Nintendo World Report

Impressions

This game about growing up is still planned for an English release, but it may be a long way off. Here's what you should know about the final Japanese version.

Giftpia, labeled as an alternative RPG, is an attempt from Skip and Nintendo to develop a different kind of RPG. You can order it from our import partner, Play-Asia, who provided our copy. The game is indeed unique, and bizarre as well. However, after a few hours into the game, unwillingly I must say that the fun factor has not fully kicked in, and I am questioning if it will have enough appeal to keep gamers interested.

The objective of the game is to become an adult. Unlike other RPGs where characters earn experience points, in Giftpia you grow up. The game progresses in days, and within each day you are given a number of hours that you can stay up. If you do not return to your house by bedtime, you lose half your money and the majority of your items. By growing up, you can stay up later as well as gain access to new areas.

The story also centers around growing up. Nanashi Island, where the game takes place, has a tradition that one can only become an adult by attending a Coming of Age Ceremony. Unfortunately, our main character, Pockle, oversleeps and misses the ceremony. Pockle, therefore, has to earn enough money to hold another Coming of Age Ceremony, so he can grow up. However, in the beginning of the game, Pockle encounters an outcast, who got tired of Nanashi Island’s rules, and left the town. The outcast tells Pockle that one can truly grow up by helping others and fulfilling their wishes.

The idea of earning money and doing tasks resembles Animal Crossing, and the game does indeed have elements similar to Animal Crossing. If the game was designed to also sport some of the Animal Crossing gameplay, Skip did not execute it too well. Pockle can pick up items such as fruits and mushrooms to sell in the store, and he can also fish. Unfortunately, there does not seem to be as much depth as in games like Animal Crossing and Harvest Moon. For example, when it comes to fishing at the fountain in the town, you seat Pockle on a bench, and press the A button to swing your bait into the fountain. Once the bait sinks, you press the A button to pull up the fish. Fishing gets repetitive quite fast. The exploration factor is also lowered since the game is dependent on growing up, which means if you do not complete certain events and advance, you are locked out from a ton of places.

However, there are also some problems, at least in the beginning of the game, when trying to play Giftpia as a normal RPG. First, initially the day is rather short, about seven minutes, which means that you will need to start heading back for home after six minutes of playing. Sometimes this gets a bit annoying when you are exploring an area. Though the controls are responsive and simple, I wished Skip implemented a button for running. In the first few hours, the progress of the game is a bit on the slow side. Unlike the typical RPGs where combat, bosses, special items and magic help drive the game, in Giftpia a storyline based on fulfilling wishes of other island inhabitants has to push the story on its own. Currently it looks doubtful that the game has enough appeal to keep most gamers interested till the very end.

Lastly, just a few quick comments on the visuals and sound. The camera is fixed, and you can zoom in and out by toggling the Z button. The graphics and artwork are colorful and vivid. The background music is a selection of real tracks produced by actual amateur bands in Japan. The music is played through speakers in the town by the local radio station, Nanashi FM. The volume of the music depends on your distance relative to the speakers in the town, producing a rather cool effect.

The game’s take on the theme of growing up is very refreshing, and the presentation of the game is unique. The initial pace is slow, and may even be frustrating to some, but it seems things will pick up as areas get unlocked and mysteries get unsolved. I will reserve my final judgment and recommendations in the review. As for importers, like most RPGs where the story is the heart of the game, I would recommend waiting for the English version.