you approach it with a playful, childlike mindset. While the game’s core concepts aren’t entirely new, the way they’re combined is strange enough to feel groundbreaking… initially.

There’s a grander story behind SOPA, but you don’t see the full picture while playing.

SOPA challenges you to approach problems with simple, childlike thinking. We often limit ourselves with ideas about what’s ‘realistic’ or ‘grown-up.’ You’ll succeed in SOPA by doing something without overthinking it, and discovering that it works simply because it does – not everything needs a complicated explanation.

Despite its seemingly chaotic and whimsical nature, SOPA actually hints at a deeper story—at least on the surface. The game’s official description even states that players are following the path of a ‘mysterious great traveler’.

SOPA: Tale of the Stolen Potato struggles to clearly convey its message, almost as if it was added as an afterthought. This is especially noticeable with the abrupt ending – the game just stops with a short, confusing cutscene. While the game hints at a larger story, it never fully comes together. Despite this, I still had a lot of fun playing it.

SOPA: The Tale of the Stolen Potato is out now on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Windows PC, as well as on handheld devices like the Xbox Ally. You can also play it with Xbox Game Pass if you want to help recover the stolen potato!

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2025-12-09 15:42