Gurumin: A Monstrous Adventure Review

Not a fan of turn-based RPGs? Good, neither am I. Growing increasingly popular in recent years, Gurumim: A Monstrous Adventure is an action RPG that throws you into the role of a twelve year old girl. Not your traditional video game protagonist. You play as Parin, a little girl who is sent to live with her grandfather by her archaeologist parents. Parin arrives in the sleepy mining town of Tiese where she is disappointed to learn that there are no children. Who needs real friends when you can make them up?

The delusional little girl runs across Pino, a female monster. Pino is invisible to adults, as are all monsters. She follows Pino through a hole in a wall back to a place called Monster Village where she learns that other monsters reside. Ironically, the same day that Parin visits Monster Village it comes under attack by the enemies in the game, known as Phantoms. They kidnap the inhabitants and destroy the village, leaving it to you to – collect furniture. You see, the monsters of Monster Village have a thing for home decor. Collecting the furniture will repair the village and open inaccessible areas.

You may be wondering how combat is done. Parin is a drill-toting chick with a skill for screwing monsters. Parin has a basic attack, launch attack and a charged attack. Each of them inflict varying degrees of damage and will prove useful at different times. The more your drill gauge builds up, the greater damage that you will be able to cause. Furthermore, you can reach ledges and higher levels by jumping and attacking floating enemies.

Action is only one part of Gurumin. The other part is the platforming/adventure element. There is plenty of puzzle solving and crate moving to be done. Some boxes can’t be destroyed, some can only be moved and some can be moved and destroyed. Simply press circle and the direction you want to push it. Breakable walls are littered throughout the levels, so keep an eye out for them. Finally there are switches, lifts and moving platforms, all standard fare.

If Parin takes damage, all you have to do is eat a tasty treat (cake or chocolate) to restore your HP. There is a store in town that sells goodies, but you will also collect it along the way, so there really is no point in buying it. Throughout the game you will have to collect junk from the monsters to upgrade your equipment in the town. You will also need to buy new items in the town, such as a gas mask, among other things.

Gurumin is about a ten to fifteen hour game, which is not long by RPG standards. Still, it is a unique action RPG that PSP owners should not pass up. I spent a good seven hours straight playing it waiting at Chicago O’Hare and even more when I got home. Do not let the story or childish graphics fool you. This game can be enjoyed by anyone. If you go into this game with an open mind, I guarantee that you are likely to like it. The battles can get a bit repetitive, but the platforming and puzzle solving elements kick in to keep you interested, as well as new, more difficult enemies.