About.com Rating

The Bottom Line

If you're passing on this game because it looks like something little girls would play, you're missing out on a treat. While I can certainly imagine little girls enjoying this game, experienced gamers both male and female will find it a lot of fun, too. Due to the fairly simple control scheme and the easy learning curve (at first, anyway), it could be a good game to introduce new players to action-rpgs, but there are also enough challenges--including unlockable harder difficulty modes--for any level player.



Pros

• Lots of item upgrades.
• Smooth, easy to master controls.
• Fun, fun, fun.

Cons

• The excessive cuteness may put off hardcore gamers.
• Some levels just repeat the design of other levels.

Description

• ESRB rated E10+ -- published by Mastiff -- game profile -- screenshots
  
• Graphics: Some very nice design, if sometimes a bit blocky-looking. The cartoony look suits the rest of the game design.
• Sound: Nice effects. The great music, different for different areas, became a bit repetitive (though not quite annoying).
• Gameplay: Easy to pick up and play with in-game tutorials to show you how it works. Smooth controls make it simply fun.
• Multiplayer: None; this is a single-player-only game (which I find refreshing--sometimes multiplayer is over-emphasized).
• Replay Value: Moderately high. I'll be playing through at least once more to find all the medals and the rest of the items.
• Recommendation: Don't let the cuteness put you off; this is a really fun game with short levels perfect for on-the-go play.

Guide Review - Gurumin: A Monstrous Adventure

So cute! That was my first thought when I picked up Gurumin. Usually I find super-cute games a bit off-putting, but I'm glad I had a chance to review this one.

Not Just for Girls

Even though I'm a female gamer, I tend to avoid games aimed specifically at women and girls. Too often the designers don't really have any idea what makes a game appealing to women. I don't know if Gurumin was actually designed for female players or not, but despite the rather girly looks, it's a solid (if somewhat simplified) action-rpg. The cute design and little-girl main character will likely appeal to female gamers, but men and boys should not be put off. Well, they might be, but then they'd be missing a really fun game.

Sure, there are some cliches here--talented kid rescues people (or monsters, in this case) who can't seem to help themselves, for one--and the choice of weapon may seem a bit odd (a magic drill?), but what's important is how fun the game is, and this one had me enthralled.

Small and Portable

The game is well-designed for short periods of play, though the further you get into the game, the harder the levels and the more time they'll take. Even though I could complete a level in a short session, I found myself wanting to keep on playing for longer and longer--surely the sign of a god game.

Wait, Haven't I Seen This Already?

My only real complaint about Gurumin is that you eventually start getting to levels that are laid out exactly the same as earlier levels, except maybe in reverse. I actually checked the map a few times, to make sure I wasn't just going back over already explored territory. Even so, the enemies and rewards aren't necessarily in the same places, so this wasn't as big a flaw as it could have been.

A happier deja vu experience is in meeting the character Motoro. Fans of Miyazaki's anime will recognize the reference.

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