I'm also sorry I didn't publish this post last week as I promised I would at the start of this project. I would have, I swear, but the fact is my lone PS2 memory card decided to give up the ghost shortly after I began playing Chulip earlier this month. Thankfully, I was able to replace it on Tuesday, and I restarted my playthrough the very same day.
Since then, I've spent about 10 hours with this overwhelmingly odd game. The question is: am I still enjoying it? I'd say so, yes, although I'd also say I'm not enjoying it as much as I thought I would after I wrapped up my first hour-long experience with it.
Before I get to why that is, I'd like to mention a few of things that keep me coming back to Chulip despite the fact that I'm feeling a little let down by it at the moment.
* First, I love Chulip's weird-to-the-point-of-being-unsettling character designs. Although I usually prefer games that feature a more uniform art style, I think this one's mix-and-match aesthetic is a perfect fit for its overall "feel" (which, for me, is the video game equivalent of a David Lynch film).
* Speaking of unsettling, does any other word better describe the looping, lo-fi voice snippets that accompany every conversation the game's pint-sized protagonist has with his many (strange-looking) neighbors? I certainly can't think of one. (Don't take that to be a complaint, by the way. I actually find the voice snippets to be pretty funny--albeit a bit creepy, too.)
* If you were to ask me what I considered to be the most intriguing aspect of Chulip, I'd probably respond by pointing to the cracks that cover the ground in the game's "Long Life Town" (as well as its other locales, of course) and that can be inspected by the main character with the press of the "X" button. Sure, the vignettes that play out following those button pushes tend to be nonsensical, but they're also surprisingly compelling and even affecting.
* My second favorite part of Chulip right now: its vaunted kissing scenes, which without fail cause a huge grin to splash across my face. I don't know if that's due to the locked lips themselves, the spinning in space, the fireworks or the huge, rainbow-colored "CLEAR" that accompanies the aforementioned action, but it doesn't really matter, does it?
As for the aspect of Chulip that currently isn't sitting so well with me: that would be the one that's basically requiring me to consult a guide to make my way through the bulk of the game. I'm not sure if I should blame that on the folks at developer Punchline (in the event that they purposely made their product abstruse) or if I should blame it on Natsume's rough translation, but I have a feeling one, if not both, of them is at fault.
Regardless, it makes playing through this rather grimly quirky PS2 game a lot less rewarding and engaging than I believe it would be otherwise.
14 comments:
The last time I played it non-emulated was a long time ago, and as I'm sure you're aware, having it on a hard drive speeds things up a lot. But it seemed like it was going in and out of buildings, and looking through cracks that was really annoying me at the time. But no for me it was really the not knowing what to do next that's the main problem. I am totally certain that the Japanese version is just as bad in this regard, and that's why they put a complete walkthrough in the North American game manual. I'm sure they would have put it into the game if there was an easy way to do it. Chulip reminds me of playing adventure games in the 80s, when you really just had to explore everywhere and try everything to get the story to move along. Hell, even modern adventure games like Phoenix Wright can be like this sometimes. This is why I don't play a lot of adventure games or visual novels.
Now that you mention it, going in and out of buildings and checking out the cracks in the ground can take a bit of time. It hasn't bothered me too much yet, though, to be honest.
As for your (and my) main problem with the game: yes, I have a feeling it was an issue in the Japanese game, too. Which is kind of strange, I guess--since it means the devs intentionally made the game a chore--but what can you do?
Are you going to finish it by month's end?
I don't know, Justin. Probably not, unfortunately, but I'm not planning on quitting my playthrough just because the month is up. Don't worry, I'm still going to choose and start playing another game from my backlog for February--I'll just play Chulip alongside it :)
You seem to be having quite the love hate relationship with this game, huh? :).
Well, I'd definitely say that I love it more than I hate it, Billy. I think it's more that I wish the bad parts didn't exist, as I really, really like the rest of it. Have you played it, BTW?
Sorry for the late reply Bryan, been busy and such! No I haven't played it, I have merely taken an interest in your posts is all. I would love to say "I'll definately give it a go Bryan!" - But I'm not one to make half hearted promises. It would be a half hearted promise because, to be truthful, I really don't know if I'll have the time Bry! But in an ideal world, I would love to play it, purely to see if I am of the same opinion as you.
Oh, that's OK, Billy--all of it! Give it a go if you're able to at some point, but obviously don't worry about it if you can't.
Bry - Lately, I have been more productive than my usual self. Over the course of the last few months, I have been more active on the Internet and have taken a huge interest in blogging and vlogging, but only in recent days have I actually wanted to have a go at it myself. So much so infact, that I bought a new camera because I was less than satisfied with the quality of my other videos! I don't know how, when and why I suddenly became so serious about this Bry, but it happened, and so the vlogging shall happen... Soon!
How is this at all related to the topic at hand you may asssssskkk? :D. Well, I plan to do some video reviews of games and such, aswell as just vlog about random stuff! So this game shall go right near the top of my list :).
That's great news, Billy! I hope you go through with it ... and soon. Obviously I'd love it if you'd keep me in the loop and let me know about any blogs or vlogs you start :)
Thanks for the support Bry! I've been testing out my new cam but I think I still need time to get accustomed to my new cam before I shoot.
No worries. Also, you're welcome! Oh, and I love that you call me Bry. No one calls me that anymore. My older brother used to, but unfortunately we barely talk these days :|
Aha, I don't know why I call you Bry, just sounds cute I guess! And oh, why do you barely talk to your bro? A falling out? - It's fine if you don't wish to divulge.
No worries. Yeah, we had kind of a falling out a number of years ago. I'm hoping it'll work itself out eventually, as I miss having him in my life.
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