Preview Game kenangan Chulip

--- CHULIP --- 

Let's face it: people love to kiss. Not everything people love to do translates well to a game, though. Flossing? Probably not. Eating lunch? Definitely not. Playing with our cat? Okay, Ubisoft has probably made a game where you do that. From the outside looking in, kissing does not seem like a compelling enough action to merit being the focus of a game. Natsume, the wonderful people who brought us Harvest Moon, begs to differ.
Chulip is a title for the Playstation 2 that is so unbelievably niche it's hard to believe it ever made it to US shores. It's the kind of quirky title so ensconced in Japanese design that gamers like myself simply assume that it is some kind of holy grail too good for us. Having put quite a few hours into the game, and even completed the main objective, I can say that this game is plenty worth the cheap $10 price.

The main strength of Chulip rests with its offbeat concept and stylistic charm. The graphics are not impressive from a technical standpoint, but the somber, artistic design helps you forget that immediately.  The story finds you as the new kid in town, looking to mingle with the townsfolk, fit in, and woe the girl of your dreams.  It may not be the most compelling narrative ever woven, but the inhabitants of your new town are so over-the-top and fun to meet that it doesn't really matter.
Making a good impression on these people is thoroughly important, as you will be needing them to like you enough in order for them to let you kiss them without getting smacked. That's right: be it a boy or a girl or an onion-faced old lady, you need to kiss these people. If successful, you improve your social status and get closer to gaining the ability to kiss the girl of your dreams without her smacking you. It's a concept with a lot of heart, but it's also one I could see not appealing to too many people.

The biggest flaw of Chulip is that its slow-paced game play can prove to be a particularly difficult chore at times. There is a tremendous amount of trial and error that goes with finding exactly how to get on someone's good side enough to where they will allow you to kiss them, and if you fail enough times it can cause you to have to restart that particular day.  If you have the patience, though, then there is a lot of fun to be had here.