Gurumin: A Monstrous Adventure (PC) Second Opinion Review

Gurumin was Falcom's first real foray into the 3D action/adventure genre, and yet it isn't all that dated. There's a certain charm to the simplistic graphics and exaggerated animations. This charm extends to the goofy cast of characters, who all have unique personalities. The locales haven't aged quite as well, but they still do a reasonable job, and the Phantoms (aka "the bad guys") are very creative in their design and behaviour. Even though most of them don't have more than a couple animations, they all have a distinctly memorable look and their various actions over the course of the game add to their appeal.

Getting through involves visiting several stages fraught with danger. Aside from the Phantoms, that have a myriad of weapons at their disposal, there are also traps and pits. At the end of most stages is a table, or a bookshelf, or a potted plant, or… some other home furnishing. In order to lift the dark cloud that permeates the Monster World, Parin has to collect everyday furniture so the monsters can be happy, and their positive energy makes everything better. Erm…yeah, it doesn't make all that much sense, but it's a fantasy videogame, so whatever happens, happens. Players are also obligated to smash every pot they can find, because it affects their end of stage ranking, which determines the awarding of a gold medal. An affinity for the destruction of pots everywhere is very Legend of Zelda-esque.

Parin is a lot like Adol in how quickly and efficiently she destroys the evil goons; her mastery of the drill is something to behold. Through a combination of swings, stabs, and karate kicks, she can mash through foes. Armoured enemies and rocks are easily defeated by holding down the button for a charged-attack. Aside from jumping, she can also dodge attacks by pressing…wait for it…the dodge button. There are even a handful of special techniques that can be purchased. The most devastating moves (such as the dragon flame) are performed by pressing the dodge button, doing a 360 motion, and then hitting the attack button.

Dodge, 360, attack - expect to perform this action often, too often. The deal with moves like dragon flame is that Parin is invincible while performing them, and they don't cost energy, or are otherwise limited in their usage. There is a gauge that can level up, but it mostly affects the drill's attack ability, and what moves Parin has access to. This gauge decreases when she takes damage, but as long as she's performing invincible manoeuvres, it's not really a big deal. Aside from a hidden super-boss, that all but requires the abuse of these special moves, most of the game isn't designed to handle them. In short, combat is one-dimensional.

Thankfully, since this game is a 3D platformer, there's more to it than just fighting. Each stage has a fair amount of jumping around to do, and there aren't too many narrow walkways or tiny platforms to jump between. Everything is kept relatively simplistic, and players won't become frustrated by repeatedly missing the same jump. There's also some light puzzle-solving, such as blocks to push or switches to flick; it introduces just the right amount of variety to every stage. There are even a few cool tricks to perform, such as using chains of floating Phantoms to cross lengthy chasms, and it all feels similar to Shinobi on PlayStation 2.

In each stage, there's plenty of money and junk to be found. As might be expected, cash is used to purchase everything from special moves, to health-restoring sweets, and even hats. Monsters collect furniture, Parin collects hats. It's a very strange world. Anyway, headwear gives the heroine special powers, such as resistance to poisonous gas, or the ability to restore her drill gauge. Noggin' attire can be upgraded, via the usage of junk. Fortified hats add all sorts of additional parameters, such as better defence and stronger attacks. They do get really expensive, though, and that equates to a lot of grinding.

On average, this Gurumin should take gamers ten hours to complete. However, that's only if they ignore the handful of mini-games, collecting the gold medals, and finding all of the other secrets. There's also a New Game+ feature and unlockable additional difficulties. Falcom's releases tend to have a lot of additional content, and this one certainly isn't any different. Completing absolutely everything will take a long time, but even one play-through is sufficient to thoroughly enjoy the adventure.

Aside from the combat, the only real issues are the poor frame-rate and repeated layouts. There are a handful of stages that actually have the same layout as some of the previous ones, except they are reversed. To be fair, there are different enemies and traps to contend with, but it's still jarringly obvious. The frame-rate is less excusable. While Parin's quest isn't nearly as difficult as anything that happens in the Ys series, a higher frame-rate would have given the visuals a more cohesive look and feel.