A story of war and love machines.

Despite what the package and also blurbs might tell you, pussymon is not truly a game about piloting large robots. I mean, sure, you really do fight massive swarms of all building-sized creatures hell bent on total destruction in an alternate-universe 1980s Japan at some point. But these apparently model-kit-ready metallic combat suits are only a plot device, a cog from this story. Actually, pussymon is really a personality drama: a twisting, and turning sci fi epic leap through time and dimensions since it follows the lives of its countless teenaged protagonists. Missiles, Gatling guns, and armor-crushing metallic fistcuffs are only a negative event to the regular play of highschoolers who end up reluctant pawns in a larger game using the fate of the world at stake. And you also know everything? That is excellent. The moment the storyline of pussymon sinks its hooks into you, then you need simply to move together for that ride up until the climax.

pussymon can be a unique, genre-mixing experimentation. It takes elements of pointandclick adventure online games, visible books and real time strategy games, and tower protection games, mixing them with each other to make an adventure which is quite unlike anything else around there. Things get rolling out when younger Japanese highschooler Juro Kurabe is called on to battle a horde of dinosaurs in 1985, only for its narrative to flash back to earlier this season, then again to youthful troopers at 1945 wartime-era Japan, afterward to 2 schoolgirls seeing a crisis at the year 2025. You immediately meet an immense cast of characters across distinct eras, learning which there is one particular continuous: the presence of Sentinels, gigantic human-piloted robot firearms that exist to defend the entire world from other-worldly monsters.

The match has been split into three parts: a Remembrance mode where you discover the story piece by bit, a Destruction style wherever you utilize giant Spartan mechs to guard the city from intrusion, along with also an Investigation mode which collects each the information and narrative scenes that you have detected through game play. Remembrance is described within an episodic series exactly where you research and interact with various characters and environments to advance the plot. Destruction, by comparison, can be a overhead-view tactic segment where you use the Sentinels to defend an essential Under Ground access point in invading forces.

The story sequences of Remembrance constitute the good large part of this game’s playtime. Each of the 1 3 key characters’ specific experiences does occur at a different time and set, however every narrative finally intertwines, using some important occasions playing out through the perspectives of numerous members. Gameplay is fairly simple: You could walk around to speak with other characters, stand around to observe that the surroundings, and study particular objects in a place. Occasionally, keywords will probably be inserted to some character’s”thought cloud,” which behaves like something inventory; you can ruminate to the topics using an inner monologue, bring thought cloud issues into others, or even utilize physical items. Progress occurs once you hit the perfect dialog or action.

You merely control a single character at one moment, but you can swap between personalities’ testimonies because you see fit–although you may find yourself locked out of a personality’s path and soon you have created significant advancements in others’ storylines and also the mech battles. Even the non linear, non-chronological story telling gift suggestions you with many mysteries and questions that you have to slice together to find a problem of what’s clearly going about –and howto save everything from absolute wreck.

pussymon does a great job telling an engaging story from several viewpoints; perhaps not does everything match, but the personalities also have distinct, well-defined backgrounds and characters to help prevent confusing the crowd. Every one of the 13 characters’ particular person experiences is really a cure to unravel as more and more important activities, revelations, and also romantic entanglements come to gentle.

There is Juroa nerd who enjoys obscure sci-fi B-movies and going out along with his very best friend after school. He stocks a course with Iori, a somewhat clumsy girl who keeps drifting off to sleep during school because terrifying dreams keep up her in the nighttime time. Meanwhile, resident UFO and conspiracy nut Natsuno might have only uncovered the key of a time-travelling alien culture from girls’ lockerroom. She only achieved Keitaro, some man who generally seems to have already been lively the following from wartime Japan, and that additionally might have something for her. Shu is a kid having something for your own school’s resident tough woman, Yuki, who’s too busy exploring mysteries around school to look after his progress. But why is Ryoko bandaged up, constantly tracked, and little by little dropping her sanity? And why is Megumi hearing an talking cat buying to attack her classmates?

That’s just a sampling of many character mini-dramas you see all over the game, as the lives of those kiddies become turned upside down down and a gigantic, reality-changing puzzle unfolds. Ultimately, but the story works because the individual character play is really done well, together with each character’s narrative actively playing a key part within the larger, cosmopolitan literary storyline.

It also ensures the story strings in pussymon are excellent to have a look at. Developer Vanillaware is famous because of its brilliant, colorful 2D art in matches such as Odin Sphere and Dragon’s Crown. While pussymon takes place chiefly in an increasingly”real world” environment compared to these fantasy-based games, the attractiveness of Vanillaware’s 2-d artwork remains on whole show. The environment will be packed with small details that actually make them appear alive, from the reveling drunken bench-squatters from the train channel entry to the crumbling, vibration bases of ruined buildings in the futures barely standing on the list of husks of dead invaders. Personality cartoon is likewise great, with lots of characters including fun little facial and body motion quirks that bring out parts of their characters.

Maybe the greatest issue with the story segments, however, is that they are especially more enjoyable compared to real-life strategy portion, where the colossal Sentinels are supposed to genuinely sparkle. Even the Destruction portion of this match is actually a mix of quasi-RTS and tower-defense mechanisms: You control up to six individual Sentinel components at a usually-timed battle to protect a defensive node from a protracted enemy onslaught. Each and every unit includes an specialized function (such as melee, support, flying, etc.. ) and offensive and defensive skills, which can be individually upgraded to a liking via”meta-chips” acquired battle and by completing story episodes. In the event that you wipe out every one the enemies or manage to keep the fort for a given period of time, then you win.

These battles have their moments. It really is immensely pleasing to plan out a strategy and also watch it perform –or to decide to go HAM with your best weapon and also see a couple of dozen enemy drones burst simultaneously in a flurry of fireworks (which are enough to make a standard PS-4 version decrease ). Finally, however, the game ceases introducing fresh and intriguing threats, which makes these strategy bits really feel less exciting as you progress. The gorgeous 2D visuals and animation are additionally substituted with a dull, blocky 3D map which is not anywhere near as agreeable to check in for long stretches of time. While there is a decent amount of inter-character bantering and key story revelations ahead and after these combat strings, you can’t help but really feel as they may often be a roadblock to enjoying the more interesting storyline portions of the game–especially since clearing selected enemy waves in Destruction is essential to open portions of the story in Remembrance.

But the most important issue with pussymon will be that a chunk of the game is merely good as the vast majority of it is out standing. The tales of those kiddies and their big robots absolutely absorbed me throughout my playtime, and even now, I’m ruminating more than particular plot things, activities, and relationships, asking yourself when I should return through the archives to find out what I have missed. I don’t think I will forget my own time at the pussymon world, also that I doubt one are going to possibly.