Murasaki Baby
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Murasaki Baby'' is a side-scrolling
puzzle-platform game A platform game (often simplified as platformer and sometimes called a jump 'n' run game) is a sub-genre of action video games in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform games are charac ...
developed by Italian video game company Ovosonico for the
PlayStation Vita The PlayStation Vita (PS Vita, or Vita) is a handheld video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 17, 2011, and in North America, Europe, and other international territo ...
. The game was designed by Massimo Guarini who previously worked on ''
Shadows of the Damned is an action-adventure video game developed by Grasshopper Manufacture and published by Electronic Arts for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The game follows the story of Garcia Hotspur, a Mexican demon hunter who goes to the City of the Damned t ...
''.


Gameplay

The game's art direction follows the style of
Edward Gorey Edward St. John Gorey (February 22, 1925 – April 15, 2000) was an Americans, American writer, Tony Award-winning costume designer, and artist, noted for his own illustrated books as well as cover art and illustration for books by other w ...
. The titular character, known only as "Baby", is a young girl with an upside-down face. She carries a heart-shaped balloon, as do the other characters that Baby encounters throughout the adventure. Popping the other characters' balloons (via a tap on the Vita's touch screen) unlocks additional powers via different level backdrops. Up to three additional backdrops are unlocked on each level, and can be swapped at any time via a swipe of the Vita's rear touchpad. Many of the game's puzzles require quick shifting between various backdrops/powers in order to proceed. The game world is a world populated by children's fantasies and fears. Using the Vita touch screen, the player must guide Baby through the world by "holding" her hand and guiding her throughout the game.


Reception

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, a
review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
, rated the game 69/100 based on 48 reviews. ''Hardcore Gamer'' rated it 4.5/5 and wrote, "Every Vita owner needs to experience ''Murasaki Baby''. By creating a personal and engaging story, all while wrapping it in a hypnotically original art design, Ovosonico have gone where most other developers fear to tread." ''
Eurogamer ''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 and owned by alongside formed company Gamer Network. Its editor-in-chief is Martin Robinson. Since 2008, it is known for the formerly eponymous games trade fair EGX ...
'' rated it 8/10 and wrote, "Yes, the touch controls sometimes work against it and, like Baby, the game occasionally stumbles over its own feet, but for the most part it walks the fine line between the weird and the wonderful with aplomb." ''
IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
'' rated it 7.5/10 and wrote, "Filled with interesting ideas, ''Murasaki Baby''s dazzling animation and unique approach to platforming are enticing. Moving Baby around with the spotty touch controls can be frustrating, but this short confection is sweet enough while it lasts." ''
GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
'' rated it 7/10 and wrote, "Controlling ''Murasaki Baby'' can be tiresome, and your hands are too often covering the dazzling, shadowy vistas that provide such a distinctive personality. Still, this often-touching adventure is too great an audio-visual treat to discount." ''
Game Informer ''Game Informer'' (''GI'', most often stylized ''gameinformer'' from the 2010s onward) is an American monthly video game magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of video games and associated consoles. It debuted in August 1991 w ...
'' rated it 6/10 and wrote, "''Murasaki Baby'' is a weird little game about a weird little girl lost in a weird-looking world. Once you get past its Hot Topic aesthetic, it’s a breezy puzzle game that’s challenging in all the wrong ways."


References


External links

*{{Official website, http://murasakigame.com/ 2014 video games Avantgarden games Indie games PlayStation Network games PlayStation Vita games PlayStation Vita-only games Puzzle-platformers Side-scrolling video games Single-player video games Video games about children Video games developed in Italy Video games featuring female protagonists Video games scored by Akira Yamaoka