Gurumin: A Monstrous Adventure is an Action RPG that feels more like an adventure platformer with RPG elements thrown in for good measures. On the surface, many might be led to believe Gurumin is just a kid game, what’s with its over-the-top “feel good” factor and its wacky Disney-style characters. But beneath it all is actually a pretty good game with some challenging elements, memorable characters and hilarious dialogues to keep gamers glued to their PSPs. This is a game that is going pleasantly surprise those who dare give it a try.

Like Playing a Really Good Kid’s Cartoon

I am not a huge fan of overly “cartoony” games because most of such games seem to have the cast forced upon them. A lot of “cartoony” games I played would have worked even if the developers replaced the cutesy cast with conventional game characters that actually looked human (note: the latter “Kingdom Hearts” comes to mind). To put it simply, there’s no reason to make RPG gamers (whom I presume are mostly grown-ups) look at character models designed for kids when developers could just as easily wowed us with protagonists that resemble the coolest heroes ever to grace the universe.

With that in mind, Gurumin is wonderfully-executed because this is one game that wouldn’t have worked without the over-exaggerated “cartoony” feel and kiddy characters. From the heroin Parin to the Monster World she adventures in, everything is so unforced and so smoothly integrated that not one single time did I stop to think “well, this would have worked with Cloud as the hero”. I have to hand it to the developers for creating a cartoony world that hardcore gamers might actually like. If you have played another RPG called “Zweii!”, you will instantly know what I am talking about.

Back to Gurumin. This is the tale of a brash little girl, Parin, who unwittingly discovers a secret Monster World in her boring neighborhood. However, this alternate dimension is struck by a disaster, and only a hero who can lift a legendary drill from its seal is able to save the day. Naturally, Parin is that hero and decides to go off to rescue the friendly monsters from certain doom.

Without going too much into detail for fear of giving away the story, let’s just say Parin’s quest involves recovering pieces of furniture (don’t ask). It sounds wacky, and indeed it is one of the most warped and hilarious RPG stories I have ever played. Gurumin is quite a refreshing change of scenery from the “silent hero saves the world” type stories that pervade the RPG market nowadays. If you are sick of another Cloud-clone protagonist, you’re going to love Parin’s wacky little adventure.

Drill! Drill! Drill!

In Gurumin, Parin’s adventure is standard ARPG, taking place across a number of 3D dungeons where you are free to explore around while fighting big bad monsters along the way. Parin’s path is quite linear and you won’t really be lost, even in the latter stages. However, there are enough variations in the places you visit, ranging from forests to tombs, to keep you going from start to finish.

Battle in Gurumin is straight to a point. Parin wields a mighty drill which you thrust at enemies using the X button; or if you are an expert gamer, you might choose to learn the variety of dazzling drilling variations that Parin executes when you couple X with the analog stick. To complement Parin’s standard drilling attacks, you also get a charge attack which is needed break down certain obstacles. An important thing to remember in Gurumin is that the drill gradually increases in level and becomes more powerful with every attack you make. But when Parin suffers damage from enemies, the drill level goes back down again. So the trick is to score hits more often and get hits less - a feat easier said that done.

This brings us to the difficulty level. Perhaps it’s just me being a lousy action gamer, but considering this game may be designed for the younger audience, I actually find battles to be a little on the tough side. In the beginning, one might be tempted to think battling is easy considering how straight-forward Gurumin’s gameplay is. But after a while, you will soon realize some enemies in Gurumin are really hard to dodge, especially the tough bosses. This is not helped by a somewhat quirky camera which moves just a teeny fraction slower than the protagonist does. Needless to say, you’ll be replaying some stages if you’re not fluent with action games like yours truly.

Being an RPG, Gurumin does allow you to customize your young heroine but only to a certain extent. Equipment-wise, the only thing you can change is Parin’s hat which gives you better defense and sometimes an added bonus effect or two. I suppose this is the major let down for me, simply because the potential for dressing Parin up in various wacky armors or even different weapons is quite evident though not realized. Perhaps this might be addressed in Gurumin 2 if the developers ever got around to doing it.

Looks Nice, Sounds Even Better

I must say, somewhat surprisingly, that Gurumin looks great and sounds even better. This is one game that mustn’t be judged by the number of 3D polygons but by how adequately the characters and the world as a whole are portrayed. The characters, though simplistic in design, are memorable and most importantly, easy on the eyes. The surroundings are surprisingly detailed with lush vegetations, rocky paths, flowing rivers for you to look at. In fact, I have never seen a game protagonist so “chunky” by today’s standard yet gets the job done so well. You really couldn’t ask for anything more in a game like Gurumin.

This brings us to the sound. All I can say is “Wow”. From the varied theme music you’ll hear to the excellent voice acting right down to the sound of “bzzzz” every time Parin wields her drill, Gurumin really excels in portraying how a Monster World might actually sound like. If anything else, this is perhaps Gurumin’s strongest point and you will definitely be glued to your PSP earpieces while playing this short but enjoyable title.

A Second Journey

After you finish your first run of Gurumin, you will be given an option to save and restart Parin’s adventure with some additional stuff you have acquired previously. You may also wish to try out the harder difficulty levels should you fancy, but I must warn you the game is hard enough for me even in normal mode.

Personally, Gurumin is a game best played only once because it is the wacky plot and hilarious dialogues that really push this title forward. When you know what to expect after going through the first run, it sort of takes away the wow factor from this game. After all, who wants to hear the same joke twice, no matter how ridiculously funny it may be?

Try This with a Pinch of Salt

After all’s said and done, Gurumin: A Monstrous Journey is a pretty little ARPG with enough wackiness to entice RPG gamers for what it’s worth. The cutesy feel to the game may not go down well with the more “serious” gamers, but if you are sitting on the fence and love a laugh or two from your games, this title will get the job done. Do be warned this game might be a little on the short side as an RPG (but perhaps not so as a platformer).

In appreciation to Parin and her wacky adventure (while it lasted), PSPHyper gives Gurumin: A Monstrous Adventure a Juicy 3.5 out of 5 Stars.

Posted in PSP, Reviews on Saturday, March 8th, 2008 at 6:22 pm |
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