**NOTE: I have the PSP reboot of this game but this site only has the original ps1 version listed. The PSP version has more features that the original ps1 version does not have, however I cannot accurately compare them as I have not played the ps1 version myself. I will only be discussing my experience with the PSP version. It’s also worth noting that this game is JAPANESE LANGUAGE ONLY! There is no option for English, nor is there an English release or rom patch.
The Doko Demo Issyo franchise has so much to offer, it’s such a shame it never made it to the states. The name roughly translates to “together anywhere” or “everywhere together”. The main character of this franchise is a white cat named Toro. Toro’s main goal in life is to be a human, so he chooses you as his personal trainer to help him on his quest to become more human! Except, he doesn’t REALLY choose you, rather you choose him or any other pokepi character you’d like to play the game with. “Pokepi” is a mashup of the words “pocket” and “people” and it is what the characters in this franchise are called. You can choose from 5 pokepi; Toro the white cat, Jun the pink bunny, Pierre the brown dog, Ricky the green frog, and Suzuki the robot. They all have varying personalities; Toro, Jun, and Pierre tend to be more silly and dramatic, Ricky is aggressive and short-tempered, and Suzuki is very serious yet silly. They all have their own reasons for wanting to learn about humans, but the primary objective of this game is to teach your pokepi new words and phrases and basically just chat with them. That’s it. That’s the whole game.
Now, there are some things you can do with your pokepi. You can sit and watch it do different things around it’s room, you can take it to an in-game location such as a market, the rooftop of the house, the river, or a workplace setting. In some of these settings, a black cat named Kuro will ask if you want to play a game and you can win prizes that you can decorate the home with. At the end of some days, your pokepi will write a journal entry that you can read. But that’s really it. There really is hardly any gameplay. I suppose the appeal of this game is that it’s quirky and cute, and yes it’s true that your pokepi will say the darnest things and act in funny little ways, but there is really no actual gameplay in this game. It’s a virtual pet game that has a very sit-and-observe style gameplay. Also for the record, no you cannot feed your pokepi, give it baths, or play fetch with them. You literally just chat with it and watch it do it’s own thing.
It seems harsh to give this game only 3 stars, but I like it less than 3.5 stars, maybe it’s like a 3.25 in my book? Don’t get me wrong, this game is super cute and with the sudden rise in popularity of Toro, many people might become interested in this game. But I’m here to tell you the honest truth which is…you’re not missing much…Also, if you can’t read Japanese, you will have a frustrating time with this game. The whole point is to be able to teach your pokepi new words and see how they implement them into their vocabulary, so not being able to read Japanese makes this game really difficult to truly enjoy. On top of that, the words scroll with no pause so it’s difficult to use a translator and there is also quite a bit of kanji used with zero furigana, so even an intermediate speaker such as myself struggled at some points. Another thing to mention is that the game operates in real time using your PSP’s time settings, so if you go too long without playing the game (a few weeks maybe) your pokepi will leave and abandon your house along with a really sad note in the journal! So this is definitely not a game you can put down for months and return to, you have to play it everyday or so and bond with the pokepi.
I really wanted to love this game. I was really excited when I was able to purchase it for such a cheap price, but alas I really only ‘kind of’ enjoyed it. I played it for like two weeks and I got a bit bored of it just because there is simply not much to do. Sure, Toro says some really funny things sometimes but the lack of actual gameplay makes it a little too slow for my liking. I still like to reach for it just to see what the little guy is up to, but I really just enjoy it as a collector’s piece. I think the other Doko Demo Issyo games are more exciting and scenic, so I hope to give them a try one day!
The Doko Demo Issyo franchise has so much to offer, it’s such a shame it never made it to the states. The name roughly translates to “together anywhere” or “everywhere together”. The main character of this franchise is a white cat named Toro. Toro’s main goal in life is to be a human, so he chooses you as his personal trainer to help him on his quest to become more human! Except, he doesn’t REALLY choose you, rather you choose him or any other pokepi character you’d like to play the game with. “Pokepi” is a mashup of the words “pocket” and “people” and it is what the characters in this franchise are called. You can choose from 5 pokepi; Toro the white cat, Jun the pink bunny, Pierre the brown dog, Ricky the green frog, and Suzuki the robot. They all have varying personalities; Toro, Jun, and Pierre tend to be more silly and dramatic, Ricky is aggressive and short-tempered, and Suzuki is very serious yet silly. They all have their own reasons for wanting to learn about humans, but the primary objective of this game is to teach your pokepi new words and phrases and basically just chat with them. That’s it. That’s the whole game.
Now, there are some things you can do with your pokepi. You can sit and watch it do different things around it’s room, you can take it to an in-game location such as a market, the rooftop of the house, the river, or a workplace setting. In some of these settings, a black cat named Kuro will ask if you want to play a game and you can win prizes that you can decorate the home with. At the end of some days, your pokepi will write a journal entry that you can read. But that’s really it. There really is hardly any gameplay. I suppose the appeal of this game is that it’s quirky and cute, and yes it’s true that your pokepi will say the darnest things and act in funny little ways, but there is really no actual gameplay in this game. It’s a virtual pet game that has a very sit-and-observe style gameplay. Also for the record, no you cannot feed your pokepi, give it baths, or play fetch with them. You literally just chat with it and watch it do it’s own thing.
It seems harsh to give this game only 3 stars, but I like it less than 3.5 stars, maybe it’s like a 3.25 in my book? Don’t get me wrong, this game is super cute and with the sudden rise in popularity of Toro, many people might become interested in this game. But I’m here to tell you the honest truth which is…you’re not missing much…Also, if you can’t read Japanese, you will have a frustrating time with this game. The whole point is to be able to teach your pokepi new words and see how they implement them into their vocabulary, so not being able to read Japanese makes this game really difficult to truly enjoy. On top of that, the words scroll with no pause so it’s difficult to use a translator and there is also quite a bit of kanji used with zero furigana, so even an intermediate speaker such as myself struggled at some points. Another thing to mention is that the game operates in real time using your PSP’s time settings, so if you go too long without playing the game (a few weeks maybe) your pokepi will leave and abandon your house along with a really sad note in the journal! So this is definitely not a game you can put down for months and return to, you have to play it everyday or so and bond with the pokepi.
I really wanted to love this game. I was really excited when I was able to purchase it for such a cheap price, but alas I really only ‘kind of’ enjoyed it. I played it for like two weeks and I got a bit bored of it just because there is simply not much to do. Sure, Toro says some really funny things sometimes but the lack of actual gameplay makes it a little too slow for my liking. I still like to reach for it just to see what the little guy is up to, but I really just enjoy it as a collector’s piece. I think the other Doko Demo Issyo games are more exciting and scenic, so I hope to give them a try one day!