Gurumin is a fun experience and can be deceptively challenging at times...But this mixed-bag could have been better.
Our young heroine discovers that her new residence may be in the most boring town in the world…there are no kids to play with! Tiese Town is a small (and I mean small) mining village, home to gruff, dirt bag miners…one of whom continuously makes advances at Parin in spite of her tender elementary school age. No worries though, pedophilia is only one of the many topics brought up in this cute little gem of a game.
In Parin's adventures up and down the main drag (the only street) in town she discovers a goofy little monster, who introduces Parin to a whole monster village. In the fashion of "The Sword in the Stone", Parin is asked to try and retrieve a magical drill from the stone in the center of town. She accomplishes this mean feat and becomes the drill wielder! This would seem like a cool thing to tell Gramps, but no adults know of the monsters…because they only appear to children ala Tonari no Totoro's magical fauna. There is even a monster named "Motoro" that sort of feels like a mentally challenged relative of the famous Totoro himself. Anyway…one day some bad monsters show up and trash Monster Village, kidnapping some of the residents and scattering all their precious belongings around the world. As the drill wielder it is your task to save Monster Village and put a stop to the evil Prince and his motley henchmen. Along the way you will endure a harrowing battle for your life with a homosexual fish, a hair-raising fight on a steep precipice with a shape-shifting valley girl from hell, a slew of bizarre phantoms, and a host of other trials that will put your mad button mashing skills to a test the likes of which humankind has never experienced…
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Gameplay:
Gurumin: A Monstrous Adventure is listed as an RPG, but is no more so than the series the game is cloned after, The Legend of Zelda. There is no experience accumulation of any kind, but upon completion of boss battles you will receive a life gem (heart container) that raises your HP 10 whole points.
The stench of Zelda does not stop there however, because your basic moves are those of Link. If hacking and slashing doesn't float your boat you can purchase two new moves, Link's spin cut and jump slice…In a rare departure from the Zelda formula however, jumping is a key part of this game and at times it feels more like a platformer than anything else. I can't lie though, the platforming elements are well done and can be downright tricky in some areas, but they are hampered by the occasional poor camera angle…
Rather than cut and run from the Zelda formula, stays the course and places riveting obstacles in Parin's way that Link would be proud of! Have a mysteriously locked door ahead of you and a large button on the floor? Why not try pushing or pulling that conveniently placed block onto the button to weigh it down!? I wish I'd thought of that one…Or perhaps there is no button and no block, then what!?!? If I passed that sensitive information on, then I would have to kill you. Here's a hint though: if you get stuck in a room with a locked door, play any dungeon in any Zelda game and you will discover the solution you seek.
Just like this game, cloned beef tastes surprisingly like the real thing…and if the United States Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) can approve cloned beef to be sold to consumers, then I can approve this clone of Zelda as well. The skills and techniques that have been the bane of Ganondorf for all these years are handled well by Parin in this little adventure…and there are at least a few genetic mutations to separate this title from that other game I won't mention…
Score=8
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Sound:
One of the highlights of Gurumin is its many sounds. The quirky and original soundtrack is matched by enjoyable voice-acting (specifically the homosexual fish) and decent sound effects. I enjoy the Monster Village theme in particular and am reminded of Animal Crossing's sound and atmosphere.
Score=9
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Graphics:
The characters in Gurumin are Miyazaki Hayao inspired for the most part and are pretty cute as a result. They may be simple, but are clean and I can't argue with cleanliness. The environments on the other hand, are pretty dull and boring. The flora suffers from a drab color palette while the creatures standout like…like…a bright blue monster on a brown background would…
Score=7
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Story:
The story is pretty straightforward. Become the drill wielding savior of some sweet little invisible dudes while escaping the filthy clutches of a fat, lecherous miner, evading accusations of larceny, hoping your negligent parents haven't run off to leave you for dead with your geriatric grandfather, and keeping an eye on the news to see if Nintendo's noticed someone stole their top-secret, system-selling formula. PHEW, and is 12-15 hours you'll want to start your epic experience all over again!
Score=7
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Value:
Gurumin boasts a staggering 12-15 hours for one run through, but if you're a pervert like me and want to see Parin wearing a sexy maid's outfit then maybe you'll play through it again to make that dream a reality. The monkey ears and cat ears are pretty cute, and the vampire's hat/glasses are cool, but that maid's outfit has to be really badass!
Seriously though, there are multiple difficulty levels to keep you coming back and trying for more disguises and since each stage is evaluated based on your performance, you can replay them until you get perfect scores if that's your thing. There are also a few goofy minigames that be quite challenging. That said, I'd say the replay value is moderate…
Score=8
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Summary:
Gurumin is a delightful romp of a game that you should check out (used). I'd go out and purchase a sequal brand new if I knew considerable depth was added to the story and characters. In the end, what it lacks in originality and depth, it makes up for in lighthearted and sometimes challenging action/adventure/platforming. A few camera tweaks and some more depth and you've got yourself a pretty cool game, but as it stands it's far from bad.
Gamplay=8
Sound=9
Graphics=7
Story=7
Value=8
Overall=7.8 *Adjusted to 8.0*