PlayStation 2

Chulip

So in the end, how does Chulip stack up? Not as well as it could have, that's for sure, and definitely not worth a three-year + wait. Honestly, this is a game better worth renting, as it's pretty short and you should be able to beat it in a week with the in-booklet walkthrough. While part of the fun is in exploration, I just found it very difficult to figure anything out. Add to that a translation that is at times pretty bad and, at points, incomplete (parts of text are just cut off and missing), and you have a game not worth a purchase. Oh, and apologies to Freddie Mercury for use of his lyrics (whoever owns the rights to them, please don't sue!).

Gameplay nags aside, we do want to make it clear that Chulip is certainly worth a look for purveyors of all things Japanese and indie. We can bandy about synonyms for "charming" and "stylish" all damn day, but the game makes an effort to resist labels, really becoming something in and of itself.

Chulip is likely one of the most confounding experiences you'll have with your PlayStation 2. Nearly everything about it is uncomfortably bizarre, which may be enough for those who avoid the mundane or just get a kick out of the more peculiar corners of Japanese culture. However, if you're not actively looking for something incredibly weird, you have no business puckering up for Chulip.

Seemingly, the game's publisher, Natsume, realized the potential frustrations inherent in Chulip, and rather than fixing them outright, Natsume included a mini-strategy guide in the game's instruction manual. This guide does make the gameplay experience a little more friendly, although it hardly covers the entirety of the game, leaving you stranded at some point without a lifeboat.`

We couldn't possibly recommend a purchase, regardless of price, simply because it doesn't seem like there's enough here to constitute a whole game. It also becomes increasingly difficult to become interested in your day-to-day romantic pursuits, and the amusement only lasts for so long. On the other hand, you'll spend at least a few hours with a smile on your face and an overall feeling of surprise and shock, just because you can't believe a game like this got made. If you're really into the strangest of the strange, Chulip is probably worth a rent; make sure you have a few friends around who you can share your laughter with. Well, provided they share the same sense of humor. This is one ridiculous game, and while it has its moments, the whole allure just wears off very quickly.

If you’re not intrigued by now, you never will be. Chulip, while more daring and original than the mountain of RPG garbage being released, is not at all an entertaining experience. It could be labeled a dating sim, but there is no dating – just scavenger hunting, hours of backtracking, and really lame smooching.

This is a quirky Japanese kissing game. I say kiss it goodbye, because it’s not worth your time. Some games are just made broken. I don’t mean broken in the bug-riddled sense, but Chulip is probably one of the most poorly designed games I have ever played. Figuring out how to accomplish your goals is hard enough, but often you don’t even know what you are supposed to be doing in general. I don’t want to know how many times I died accidentally by searching through the garbage for money and finding poopie instead, or getting run over by a scooter from out of nowhere. What I do know is that each time I died it felt cheaper than a sophomore prom date.