''Afrika'', known as ''Hakuna Matata'' in

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

and

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...

, is a

photography Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is employe ...

and safari simulation

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

for the

PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on November 11, 2006, in Japan, November ...

. Developed by Rhino Studios and published by Natsume, the game was first announced in a promotional video during the

Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professiona ...

press conference at E3 2006. ''Afrika'' has been referred to as being similar to the

Nintendo 64 The (N64) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo. The successor to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, it was released on June 23, 1996, in Japan, on September 29, 1996, in North America, and on March 1, 1997, in Europe and ...

title '' Pokémon Snap''.

Gameplay

In ''Afrika'', the player assumes the role of a photojournalist hired to take images of various animals in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, as the name indicates. Gameplay is mission-driven; players receive e-mails at the base camp instructing them to which animals they must photograph. Players may then travel by foot, car, or

hot air balloon A hot air balloon is a lighter-than-air aircraft consisting of a bag, called an envelope, which contains heated air. Suspended beneath is a gondola or wicker basket (in some long-distance or high-altitude balloons, a capsule), which carries ...

to the areas where the requested animals are found in order to photograph them. The in-game camera is controlled by the

Sixaxis The Sixaxis (trademarked SIXAXIS) is a wireless gamepad produced by Sony for their PlayStation 3 video game console. It was introduced alongside the PlayStation 3 in 2006 and remained the console's official controller until 2008. The Sixaxis was ...

. Depending on the quality of the photograph taken, the player will earn in-game money. The money can then be spent on new supplies, such as an upgraded camera. Real-life photos and footage of the animals can be unlocked. When unlocked, the content is stored in the "Animal Library". The soundtrack for the game was composed, orchestrated, and conducted by

Wataru Hokoyama is a Japanese composer, conductor, and orchestrator based in Hollywood, California. He left his birth nation of Japan at the age of 16 to attend the Interlochen Arts Academy in Interlochen, Michigan. He later attended the Cleveland Institut ...

Development

Sony first showed a trailer for Afrika at E3 2006. This generated buzz, however, other than the title, little was actually known about the project. In 2008 Sony put up an official website for the game. Soon after a game description was posted on the Japanese retailer Gamestar's website with a trailer indicating the game was about a photojournalist. The U.S. version of ''Afrika'' was announced at E3 2009. The game's North American release date was October 6, 2009.

Reception

The game received mostly mixed reviews. ''

Famitsu formerly ''Famicom Tsūshin'', is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly formats as well as in the f ...

'' scored the game 29/40. According to

Media Create is a Japanese company that gathers and analyzes data from the digital entertainment industry, specifically focusing on the Japanese console gaming market. Business operations include publishing, market research and consulting. It is a popular we ...

sales data, ''Afrika'' debuted in second place during its release week in Japan, selling 38,423 units. The game's soundtrack was awarded "Best Original Video Game Score" by The Hollywood Music Awards 2008. Movie Music UK has the only review of the soundtrack and gave it 4.5/5.0, saying "Hokoyama has left a strong impression with the wonderful music he has composed. This is a soundtrack you cannot pass up".Movie Music UK review
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References

External links

Official website

Official Rhino Studios website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Afrika (Video Game) 2008 video games Life simulation games Natsume (company) games Photography games PlayStation 3 games PlayStation 3-only games Single-player video games Sony Interactive Entertainment games Video games about animals Video games developed in Japan Video games scored by Wataru Hokoyama Video games set in Africa

Gameplay

Development

Reception

See also

References

External links