Monday, April 09, 2012

Surprise, surprise: The first (and only) Vita game that interests me is an odd, niche-y one

I haven't exactly been shy about the fact that I'm a bit "ho hum" when it comes to the PS Vita. Oh, I find the hardware itself interesting enough--if a smidge over-priced--but its software catalog bores me to tears.

Actually, I take that back. What I should have said is that this bulky handheld's current software line-up bores me to tears. I find one of its upcoming releases, though, pretty darn intriguing.

That upcoming release: Gamearts' Dokuro (Japanese for "Skull"), which looks to be some sort of platformer-puzzler combo.

I'm a sucker for puzzler-platformers, so that aspect alone makes me want to keep an eye on this particular title. The reason I want to purchase it (at some future point in time, of course), though, is the art style--which makes everything look as though it was created using chalk. (Said art style is somewhat apparent in the illustration to the right, although it's much more so in the screenshots shown here and here.)

The story is pretty cute, too, with Dokuro focusing on an evil "Dark Load" (er, I think that's supposed to be "Lord") who kidnaps a princess and then puts her behind bars until they can get hitched. Guarding the imprisoned princess is a skeleton named, you guessed it, Dokuro, who sets her free after seeing her cry and then attempts to lead her out of the Dark Load's tower.

I'm not entirely sure how Dokuro (and the players controlling him) will accomplish the above-mentioned task, although I'm guessing from the screens that have been published over at andriasang.com that it will involve some amount of screen swiping and tapping. (Sadly, this recently-released teaser trailer doesn't include a single second of gameplay.)

Regardless, consider me curious.

See also: 'Raise your hand if you picked up a PS Vita yesterday'

4 comments:

Viewtiful_Justin said...

I feel the same way as you about the Vita. But this! This absolutely intrigues me. I don't LOVE the art style, but I DO love a good puzzle-platformer.

The art style seems like it could be a bit sparse, dark, and bland. But...it IS a Dark Load's castle...so...it fits.

Bryan Ochalla said...

Ah, it's good to know someone else is intrigued by this one, Justin! As for the game looking sparse and bland: I'm hoping later levels/stages will be a bit more impressive than what was shown in the screenshots I linked to. I'd be disappointed if the entire game is that sparse...

Unknown said...

Oh yes, this looks fabulous! I also got suckered in by the fact that the little skeleton transforms into a handsome prince, haha.

Well, there's not much that can be said about the gameplay yet, but I sincerely hope that it is worthy of the awesome, unique art style used. I felt the same way about Sumioni (granted, I think this one's prettier), but in the end the gameplay just didn't measure up, which was a shame.

Bryan Ochalla said...

I also hope the gameplay measures up, Anne. Also, like Justin, I hope the graphics become at least a BIT more varied later on in the game. Regardless, I'll be watching this one closely.

Are you still enjoying your Vita, by the way? And have you bought any new games as of late?