Kokohore! Pukka: Dig-a-Dig Pukka
released on Dec 07, 2000
Reviews View More
This is a game I was actually able to complete, despite not knowing Japanese. However, I couldn't have done it without the help of a full playthrough on Youtube by someone named "ゲーム道場恐山", as well as this site: http://gamepukka.com/g001_dig-pukka.html.
Overall, it's a strange kind of game, in that I wouldn't necessarily recommend people go out of their way to play it, even though I personally enjoyed it.
You play as a shrew-like creature, named Pucca, who is sent by some agency to mine minerals across these different planets (despite translating from my translator to stars, you can walk on them). Each of these planets has a different theme, and each one has its own gimmicks. The goal of each planet is to get the "cosmic stone", the gem hidden in the innermost cavern of the planet.
Like the 2 "Pet in TV" games, which this game serves as kind of a sequel too (source: http://www.psxdatacenter.com/games/J/D/SCPS-10133.html under "manufacturer's description") an important gameplay gimmick of this game is that Pucca doesn't know what kind of objects he comes across. In other words, he can be a total idiot. Many times throughout the course of the game, Pucca thought a rock was food, and a piece of literal poop treasure. What you have to do in this game is this: everytime you DIRECT him to an object (if he goes up to it on his own, he will just assume its whatever he thinks it is), he will ask a question asking if it is what he thinks it is, to which you must answer accordingly. If you say no, you have to clarify what it is, if its treasure, trash, a cave, food, something pushable, etc. Basically, if it has a little glowing halo around it, it's worth something, if that doesn't show up, it's trash. It took me a while to learn this part of the game.
Although I haven't played many pet simulators, I assume this game deserves that label. In this game, Pucca will wander around, generally doing whatever the heck he wants, unless you direct him. This can make the game a frustrating but funny experience, for example whenever he sees a kiwi bird and thinks its a cave. The fun of the gameplay comes from directing Pucca towards the right outcome. To demonstrate his learning, he can take tests, but not tests where you choose the answer. Rather, Pucca answers for you based on what he learned on the field. I still have no idea, after finishing the game, what the tests even unlock, by the way.
Another fun part of the game is customization. The main ship in the game, I think it's called "the bug", you can customize, with different "themes", there's even a horror theme. Also, if you ever get sick of the basic music playing, which trust me, you will, you can change the BGM. The tracks can get pretty... experimental. They are pretty fun to listen to.
Gripes:
My main gripe with this game is how oblique it can be for non-Japanese speakers, or even Japanese speakers. You have to activate these events, which aren't always obvious, in order to reach the next areas. Also, if you are going to play this game, DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT buy the backpack with a rainbow on the back, it has a hole in it so all the treasure you collected will fall out. You may end up going into debt and getting the bad ending, and it's terrifying.
Another problem with this game is the daily time limit. Pukka has to be back by evening, or when he levels up, night. It can get annoying, and makes gameplay a tedious thing. Often, I was in the middle of digging into the ground, only for time to run out, and sometimes the parts I dug would not respawn.
However, these gripes don't break the game. Still, this game takes a lot of patience. If you fall under it's eclectic charm though, it's worth playing if even for a little bit.
Overall, it's a strange kind of game, in that I wouldn't necessarily recommend people go out of their way to play it, even though I personally enjoyed it.
You play as a shrew-like creature, named Pucca, who is sent by some agency to mine minerals across these different planets (despite translating from my translator to stars, you can walk on them). Each of these planets has a different theme, and each one has its own gimmicks. The goal of each planet is to get the "cosmic stone", the gem hidden in the innermost cavern of the planet.
Like the 2 "Pet in TV" games, which this game serves as kind of a sequel too (source: http://www.psxdatacenter.com/games/J/D/SCPS-10133.html under "manufacturer's description") an important gameplay gimmick of this game is that Pucca doesn't know what kind of objects he comes across. In other words, he can be a total idiot. Many times throughout the course of the game, Pucca thought a rock was food, and a piece of literal poop treasure. What you have to do in this game is this: everytime you DIRECT him to an object (if he goes up to it on his own, he will just assume its whatever he thinks it is), he will ask a question asking if it is what he thinks it is, to which you must answer accordingly. If you say no, you have to clarify what it is, if its treasure, trash, a cave, food, something pushable, etc. Basically, if it has a little glowing halo around it, it's worth something, if that doesn't show up, it's trash. It took me a while to learn this part of the game.
Although I haven't played many pet simulators, I assume this game deserves that label. In this game, Pucca will wander around, generally doing whatever the heck he wants, unless you direct him. This can make the game a frustrating but funny experience, for example whenever he sees a kiwi bird and thinks its a cave. The fun of the gameplay comes from directing Pucca towards the right outcome. To demonstrate his learning, he can take tests, but not tests where you choose the answer. Rather, Pucca answers for you based on what he learned on the field. I still have no idea, after finishing the game, what the tests even unlock, by the way.
Another fun part of the game is customization. The main ship in the game, I think it's called "the bug", you can customize, with different "themes", there's even a horror theme. Also, if you ever get sick of the basic music playing, which trust me, you will, you can change the BGM. The tracks can get pretty... experimental. They are pretty fun to listen to.
Gripes:
My main gripe with this game is how oblique it can be for non-Japanese speakers, or even Japanese speakers. You have to activate these events, which aren't always obvious, in order to reach the next areas. Also, if you are going to play this game, DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT buy the backpack with a rainbow on the back, it has a hole in it so all the treasure you collected will fall out. You may end up going into debt and getting the bad ending, and it's terrifying.
Another problem with this game is the daily time limit. Pukka has to be back by evening, or when he levels up, night. It can get annoying, and makes gameplay a tedious thing. Often, I was in the middle of digging into the ground, only for time to run out, and sometimes the parts I dug would not respawn.
However, these gripes don't break the game. Still, this game takes a lot of patience. If you fall under it's eclectic charm though, it's worth playing if even for a little bit.