Shall We Do It? (Aero Porter, Go! Go! Kokopolo and Ninja Jajamaru-kun 3DS)

Although Dragon Quest VII continues to be the focus of the time I spend with my 3DS systems, that doesn't mean I'm ignoring every other game released for the handheld.

In fact, I put a good number of minutes--and, in some cases, hours--into the trio of 3DS titles named below in the last week. Here are my thoughts on those experiences:

Aero Porter--I've wanted to play this Yoot Saito-made puzzler since it was first revealed to be a part of Level-5's intriguing Guild01 compilation. As is too often the case for yours truly, I failed to buy it upon release and then basically forgot about it until I saw it would be included in a Black Friday sale on the North American 3DS eShop.

That was all I needed to jump in with both feet. (I purchased The Starship Damrey at the same time, though I've yet to even boot up the curious-looking survival-horror title.) With that out of the way, I played Aero Porter throughout my recent three-day move--of sorts--from Seattle to California.

If you've never before heard of Aero Porter, the gist is that you have to manage all of the baggage coming into and going out of an airport. Not the most thrilling of premises, I agree, but it's definitely unique. Also, it produces gameplay that's a lot more compelling than I ever imagined.

Unfortunately, it also produces gameplay that's a bit too frantic for my liking. As such, although I currently love and respect the idea of Aero Porter, I'm not sure that's going to translate to me putting much more time into it, as I'm already feeling stumped.

Don't worry, I haven't completely given up on it, but I may have to do just that if it becomes clear it's not a good fit for my feeble brain. Regardless, I'm glad I finally bought it, and I still think it's worth trying if you tend to like portable puzzle games.

Go! Go! Kokopolo--This indie title was first made available to the gaming masses back in 2011 via Nintendo's DSiWare service. Later, it made the transition to the 3DS eShop--though its developer mysteriously pulled Go! Go! Kokopolo from the European and North American versions of that digital storefront in late 2014.

For whatever reason, Go! Go! Kokopolo can still be found on the Japanese 3DS eShop--which is where I bought my copy after publisher Circle Entertainment reminded me of its existence while promoting the game's upcoming 3DS sequel.

I'm now sad I waited so long to experience this wonderfully weird title, which calls to mind classics like Enix's Door Door and Namco's Pac-Man. Here, you're plopped into the paws of an ever-grinning cat named Kokopolo and then tasked with corralling each stage's creatures into the hungry stomach of what the game's makers describe as a carnivorous plant.

As for how you accomplish that, you do it by waltzing up to one of said creatures, swiping at it with your claws, making it angry and then leading it to the above-mentioned plant when it inevitably gives chase.

It's a lot of fun and doesn't require a huge investment of time or energy. (In other words, it's one of those play-when-you've-got-a-few-spare-minutes games that are so great when you're busy.) Plus, it's a real looker, with pixel-based graphics that remind of Saturday morning cartoons.

Ninja Jajamaru-kun: Sakura-hime to Karyu no Himitsu--I don't have much experience with Jaleco's Ninja Jajamaru-kun series. I've played a bit of the Mario Bros.-esque Famicom game from 1985, but that's it.

Not that Sakura-hime to Karyu no Himitsu plays anything like that antiquated title. This modern sequel is a fairly by-the-numbers platformer--with tossable shurikens, naturally. It attempts to make up for its staid gameplay with colorful backdrops and well-drawn character and enemy sprites, but the latter fall a tad short of the mark due to their annoyingly diminutive size.

Granted, of all the games discussed in this post, I've put the least amount of time into Ninja Jajamaru-kun: Sakura-hime to Karyu no Himitsu. Given that, it's entirely possible its adventure turns a corner at some point down the road and becomes thoroughly thrilling.

Should that prove to be the case, I'll let all of you know in an upcoming write-up (perhaps even in another "Great Gaymathon" review).

**Bonus** Picross 3D: Round 2 (demo)--I also recently downloaded and played through the Picross 3D: Round 2 demo that Nintendo added to the North American 3DS eShop. This despite the fact that I've barely touched the Picross DS cartridge I bought ages ago and have yet to even pick up 2009's much-balyhooed follow-up, Picross 3D.

Still, the original Picross 3D gets so much love on line that I couldn't ignore the chance to experience a bite of its digital-only (in my neck of the woods, at least) sequel. As for my impressions of Round 2's demo: I really, really liked it. It's polished to the hilt, as so many Nintendo-made and -published products are, plus there's plenty of substance below that shiny surface.

That said, I've got to admit I think I prefer the more straightforward rules and gameplay associated with traditional Picross to this three-dimensional offshoot. The former's certainly easier to boot up and zone out to, in my opinion, and that's usually what I want from a puzzle game these days.

Who knows, though, I may change my mind and import a copy of the Japanese version of Picross 3D: Round 2 later this year when it finally dawns on me that the days of the 3DS are nearly over.

Shall We Do It? (Bravely Default ... and that's pretty much all, folks!)

After a month or more of juggling two, three and even four games at a time, I pared back this week and played just one.

Of course, I spent just under 20 hours with that particular title--the just-released Bravely Default for the 3DS--so you could hardly say I shirked my duties as a gaming blogger since I last published one of these "Shall We Do It?" posts.

Anyway, as I'm sure you've already surmised based on my comment about spending 20 or so hours with Bravely Default, I'm enjoying the hell out of it.

I know I said in my last "Shall We Do It?" post that my favorite aspect of the game is the "party chat" feature, but that's not true any longer. Oh, I still like it quite a bit--and I'm still amazed the folks at Nintendo or Square Enix (whichever handled the localization) kept it intact--but in the last few days that aspect of the game has taken a back seat to a couple of others, like the dramatic boss battles and the bevy of different jobs.

The boss battles--some of which result in your party gaining access to new jobs, actually--I've encountered so far have especially wowed me so far, I have to say. Not only are they appealingly theatrical, but many of them also are tough as nails. I can't tell you how many times I've escaped from one of these encounters by the skin of my teeth.

That's a positive in my eyes, by the way. I get so sick of playing RPGs--or any other genre of games, really--that feature baddies that can be tossed aside like week-old leftovers.

I don't only like that the bosses in this game mean business, by the way; I also like that the bulk of them showcase some pretty impressive designs. Case in point: the airborne "Nemesis," Mammon, who looks like your typical blond baroness (well, the typical blond baroness that can be found in a Japanese RPG, anyway) with four drumsticks strapped to her back.

As for Bravely Default's jobs, well, they're pretty impressive, too; and not just in design, but also in utility. The one that's surprised me the most so far is the spell fencer. Here's a job, class, whatever you want to call it, that I've always wanted to like (when it appeared in games like Final Fantasy V) but have never been able to do so. In this game, though, it's not only pretty darn useful, but it's visually stunning, too.

I'm also quite smitten with the monk, performer and summoner jobs, but that's not much of a surprise where I'm concerned, as I've always loved this trio of RPG career paths.

Oh, and the ranger! How could I forget the ranger? OK, so the design is a bit ... interesting, but I'm willing to put up with it if it means I can master the use of the bow (my favorite weapon in Bravely Default right now, in case you're curious).

Is there any part of this portable adventure that isn't quite clicking with me at the moment? Not really, although I will admit that the game's characters can be a bit verbose at times. Thankfully, it's easy enough to skip over whenever I'm not in the mood, so don't take my mention of it here to be akin to a formal complaint.

Another of my not-quite-complaints: the game's really dense. As in, there's a lot of stuff a player has to learn about if they hope to have the "full Bravely Default experience"--stuff like abilities and special moves and parts and compounds. To be completely (and embarrassingly) honest, I'm still not completely sure what I need to do to trigger some special moves, nor do I fully understand how I'm supposed to make use of the aforementioned "parts" (which augment special moves, if I'm not mistaken).

Again, though, I wouldn't really say this is a complaint. I personally like that Bravely Default is packed with features and options. I imagine, though, some gamers will encounter some or all of the above and wonder, "What am I supposed to do this?"

Are any of you also playing Bravely Default at the moment? If so, what do you think of it--and are there any aspects of it that you particularly love or hate?

By the way, although I focused all of my gaming attention on Bravely Default this week, I picked up Weapon Shop de Omasse a few days ago and will set aside at least a couple of hours for it in the coming days. So, expect to hear at least a smidge about that 3DS eShop release in my next "Shall We Do It?" post.

See also: previous 'Shall We Do It?' posts

I'm going to be really bummed if Guild01 isn't brought to the States

Don't worry, I'm fully prepared to be bummed--especially after seeing the game's completely WTF-ish Japanese box art.

Even if it sported a better cover image, though, I'm not sure I could see too many North Americans buying Level-5's four-game compilation should it actually see the light of day here.

That's too bad, because the quartet of commercials below make Guild01's contents seem pretty compelling:



(Here's another commercial, featuring the same snippets of gameplay, in case any of you are especially curious.)

Personally, the Guild01 title that I'm drooling over the most is Yoshiyuki Hirai's Rental Bukiya de Omasse, which tasks players with crafting weapons and then renting them to various heroes.

Of course, the other three games that are included in this omnibus release--Yasumi Matsuno's Crimson Shroud, Yoot Saito's Air Porter and Goichi Suda's Liberation Maiden--sound awfully cool, too.

Anyway, here's hoping someone (Level-5? Atlus? Aksys? XSEED?) decides to bring Guild01 to North America--and to other regions, too--in some form or fashion.

(Via andriasang.com)