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By Keith B (31st Jul 2007)

After a multitude of supposed release dates having come and gone over the past three years, Chulip was finally released on Valentine’s Day 2007 in the US. Many were surprised: Kissing simulation games are not one of the most well-known or well financed of video game genres over here in the states to say the least, but have found a small niche in Japanese video game culture. Chulip is just that: a quirky, very Japanese game that is a domestic trailblazer. <br /><br />
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The game itself revolves around the life of a young man (insert whatever witty name you would like at the title screen) who has just moved to a new town with his father. The boy (henceforth referred to as “Gameboy” , my choice of nomenclature) dreams of a girl who lives in the town (again, give her a witty name at the title screen) and envisions himself kissing “Hottie” (as I named the cartoon girl) under Lover’s Tree. But, there’s a catch. The boy and his father are poor, and people in Long Life Town don’t take too kindly to po’folk. The pairs prosperity is often brought up at the amusement (and sometimes, dismay) of the gamer. For you see, the dialogue in the game is completely written in subtitles, with only a garbled invented dialect as the primary language. As Father acutely points out to his son, “We are poor, so we have very little money”. Gee dad, thanks for explaining. Also, as Hottie explains to our would-be hero after learning of some of some of his actions: “You moved into that old house? That means you are poor. You can’t commit a crime just because you are poor”. The poverty and discrimination the boy and his father face are the basis of our plot: Being poor makes Gameboy a person looked down upon. If he can do enough good deeds, he can hopefully raise his reputation, win the heart of Hottie and accomplish his goal of kissing her.<br /><br />
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But things aren’t just that easy. Not only must Gameboy solve a seemingly never-ending series of crimes, he must also practice his kissing skills; no one wants to make out with a “noob” to the game of love. To boost his reputation, Gameboy must go around kissing as many of the townspeople as he can. But here’s the catch: Only at certain times or after certain events can people be kissed. Kiss them at the wrong time, and POW!, they will knock down your health meter. And for the first few hours of play, death is quite frequent. Until you raise the “strength” of your heart (by getting kissing experience), you are quite susceptible to death though vulnerabilities such as attack by townspeople, picking up “poopie” in garbage cans, ghosts attacking you, and random run-bys that will take your life meter down.<br /><br />
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There are many positive aspects to this game. For starters, just the fact that a kissing simulation was ever released in the US was an eyebrow raiser enough for me to check out the title. And once I started playing the game, its charm quickly won me over. The animations of the townspeople, the attention to detail that went in to creating each of their individual stories, and the houses and places to explore all add up to the makings of a great game. Since the title is native to Japan, it does indeed have some language barriers. Dialogue is sometimes jumbled. Utterances such as “Closed already, the store is” by Mr. Cheapot are reminiscent of Yoda; Hottie’s father’s justification of his daughter’s disappearance (“I don’t want to do anything. Hottie likes cats. She’ll come home soon enough”) makes him seem perpetually hammered and confused; and the narrator’s description of Gameboy and his father agreeing “Let’s make the most of our lives so here they determined” all show that the game is not perfect. But I venture to say that these slip-ups only further add to the indescribable charm that is present in this title. It is very Japanese to be certain, and these errors are simply reminders of that fact.<br /><br />
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The most frustrating feature of the game, and its Achilles heel, so to speak, is the difficulty with which all tasks in the game are accomplished. There are four main challenges in the game, with each of those comprised of at least a half dozen mini challenges each. But figuring out the correlations between certain events and people can be nearly impossible. Natsume thankfully provides a step-by-step strategy guide within the manual, and I will be the first to admit I made use of it. Liberally. Also frustrating are features such as the small time periods in which you have to kiss certain people. Again, the strategy guide is almost essential. The time system within the game further complicates this situation, with limited time frames becoming even more difficult to manage with the speed at which the clock moves (Think Shenmue except with zanier graphics and a more eccentric plotline). <br /><br />
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Chulip is a decidedly Japanese game, and is certainly not for the strictly Madden and Mario gamer. It is for those who enjoy Japanese culture, and somewhat quirkier titles that are not often seen by the US gaming audience outside of import titles. Even though it has its flaws, the expansive story line and the always entertaining dialogue should be enough to make most gamers thankful that this game did indeed win a release in the US. Its cartoony yet well drawn graphics are another definite positive the title has going for it. For those who are willing to try new things, give Chulip a spin. With an MSRP of $20 bucks (though you’ll be hard pressed to find it for that, I ended up paying $30 at the local EB Games) its well worth the investment at either price. It is a definite must for anime fans, Natsume regulars (they produce the wildly popular Harvest Moon franchise), or those who are hopeless romantics. But, to sum up the game, I believe there to be an indescribable charm in the simplicity and poignancy of the overall objective here, of trying to win over a young girl’s heart through good deeds and being an upstanding citizen, all accomplished by a poor yet hardworking 14 year old boy in a new town. Hardcore rap this is not. See past the game’s many quirks, and it is truly a solid title.<br /><br />