Let's get this out of the way from the start to avoid any misunderstandings, Giraffe is not an actual Giraffe. but an anime cat boy.
Giraffe and Annika just released today (Aug 25th 2020) on Nintendo Switch and PS4 with an Xbox release following on the 27th. (PC version released Feb 2020).
It comes from Japanese Developer Atelier Mimina and published by NIS America and is quite a unique take on a JRPG.
I went into this game completely blind and was pleasantly surprised, if a little confused.
It's an adventure game (of sorts), you control the ubiquitous Japanese Cat Girl Character Annika, as she explores Spica Island with the assistance of Cat Boy Character Giraffe, trying to restore her lost memories.
Giraffe quickly explains, that by retrieving star fragments from dungeons located around the island, she should start to get back to her normal self and all will become clear. The catch? Annika is the only one able to enter these dungeons.
As you start the game Annika has extremely limited abilities, apparently her amnesia has even affected her basic motor functions, such as her ability to jump... which is absent until she completes the first dungeon. Completing subsequent dungeons adds further abilities to Annika's repertoire.
This is where things get a little different and my confusion began.
You can't kill the denizens of the dungeons, you can't even attack them.
You just have to avoid them, run away, or if they catch up to you, try to take as little damage as possible and recharge your health at the overly plentiful restoration points.
I kept on playing thinking I would eventually unlock some kind of vicious cat girl claw attack, in the same manner that I unlocked "jump" or "swim", but no, nothing, no attacking anything for the entire game.
...with a slight exception of dungeon bosses.
These encounters are set up as a rhythm type dance off challenge. You have to select left or right as the boss hurls orbs of light at you and click at the optimal time, on the beat, to reduce the boss' health bar. If you miss, your health bar is reduced. That really is the extent of any combat or action in this game.
But honestly that's OK, action isn't what this game is about. Its a narrative adventure. You are afforded a certain amount of freedom to explore the island, but areas are closed off until you have completed certain sections of the story, so the game is confined to rails by the narrative.
Characters you meet along the way will have additional quests for you, some gated behind a night and day cycle. There are a total of five dungeons as well as optional challenges and collectibles to complete along the way, just to flesh out the 5-8 hour completion time.
It's easier to define this game by what it isn't, than what it is: It isn't a visual novel, it isn't a 3D platformer, it isn't a dungeon crawler, it isn't a rhythm game... but it is a little bit of all of those things and the whole is definitely greater than the sum of its parts
The story is well constructed and genuinely pleasant and well paced, in fact the entire game is best described as "pleasant". The graphics are beautiful and the soundtrack compliments them perfectly creating a quintessential anime atmosphere that can best be described as...pleasant.
I have no real criticism of this game, it is exactly and unapologetically what it is.
It's execution is faultless and level of polish quite outstanding. It's definitely a Marmite/Vegemite type affair , as in you will either love it, or hate it. It really isn't a type of game that on paper I would have thought I might enjoy, but in all honesty I really did.
The completion time of the game for me was perfect, I finished it in just over 5 hours. More or less would have felt either labored or rushed. There are additional tasks for completionists, but my attention span was sated.
I am genuinely glad I reviewed this game or I probably wouldn't have bothered with it and would have missed out on a quirky little gem.
Looking for all the info on other new releases? See what I thought about Samurai Jack from Adult Swim Games released last weekend.
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