Gurumin: A Monstrous Adventure

Reviewed by Jonathan Levy
March 20, 2006

Developer: Falcom Publisher: Mastiff Consoles Available: PSP Number of Players: 1 ESRB Rating: Everyone 10+ Website: Click Here

Gurumin is a story about a little girl named Parin. She and her grandfather move to a new city where there are no children, but monsters exist which the adults cannot see. Parin befriends the monsters only for disaster to strike, and now she must become a heroine and save the day.

I would describe the game as an action RPG with a tendency towards hack-and-slash. The game started out very easy then became much harder, and this is based on the normal difficulty.  Other difficulties are unlocked to make the game more of a challenge. There are also a handful of unlockables, but they all require some work to get.

The graphics look like low quality 3D graphics equivalent to the original Playstation, and I feel that the graphics would have looked better had they been bit cartoon-like. The plot is a very simple one and seems to be geared towards younger players, which is another reason I think the graphics should have had a more of a cartoon style to it. The controls are easy to learn, but the advanced moves take a bit of practice. The overall game isn't too complex which only adds to my thoughts of this game being targeted towards a younger crowd, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

The game was obviously a very simple one, but with its constant hack-and-slash play, it leaves a high potential for one to get bored. I for one get bored with hack-and-slash if I do it for too long. Although the game was enjoyable while I played it, it’s a game I wouldn't mind owning, but wouldn't rush out or tell someone else to rush out and get unless it was for a child.

More Screenshots (Click image to enlarge) :