Yesterday, I started playing Chulip, Punchline's weirdo adventure game that Natsume rather quietly released for the North American PlayStation 2 in 2007 (nearly five years after it hit store shelves in Japan).
I didn't play it for very long, unfortunately, as I had too many other things to do. I was able to devote about an hour to it, though, and I plan on putting another hour or so into it today.
* I love the art style, which kind of reminds me of the Nintendo 64 version of Mother 3 that never saw the light of day.
* Speaking of odd, that's about the only word I could use to describe Chulip's localization. Was it intentional, or did the folks at Natsume rush it? I have no idea, but I'm guessing it's the latter, as it's often hard to discern what you're supposed to do next.
* My only real complaint about the game so far: the lovelorn protagonist's walking speed. Would it have been so hard for the crew at Punchline (Chulip's developer) to provide players with a run button à la Animal Crossing? I have a feeling the lack of one is going to grow into a rather sore point as I spend more and more time with this quirky PS2 title.
* Conversely, my favorite aspect of Chulip so far is the animation that's triggered whenever you try to kiss someone who isn't in the mood to be kissed. Sadly, you can't overdo it or you'll find yourself staring at a "Game Over" screen.
Anyway, that's what I think of the game after my admittedly brief first experience with it. Expect to see another round of impressions this time next week. In the meantime, please share your own thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.
See also: 'Bye-bye, backlog'
16 comments:
I also love the art style, although it reminds me more of claymation than anything else--the fact that it's 4:3 somehow adding to that. I don't have a Chulip capable device right now, but I'd like to retry this game. Kissing dogs is fun.
The art style reminds you of Earthbound 64? Well...that alone might mean I have to dig up a copy of this. Wonder if it's on the PS3 shop...
Yes, claymation is a good comparison, too, I think. Regardless, it's certainly "interesting," isn't it?
Well, that was my first impression, Justin. You'll probably think I'm nuts when you see it for yourself. I do believe the game is now available for PS3 owners via PSN, by the way. If you decide to pick it up sometime soon, let me know what you end up thinking about it, OK?
Love Chulip, but keep in mind that you absolutely need the manual (or barring that, a walkthrough) if you're going to play it through to the end. The precise timing of the kiss opportunities and the weird localization make it pretty hard to complete otherwise.
(It's still one of my favorite PS2 games regardless!)
Thanks, Sardoose! I definitely have the manual, so that's good. And I'm not averse to using a walkthrough if needed. I already can tell I'll probably need it thanks to the weird localization, which, woof, definitely is weird.
I really enjoyed Chulip - despite its obscure gameplay. I originally imported it from Japan but that proved to be too tough to crack. I then bought the US import as unfortunately, it was another game which failed to come to the UK.
Ah, good to hear you like this one, too, Scott. I can't imagine playing through the Japanese version, though--unless you understand the language, of course. Then again, I'd love to own it just for the awesome box art :) It's too bad that the game was never released in the UK, by the way. Is it now available for you folks via PSN (as it is here)?
I'll keep you posted.
Great! And I'll do the same (er, keep you posted, I mean). Ha!
Man, that Japanese cover is way better than the US one! Not enough game covers feature orange, in my opinion ;)
Great to see you got the ball rolling! I try to chip away at Starfy a little every day – I probably only actually put in about 15-20 minutes, but I guess it all adds up!
Oh, I do recall hearing something about Natsume's odd localization on this one. It's a shame, because if I remember correctly, the US release was delayed at least a year from when they originally scheduled it. I wonder why?
Yeah, the Japanese cover for this game is awesome, isn't it? I don't completely hate the NA art, actually, but it has nothing on the original.
Maybe someday--you know, after I learn enough Japanese to get buy--I can reward myself by picking up a copy of the Japanese version :)
Anyway, I'm glad to hear you've got the ball rolling, too! 15-20 minutes a day is fine, I think. Of course, you're talking to someone who's doing just about the same thing...
As for this game's localization: I don't know much about it myself. All I can say is that it's ... rough. Sometimes I'm not completely sure what the NPC is trying to so, or what I'm supposed to do. Oh, well...
What's the premise of this game, Bryan?
You're a young, single (and poor, apparently) guy who has moved to a new town and you've fallen in love with a girl. At first, she wants nothing to do with you (because, you know, you're poor), so you have to build your reputation around town in order to change her mind, basically. Oh, and you do this by chatting with your neighbors until they're receptive to a kiss, for some strange reason. There's more to it than this, but that's the gist.
That's fine, that's all I wanted, a rough gist!
P.S. You are very entertaining Mr.Ochalla, your synopsis made me chuckle! :).
Thanks, Billy! I'm especially glad my synopsis made you giggle. Sorry I didn't publish another post about this game this past weekend as expected, by the way; I wasn't able to play the game as much as I'd hoped last week, but this week is looking much, much better!
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