Round and round, spinning around.
The Nintendo 3DS eShop is a motherlode of great games. New gems are constantly being excavated and Gurumin 3D: A Monstrous Adventure is one such jewel. Originally developed by Nihon Falcom for Windows way back in 2004 and later released for the Sony PlayStation Portable, the game is a refreshing take on the Action RPG genre that the 3DS needs more of.
STORY
Gurumin's plot is simple, yet charming. The story follows a sassy girl named Parin, who went to see her Grandfather in a small mining town. She soon discovers that the town is devoid of any children aside from herself. This is why she got excited when she finally met another girl named Pino. To her surprise, Pino revealed that she was actually a monster and that adult humans cannot see her kind. Parin was later invited to Monster Village where she met and befriended the other monster inhabitants. Tragedy soon follows as the village was ravaged by hostile monsters called phantoms. Using the Legendary Drill, it's up to Parin to rescue her monster friends from the attackers and restore Monster Village at the same time.
Your mission is to rescue your kidnapped friends from the different phantom-infested regions in the game. Completing an area for the first time will reward you with a piece of furniture along with a rank medal. Returning the furniture to their original owners will unlock new areas. It is also worth noting that Gurumin's multiple ending system depends on the number of furniture items you have returned. There are also several secrets on each area. The rank and the medal reward for clearing an area will depend on the chests you discovered, vases you broke, enemies you defeated, the number of Game Overs you had, and the amount of time it took for you to reach the goal. The medals can be exchanged for money or for special gear with unique effects. This rewards exploration and route mastery while providing additional challenges and replay value.
REPLAY VALUE
Speaking of replay value, the game starts off with 2 difficulty settings at first but you can unlock 3 more based on certain steep requirements. Accomplishing these on each difficulty will unlock rewards such as costumes, headgear, and gallery art, which can either be a good or bad thing depending on what type of gamer you are. Completionists will definitely appreciate the replay value based on the number of unlockable features and challenges alone.
GRAPHICS
The game boasts a lot of colorful and clean-looking textures and visuals. Its cell-shaded environment goes extremely well with the adorable chibi art style. Everyone looks so adorable, even the spider enemies look too cute for their own good. The stereoscopic 3D looks good overall but I did find the two minecart scenes and a few dialogue boxes to be extra strenuous to the eyes. Occasional frame rate drops may also happen if there are too many entities on the screen at the same time. This isn't normally an issue unless you are trying to maneuver along narrow platforming areas where you can fall down to oblivion.
CONTROLS & GAMEPLAY
You can move around with the use of the Circle Pad (analog) or the Directional Pad (d-pad). The New 3DS C-stick and L/R shoulder buttons control the camera. Pressing the Y button will also adjust it to the direction you are currently facing. According to the North American publisher Mastiff, there are currently no plans to add Circle Pad Pro support for old 3DS and 3DS XL owners. The X button or ZL/ZR shoulder buttons trigger Guard Dash. This move is essential for evading enemy attacks in a pinch and initiating devastating special moves with your drill. The B button allows you to jump. Overall, movement is generally fluid especially when a combo or special move connects.
Guru from Gurumin may have originated from the Japanese word guru guru which roughly translates to something going around or spinning. This perfectly describes Parin’s weapon of choice - the Legendary Drill. No phantom, pillar, rock, wall, or tree is safe from this rotating apparatus. Pressing the A button repeatedly starts the standard combo while a long press charges up an attack. Combine this with Jumping, Guard Dash, or directional input from the Circle Pad or D-pad in order to perform extremely flashy and powerful special moves. Purchasing Drill Parts from an NPC at the mining town will unlock special moves. Pro-tip: if something is alive and moving, drill it! If something inanimate stands out, drill it!
The automatic targeting system in the game is a little bit wonky. The ability to switch targets is almost non-existent to a certain degree. Your target will only change if you defeat it or if you reposition yourself far from its range. Performing airborne combos or using wide area-of-effect special moves are workarounds for dealing with multiple enemies on the screen. Another issue I experienced with the targeting system is when I accidentally enter the next room while doing airborne combos or when I get knocked off by a non-targeted enemy into one. Entering the next room closes the door as well as the opportunity to get a better score, rank, and medal.
I particularly love how the bosses are presented. Once you reach an area designated for a boss fight, you will instantly jump into combat after a short cutscene. There is no need to search for the boss room at the end of a long dungeon. Their attack patterns also vary, making them somewhat unpredictable. Boss attack power and health points are also far above from a normal phantom's or a mini-boss' stats. All these combined with extra environmental hazards will definitely challenge players. Is the game too easy? Don't worry, let me push you off this cliff to remind you who's boss. Still too easy? Try to unlock and play on the Crazy difficulty setting where only Critical hits matter.
MUSIC
The background music is a joy to listen to while playing. Each of them fits the atmosphere of the different regions perfectly. If you're interested, Gurumin's complete soundtrack is also available at iTunes. All the characters are fully dubbed in English. The voice acting is also on-point featuring the great talents of Amber Hood (Fire Emblem Fates - Nyx and Soleil), Tara Strong (Batman: Arkham Underworld - Harley Quinn) and many others. If I were to nitpick on one sound-related issue, that will be the occasional brief stutter that happens when you enter or exit a building on the mining town. The up-beat music and silly yet superb dialogues make up for it.
BONUS OFFER
An exclusive free 3DS Home Theme will also be given away if you purchase the game on or before October 31, 2016. The free Gurumin Party Time Theme will not be included in the Gurumin Monster Bundle on the 3DS Theme Shop. The bundle costs $3.99 while the individual themes cost $1.49 each.
CONCLUSION
If you like Fantasy Life and Monster Hunter Generations, then we definitely recommend adding Gurumin 3D: A Monstrous Adventure to your 3DS Action-RPG library. Don't let its adorable appearance fool you. The game is packed with content and replay value to keep you digging for more. We give it a score of 8 out of 10 drills.
LAUNCH TRAILER
