These scenarios require even greater management of your and Haru’s positioning, because if either of you both takes too much damage then it’s over, doesn’t matter how far away from you she is. ![]() Because of the way the Celestial Weapons work these action sequences are more like giant puzzles themselves, just with the added danger that you could die. There were certainly moments where it did get a bit mundane, saved by the inclusion of those boss battles. has managed to fit a massive amount of puzzle variety into The Tale of Onogoro making for a pleasant, engaging puzzler. This isn’t playschool though, the depth comes from mixing all these up with the environment to set things on fire, carefully navigate balls through the skies and trying to keep your cool when Haru gets continually shot.Īmata K.K. ![]() You extract the magic from a corresponding stone to then shoot foes or hit a switch, that’s it in a nutshell. The puzzle mechanics are wonderfully simple, colour-code elements with yellow acting as earth, green for wind and red for fire. This means she talks a lot, so much so that there are points where I just wanted to get on with things rather than stand there listening for another two minutes. Haru provides all of the background narrative, in-game rather than annoying, immersion-breaking cut scenes. To begin with, Onogoro is a very slow starter, like trying to warm up on a cold day. The focus is on puzzle solving, with no exploratory deviation required. So when it comes to interactivity The Tale of Onogoro isn’t exactly dripping stuff to play with. The only other interaction you can have in the world is with Haru, holding hands to regain energy or to answer a question by nodding or shaking your head. You’re in Haru’s world in spectral form so all of your interactions are confined to using the Celestial Weapons, two hip-mounted guns that can remotely pick up the stone as well as pull in elemental energy that can flip switches or be used to shoot enemies. You need to defeat five of these Kami to succeed and she has the knowledge to do so – and no, you can’t throw the Quelling Stone at the giant monsters sacrificing Haru. To begin with, though, it’s one of the main ways the videogame builds that partnership between you both, as you’re both useless without each other. Is this a fun mechanic? Umm, not by the end of the game as she continually moans that you’re movements are too fast and to be careful not to drop her. Thus you need to pick her up and carry her everywhere. Haru’s actually more of a warrior priestess as she fights giant creatures called Kami but because of the betrayal, she and the Quelling Stone are now best of friends thanks to a chain around her ankle. ![]() Yes, queue up those outdated ball and chain jokes because that is literally one of the core mechanics in Onogoro. Where things take a more unusual turn is in your relationship with this heroine, Haru, a priestess who has summoned you from another realm to aid her due to the fact that she’s attached to a massive rock. If you like Japanese narratives then this is quintessentially traditional, you play the hero, there’s a damsel in distress and, of course, you’ve got the old friend who’s betrayed you turning into the villain of the piece. ![]() And it does have those elements yet the package is very different, this is a puzzle experience through and through, with action elements to add some pace and drama to the proceedings. To begin with, The Tale of Onogoro has the feel and presence of an adventure RPG, promising and engaging story, big boss fights and some rather magical weaponry. This time around there’s no blood and gore, just a chained high priestess and some big ol’ monsters to fight. This connection with a virtual character, where you cooperatively work together to form a bond is key to Japanese studio Amata K.K’s work, from the brutal escape room title Last Labyrinth to the studios’ latest project The Tale of Onogoro. But every so often a developer tries just that, Polyarc’s Moss, for example, Ghost Giant or Astro Bot Rescue Mission. Virtual reality (VR) games don’t often have central characters you can connect with as, for the most part, you are that character.
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