The story of Ranko Tsukigime, a high-school girl/assassin on a quest to kill her dad is very over-the-top. The anime cutscenes that bookend the platforming segments are lavishly animated, filled with all kinds of violence, fan service, power-of-female-friendship bonding bits, etc. It's honestly a tonally in line with what I've come to understand is Grasshopper Manufacturer's house-style.
Extravagant visuals & gonzo attitude carry the shallow platforming. Despite the rocky performance (it's a Unity game on the PS3 after all), the controls are responsive and the sense of speed is nice. Ranko has a projectile that cost meter, which can be refilled slowly or by hitting a chain of enemies.
The biggest issue is level-design; platforming is kept a bit too simplistic, even with Ranko's ability to wall jump and slide. The challenge mostly coming from the pursuer mechanic (if the people pursuing Ranko catch up to her, game over). The pursuers act as a sort of dynamic timer, forcing a hard restart of a level if a player can't optimize a specific segment. Much like in the 2D Sonic games, there are multiple paths through a level, but unlike Sonic the levels don't feel radically different depending on the part you're in.
Conceptually having to manage a meter-based projectile and speedy platforming is a slam-dunk, in practice the platforming never really takes advantage of all the mechanics on offer. A number of one-off stages (boss fights, a bullet hell segment) are nice distractions. Overall the game is mostly a roller-coaster ride.
The game is bundled with the anime compilation Short Peace, which actually had a theatrical run in the US & Japan. The film is comprised of 4 short films, each being very distinct in setting, tone, and story. I personally enjoyed the films more than the game.
Overall an intriguing PSN Store curiosity, and an obscure gem of a game.
Extravagant visuals & gonzo attitude carry the shallow platforming. Despite the rocky performance (it's a Unity game on the PS3 after all), the controls are responsive and the sense of speed is nice. Ranko has a projectile that cost meter, which can be refilled slowly or by hitting a chain of enemies.
The biggest issue is level-design; platforming is kept a bit too simplistic, even with Ranko's ability to wall jump and slide. The challenge mostly coming from the pursuer mechanic (if the people pursuing Ranko catch up to her, game over). The pursuers act as a sort of dynamic timer, forcing a hard restart of a level if a player can't optimize a specific segment. Much like in the 2D Sonic games, there are multiple paths through a level, but unlike Sonic the levels don't feel radically different depending on the part you're in.
Conceptually having to manage a meter-based projectile and speedy platforming is a slam-dunk, in practice the platforming never really takes advantage of all the mechanics on offer. A number of one-off stages (boss fights, a bullet hell segment) are nice distractions. Overall the game is mostly a roller-coaster ride.
The game is bundled with the anime compilation Short Peace, which actually had a theatrical run in the US & Japan. The film is comprised of 4 short films, each being very distinct in setting, tone, and story. I personally enjoyed the films more than the game.
Overall an intriguing PSN Store curiosity, and an obscure gem of a game.
wow, this certainly is the most unique gaming experience i had recently! i expected nothing less from ours truly, Suda51 but this really is one of his Weirder editions. the game is really short, about an hour but the various artstyles, cozy 2010s vibing ost and the replay value is worth it. gonna check the movie while i'm at it... truly unapologetically artsy and fun, sometimes even a product of its own time
Glad I finally checked this little thing out, what a cool experience. The cutscenes are energetic and well-directed/performed, the platforming is fun albeit shallow - it's basically one of those runner-type games, and overall the game is a visual treat. It definitely has that Suda51 style to it. Admittedly, this is a game built more out of novelty and style than depth, but that's perfectly OK in my opinion since it's only hour long. Jump in, get a nonstop stream of fresh ideas, and jump out. And it comes with a bunch of short films too.
I live for this shit. Finding the wild unexplainable nuggets in the corners of console libraries and game developer portfolios. This is such a confounding wonderful and honestly beautiful object, even tho it’s barely anything substantially.