This is a game I feel like everyone should play at least a little bit of.
In discussion of the MOON-likes, games like Endnesia and Chulip, I'm surprised this game isn't brought up more often. Besides being made by many of the same people, it shares many similarities in terms of gameplay as well.
I bring this up because this game is also bursting with the seams with charm in a similar manner. Every location, line of dialogue, animation, and musical sting has an almost shocking amount of care put into it. It's also unafraid to be weird, which I really like.
I feel like this game is mostly known in western communities as "that wAcKy JaPaN game" in the Zelda pantheon because of its presentation (and probably the incredibly unsubtle sex scene euphemism), but I think it has much more to offer than just the goofy parts. It's a little hard to articulate exactly, but this is genuinely one of the few video games which playing through it made me feel like I was going on a journey, not just moving from objective to objective. I know how strange that sounds for a game that is so heavily focused around resource management and exploiting the world around you for monetary gain as efficiently as possible.
Unfortunately, it does fall a bit short in terms of the core gameplay. There is a noticeable amount of what can be considered tedium to some, walking around each location takes some time, and collecting some ingredients can similarly require a grind. Personally I didn't find it irritating enough to be a dealbreaker but if you haven't played this know that the most riveting action you will be seeing on the screen a good 70% of the time is a 35 year old man walking through a field.
My only real issue is with the way that you haggle, one of the central mechanics of the game, is heavily skewed out of favor of the player. In many instances if you give an NPC too low of a compensation they will refuse to take whatever action you request of them but still take your money. This can be hugely detrimental if you misjudge by only a small amount, because you will then actually need to grind to recuperate your losses. There is leeway provided when you are bartering for a reward, which I wish applied elsewhere as well. Even so, if you underestimate how much you can squeeze out of the NPCs you won't have enough rupees to progress, which again makes grinding necessary. Honestly it's difficult for me to recommend this game without using a guide, at least for the latter half of the game because over or underspending can really make or break your experience. However I do appreciate the tension that is created from these stakes, having to near constantly put your money where your mouth is really forces you to manage it wisely.
And yeah, the messaging is incredibly on the nose, but there's nothing wrong with that from time to time. I really like the way the story is delivered. I think this game will always hold a special place in my heart despite its issues, again for reasons I cannot entirely explain.
In discussion of the MOON-likes, games like Endnesia and Chulip, I'm surprised this game isn't brought up more often. Besides being made by many of the same people, it shares many similarities in terms of gameplay as well.
I bring this up because this game is also bursting with the seams with charm in a similar manner. Every location, line of dialogue, animation, and musical sting has an almost shocking amount of care put into it. It's also unafraid to be weird, which I really like.
I feel like this game is mostly known in western communities as "that wAcKy JaPaN game" in the Zelda pantheon because of its presentation (and probably the incredibly unsubtle sex scene euphemism), but I think it has much more to offer than just the goofy parts. It's a little hard to articulate exactly, but this is genuinely one of the few video games which playing through it made me feel like I was going on a journey, not just moving from objective to objective. I know how strange that sounds for a game that is so heavily focused around resource management and exploiting the world around you for monetary gain as efficiently as possible.
Unfortunately, it does fall a bit short in terms of the core gameplay. There is a noticeable amount of what can be considered tedium to some, walking around each location takes some time, and collecting some ingredients can similarly require a grind. Personally I didn't find it irritating enough to be a dealbreaker but if you haven't played this know that the most riveting action you will be seeing on the screen a good 70% of the time is a 35 year old man walking through a field.
My only real issue is with the way that you haggle, one of the central mechanics of the game, is heavily skewed out of favor of the player. In many instances if you give an NPC too low of a compensation they will refuse to take whatever action you request of them but still take your money. This can be hugely detrimental if you misjudge by only a small amount, because you will then actually need to grind to recuperate your losses. There is leeway provided when you are bartering for a reward, which I wish applied elsewhere as well. Even so, if you underestimate how much you can squeeze out of the NPCs you won't have enough rupees to progress, which again makes grinding necessary. Honestly it's difficult for me to recommend this game without using a guide, at least for the latter half of the game because over or underspending can really make or break your experience. However I do appreciate the tension that is created from these stakes, having to near constantly put your money where your mouth is really forces you to manage it wisely.
And yeah, the messaging is incredibly on the nose, but there's nothing wrong with that from time to time. I really like the way the story is delivered. I think this game will always hold a special place in my heart despite its issues, again for reasons I cannot entirely explain.