is an
adventure
An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...
video game
A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...
developed by
Grasshopper Manufacture
is a Japanese video game developer founded on March 30, 1998 by Goichi Suda. They are well known for creating titles such as '' killer7'' and the '' No More Heroes'' series.
History
The company was founded on March 30, 1998 in Suginami, J ...
and published by
Victor Interactive Software
was a Japanese video game software publisher and developer, established on October 1, 1996 as a division of Victor Entertainment. Their first game was ''Fish Eyes'' and their last game was ''Fish Eyes 3''.
Some of their games used the brand.
H ...
for the
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...
in 2001. It was initially only released in Japan. A port for the
Nintendo DS
The is a foldable handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens worki ...
(DS) was developed by
h.a.n.d. under supervision by Grasshopper Manufacture. It was published by
Marvelous Entertainment
(MMV) was a multinational corporation that produced animation, music, video games and television series. MMV is known for its involvement in the Story of Seasons (series), ''Story of Seasons'' series. They merged with AQ Interactive in 2011 an ...
in Japan (2008) and North America (2009) and
Rising Star Games
Rising Star Games Limited is a British video game publisher based in Hitchin.
History
Rising Star Games was founded on 10 July 2004 by Martin Defries as a joint venture between Bergsala Holding and Japanese publisher Marvelous Entertainment ...
in Europe (2008).
''Flower, Sun, and Rain'' is set on the
Micronesia
Micronesia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, consisting of approximately 2,000 small islands in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. It has a close shared cultural history with three other island regions: Maritime Southeast Asia to the west, Poly ...
n island resort of Lospass, and is loosely connected to the events of ''
The Silver Case
is an adventure visual novel video game developed by Grasshopper Manufacture and published by ASCII Entertainment for the PlayStation in 1999. It was directed, designed and co-written by Goichi Suda. A remastered version was released digitally by ...
''. The story follows Sumio Mondo, a "searcher" who makes a living looking for things people have lost. Mondo is initially contracted to defuse a bomb planted on a plane, but is so distracted with helping the islanders that the bomb goes off. He ends up caught in a timeloop, where he relives the same day running up to the explosion. Gameplay focuses on Mondo exploring the island, solving numerical puzzles with the help of his computer "Catherine" to solve people's problems on Lospass.
''Flower, Sun, and Rain'' was conceived, directed, designed and co-written by studio founder
Goichi Suda
, known by his alias Suda51, is a Japanese video game director, designer, and writer. Affiliated with Human Entertainment from 1994 to 1998, he founded Grasshopper Manufacture in 1998 with a number of other Human Entertainment staff to produce the ...
. Production began in 1999 following the release of ''The Silver Case'', the studio's debut title. Multiple staff from ''The Silver Case'' returned, including co-writer Masashi Ooka and character designer Takashi Miyamoto. Returning composer
Masafumi Takada
is a Japanese composer and sound designer, best known for his work on the soundtracks for '' killer7'', '' God Hand'', '' No More Heroes'', and the '' Earth Defense Force'' and ''Danganronpa'' series. Takada has worked on multiple projects for ...
co-wrote the score with Shingo Yasumoto. The PS2 version remained exclusive to Japan, while the DS version received an international release. The original version was positively reviewed, but the DS release received mixed to negative reviews from critics.
Gameplay
''Flower, Sun, and Rain'' is an
adventure game
An adventure game is a video game genre in which the player assumes the role of a protagonist in an interactive story, driven by exploration and/or puzzle-solving. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based m ...
where players take the role of main protagonist Sumio Mondo. As Mondo, the player navigates the environments around the "Flower, Sun, and Rain" hotel on the island resort of Lospass.
All environments within Lospass are rendered using three-dimensional graphics.
The game is split into chapters that take place across eighteen days.
While he has a main goal, "Obstacle" events will block his path, prompting him to help
non-playable character
A non-player character (NPC) is a character in a game that is not controlled by a player. The term originated in traditional tabletop role-playing games where it applies to characters controlled by the gamemaster (or referee) rather than by a ...
s (NPCs) solving problems and locating lost items.
Each day after the initial opening segment begins with Mondo in his hotel room, and after that time Mondo is allowed to explore the environments within and surrounding "Flower, Sun, and Rain". Later in the game, more of the environments open up for exploration. Mondo has no form of transport, only being able to explore the island on foot.
Puzzles in ''Flower, Sun, and Rain'' all follow a similar pattern, with Mondo being asked by NPCs to help them with a problem. Puzzles are solved using "Catherine", a suitcase-bound computer that Mondo carries with him at all times. Puzzles are initiated when locating environmental cues or talking to NPCs. All puzzles revolve around numerical solutions, the correct combinations being hinted at through dialogue and other clues: an example puzzle is taking a birthday and manipulating the numbers in some way, through either physically flipping them or rearranging them, to find the correct code. The player may also need to solve math or logic problems to deduce the correct code.
When all the necessary numbers are found, Mondo then uses Catherine to solve the puzzle and complete the request. Catherine can be connected to anything from inanimate objects to living people through the use of jacks: when the correct jack has been connected, the player then inputs the number sequence. If correct, the player gains a "Hit" and the puzzle is completed, but a "Blank" means that the player has the incorrect answer.
If the player fails at a puzzle, they can start over again after a short cutscene.
At the beginning of the game, Mondo is given a guidebook to the island, which acts as a means for the player to document environmental and dialogue clues.
In the
Nintendo DS
The is a foldable handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens worki ...
(DS) version, the gameplay is almost identical, although displays are split between the dual screen set up and
touch screen
A touchscreen (or touch screen) is a type of electronic visual display, display that can detect touch input from a user. It consists of both an input device (a touch panel) and an output device (a visual display). The touch panel is typically l ...
controls are incorporated: puzzles make use of the touch screen and DS' stylus, while elements such as the map of Lospass are displayed on the bottom screen during navigation. A new feature dubbed the "Lost and Found Report" is added, giving players new puzzles to solve at the beginning of each day.
Players also have access to a notepad within the Catherine computer, on which players can draw and write notes related to a particular puzzle.
The amount of exploration done across Lospass by Mondo is documented using a Step Counter, and bonuses can be awarded based on the distance covered by Mondo. As the game progresses, additional costumes for Mondo are unlocked.
Synopsis
The game opens with Sumio Mondo, a "searcher" who makes a living looking for people's lost things, arriving on the
Micronesia
Micronesia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, consisting of approximately 2,000 small islands in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. It has a close shared cultural history with three other island regions: Maritime Southeast Asia to the west, Poly ...
n resort island of Lospass and taking a room at the "Flower, Sun, and Rain" hotel; his task is to locate and defuse a bomb planted on a plane which is soon to leave the island's only airport. When he first arrives, he encounters Peter Bocchwinkur—a mediator between Mondo and his client Edo Macalister, manager of "Flower, Sun, and Rain". On his way to the airport, Mondo is distracted with helping other residents of Lospass and guests of "Flower, Sun, and Rain". This results in him failing in his mission, causing the bomb to explode and the plane to crash into Lospass. The next morning, Mondo wakes in his hotel room to find it is the same day as the explosion. Over the following two weeks, Mondo repeats the same day over and over again, but each time he is distracted with helping the islanders and fails to stop the bomb from exploding, which in turn causes his death. As each day passes, Mondo finds it increasingly difficult to maintain his sanity in the face of these inexplicable events.
On the fourteenth day, Mondo is attacked by the assassin Sundance Shot on the roof of "Flower, Sun, and Rain". Mondo is shot and falls to his death, and the next day federal agents Yoshimitsu Koshimizu and Remy Fawzil travel to Lospass to investigate the murder. During the investigation, a high school student named Toriko Kusabi confronts Shot to avenge the death of the island's "savior". Instead, the two strike a deal resulting in Mondo's resurrection. Alive once again, Mondo resumes his quest and encounters a man named Tokio Morishima, a protagonist from ''
The Silver Case
is an adventure visual novel video game developed by Grasshopper Manufacture and published by ASCII Entertainment for the PlayStation in 1999. It was directed, designed and co-written by Goichi Suda. A remastered version was released digitally by ...
'', who claims to have created the
time loop
The time loop or temporal loop is a plot device in fiction whereby Character (arts), characters re-experience a span of time which is repeated, sometimes more than once, with some hope of breaking out of the cycle of repetition. Time loops are co ...
. Tokio agrees to restore the flow of time and allow Mondo to reach the airport. In the final chapters, it is revealed by Tokio and Macalister that Lospass is an artificial island which was colonized as a breeding ground for an elusive species of
hyena
Hyenas or hyaenas ( ; from Ancient Greek , ) are feliform carnivoran mammals belonging to the family Hyaenidae (). With just four extant species (each in its own genus), it is the fifth-smallest family in the order Carnivora and one of the sma ...
whose silver eye, when placed into the
eye socket
In anatomy, the orbit is the cavity or socket/hole of the skull in which the eye and its appendages are situated. "Orbit" can refer to the bony socket, or it can also be used to imply the contents. In the adult human, the volume of the orbit is ...
of a human being, would grant
immortality
Immortality is the concept of eternal life. Some species possess "biological immortality" due to an apparent lack of the Hayflick limit.
From at least the time of the Ancient Mesopotamian religion, ancient Mesopotamians, there has been a con ...
. This discovery led to the birth of the Sundance Tribe, aborigines on Lospass—Tokio has one of the silver eyes, and its interaction with others on Lospass triggered the time loop.
Macalister declares that because of the silver eyes' existence, he planned to destroy the island with the bomb, however the bomb was stolen by Shot and taken aboard the plane to prevent its destruction. After Tokio ends the time loop, Mondo proceeds to the airport where he meets Toriko, Koshimizu, Fawzil and Shot at the flight gate. Shot reveals that both he and Mondo are
genome
A genome is all the genetic information of an organism. It consists of nucleotide sequences of DNA (or RNA in RNA viruses). The nuclear genome includes protein-coding genes and non-coding genes, other functional regions of the genome such as ...
clones of Sumio Kodai, a supporting character of ''The Silver Case''—a new version of Mondo has been deposited on the island with each repeating day, with each Mondo clone inheriting the memories of his predecessor. Shot is also a member of the Sundance Tribe, and is implied to be the latest incarnation of Kamui Uehara, a serial killer from ''The Silver Case''. Having accepted all his clones' memories and disarmed the bomb, Mondo is allowed to leave the island. The game ends with Mondo meeting Bocchwinkur on the plane—Bocchwinkur reveals himself to be the disguised Tetsuguro Kusabi, the former partner of Kodai during the events of ''The Silver Case''.
Development

''Flower, Sun, and Rain'' was developed by
Grasshopper Manufacture
is a Japanese video game developer founded on March 30, 1998 by Goichi Suda. They are well known for creating titles such as '' killer7'' and the '' No More Heroes'' series.
History
The company was founded on March 30, 1998 in Suginami, J ...
. The game was conceived by studio founder
Goichi Suda
, known by his alias Suda51, is a Japanese video game director, designer, and writer. Affiliated with Human Entertainment from 1994 to 1998, he founded Grasshopper Manufacture in 1998 with a number of other Human Entertainment staff to produce the ...
, beginning development in 1999 after completion of the studio's debut title ''The Silver Case''. The staff number for ''The Silver Case'' was under ten people and thus they had to adjust their development goals based on that. For ''Flower, Sun, and Rain'' five or six more people were involved and thus the scope was increased, such as including exploration and action elements.
According to Suda, ''Flower, Sun, and Rain'' was part of the studio's transition towards more action-oriented titles.
While ''The Silver Case'' was published on the original
PlayStation
is a video gaming brand owned and produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), a division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. Its flagship products consists of a series of home video game consoles produced under the brand; it also consists ...
, that console was nearing the end of its viable life cycle, so ''Flower, Sun, and Rain'' was developed for the
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...
(PS2). ''Flower, Sun, and Rain'' moved away from the purely text-driven structure of ''The Silver Case'', but it still carried over many of the previous game's themes and concepts.
As with ''The Silver Case'', Suda wanted to include puzzles, but felt that he had gone too far with the variety and challenge of puzzles within ''The Silver Case''. Instead, Suda created a single puzzle system revolving around numerical combinations, which both simplified puzzles and tied in with Mondo's character.
Suda wrote the game's script in an improvisational manner, aiming for a lighthearted atmosphere that sometimes even mocked the game's design.
The main reason for this was that he had fully immersed himself in the grim atmosphere of ''The Silver Case'', and he wanted a change both for himself and his next game.
Returning staff from ''The Silver Case'' included scenario co-writer Masashi Ooka and character designer Takashi Miyamoto;
the change to a lighter atmosphere proved difficult for Miyamoto when designing the characters.
Despite the differing aesthetics, the overall visual design was deliberately similar to that of ''The Silver Case''.
The narrative's setting drew from the Japanese film ''
The Miracle of Joe Petrel
, also known as ''The Miracle of Umitsubame Joe'', ''The Miracle of Joe, the Petrel'' and ''The Stormy Petrel'', is a 1984 Japanese film co-written and directed by Toshiya Fujita. It is based on the novel of the same name by Ryūzō Saki, origina ...
'', while the time loop concept was inspired by ''
The X-Files
''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The original series aired from September 10, 1993, to Ma ...
'' episode "
Monday
Monday is the day of the week that takes place between Sunday and Tuesday. According to the International Organization for Standardization's ISO 8601 standard, it is the first day of the week.
Names
The names of the day of the week were co ...
".
''Flower, Sun, and Rain'' shares its setting and some characters with some of Suda's other games, such as ''
Moonlight Syndrome'' and ''The Silver Case''.
Despite acting as a sequel to ''The Silver Case'', and featuring a version of that game's protagonist Sumio Kodai, the story does not present itself as initially related to ''The Silver Case''. This approach was inspired by the
Star System
A star system or stellar system is a small number of stars that orbit each other, bound by gravity, gravitational attraction. It may sometimes be used to refer to a single star. A large group of stars bound by gravitation is generally calle ...
utilized by manga artist
Osamu Tezuka
Osamu Tezuka (, born , ''Tezuka Osamu'', – 9 February 1989) was a Japanese manga artist, cartoonist and animator. Considered to be among the greatest and most influential cartoonists of all time, his prolific output, pioneering techniques an ...
in which the same characters appear in different works with different roles. The opening scene, where Mondo drives his car towards the island, was put into the game to both introduce Mondo's character to newcomers, and to throw players of ''The Silver Case'' off guard by the familiar name "Sumio" contrasting with Mondo's the unfamiliar personality. It also helped establish the setting and get the player used to Mondo's point of view. His portable computer Catherine, stored in a suitcase, is said by Suda to contain the events of ''The Silver Case'' within it. Despite this, it literally being a "silver case" was coincidental rather than a deliberate reference to the previous game's title.
Sound design
The music was composed by
Masafumi Takada
is a Japanese composer and sound designer, best known for his work on the soundtracks for '' killer7'', '' God Hand'', '' No More Heroes'', and the '' Earth Defense Force'' and ''Danganronpa'' series. Takada has worked on multiple projects for ...
, who had previously worked on ''The Silver Case''; and Shingo Yasumoto, who had worked on the ''
Twilight Syndrome
is a horror-themed adventure game series released exclusively in Japan. It was created by Human Entertainment and continued by Spike after Human folded in the late 1990s. The games follow high school students investigating urban legends about gho ...
'' series. The soundtrack incorporated remixed and re-orchestrated versions of classical music. The idea of using classical music was suggested by Suda: he told the sound designers to create a score that sounded like lounge music, but some considered tracks could not be used due to licensing issues. Due to budgetary constraints, voice acting could not be included, with characters instead being given garbled vocals "that sounded like random foreign languages".
Release
''Flower, Sun, and Rain'' was originally going to be published by
ASCII Entertainment
was a Japanese publishing company based in Chiyoda, Tokyo. It became a subsidiary of Kadokawa Group Holdings in 2004, and merged with another Kadokawa subsidiary MediaWorks on April 1, 2008, becoming ASCII Media Works. The company published '' ...
, the publishers for ''The Silver Case''. Policy changes at ASCII meant that the whole project was in danger of being cancelled as they would no longer support the game. Suda ended up pitching to other publishing houses, eventually gaining the support of
Victor Interactive Software
was a Japanese video game software publisher and developer, established on October 1, 1996 as a division of Victor Entertainment. Their first game was ''Fish Eyes'' and their last game was ''Fish Eyes 3''.
Some of their games used the brand.
H ...
. This approach of pitching to new publishers with each title would be adopted by the developer for multiple subsequent titles to protect their status as an independent studio.
It was during this period that he met
Yasuhiro Wada, with whom he collaborated on future projects for Grasshopper Manufacture.
The change of publisher, along with its release date, was publicly revealed in February 2001.
Over the following months, the game was featured in multiple Japanese magazines, and was exhibited at that year's first
Tokyo Game Show
, commonly known as TGS, is a video game trade fair and convention held annually in September in the Makuhari Messe, in Chiba, Japan. It is presented by the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association (CESA) and Nikkei Business Publication ...
. The game's opening used a mixture of live-action and in-game footage; the live action footage featured actress and model
Mia Murano. In addition to its Japanese title, the game's title was translated into English, giving rise to its common acronym "FSR".
''Flower, Sun, and Rain'' was released on May 2, 2001.
The PS2 version was not released outside Japan. It was speculated that this was due to the game's content mirroring recent terrorist attacks.
Nintendo DS port
The DS version of ''Flower, Sun, and Rain'' was first announced in November 2007 with an intended 2008 release window.
Production was primarily handled by Japanese company
h.a.n.d. under Grasshopper Manufacture's supervision.
The port was suggested to Suda by Wada, who had also proposed developing ''
No More Heroes'' for the
Wii
The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America, and in December 2006 for most other regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major home game console, f ...
. Due to both this and Wada's prestigious career as a game developer, Suda felt obliged to accept the offer. The port was developed without Suda's direct involvement. Despite this, Marvelous producer Yoshifumi Hashimoto worked to keep the port as faithful to the original version as possible. Suda's one major request for the port was to incorporate the DS' touch screen functionality into gameplay.
Takada returned to create new musical tracks for the game.
It was noted that the visuals were noticeably downgraded during the transition onto DS hardware.
In Japan, the game was subtitled . The subtitle was created by Grasshopper in consultation with the game's publisher based on the time loop in which Mondo was trapped.
The game published in Japan by
Marvelous Entertainment
(MMV) was a multinational corporation that produced animation, music, video games and television series. MMV is known for its involvement in the Story of Seasons (series), ''Story of Seasons'' series. They merged with AQ Interactive in 2011 an ...
on March 6, 2008.
''Flower, Sun, and Rain'' was released in Europe on November 14, 2008. It was published in the region by
Rising Star Games
Rising Star Games Limited is a British video game publisher based in Hitchin.
History
Rising Star Games was founded on 10 July 2004 by Martin Defries as a joint venture between Bergsala Holding and Japanese publisher Marvelous Entertainment ...
. The game was also released in Australia on January 15, 2009. In North America, the title was published by
Marvelous Entertainment USA in partnership with
Xseed Games
Marvelous USA Inc., (formerly Xseed Games), is an American video game company founded in 2004 by former members of Square Enix USA with the goal to localize Japanese games for American market.
Xseed Games later became a subsidiary of Japanese ...
.
The North American version used a different localization to the European version with further polishing performed by Xseed Games, which contributed the delay in releasing the game. Another reason for the delay was the game's unique nature, which made it a hard sell for the company, in addition to the flagging popularity of the DS at the time. Xseed Games spent an unspecified time deliberating over whether to release it in North America at all before approving the decision.
Initially scheduled for March 2009, the game was eventually released in North America on June 16.
In English territories, the subtitle was changed to ''Murder and Mystery in Paradise'', while the game's original title remained intact.
Reception
In its review of the original version, Japanese magazine ''
Famitsu
, formerly , is a line of Japanese Video game journalism, video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly f ...
'' praised the game's tone and story, with one reviewer noting its focus on visual aesthetics, although another noted the "mismatch" between the game's light tone and darker themes.
Speaking about the PS2 original in a feature about Goichi Suda, Ray Barnholt of ''
1UP.com
''1Up.com'' was an American entertainment website that focused on video games. Launched in 2003, ''1Up.com'' provided its own original features, news stories, game reviews, and video interviews, and also featured comprehensive PC-focused conte ...
'' positively noted the use of music for setting the mood and capturing that atmosphere, and referred to the title as a notable step towards the studio's more successful future titles. Speaking about the graphics, he negatively compared to those of the
Nintendo 64
The (N64) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on June 23, 1996, in North America on September 29, 1996, and in Europe and Australia on March 1, 1997. As the successor to the Super Nintendo E ...
, saying they undermined the experience.
For the DS port, ''Famitsu'' held many of the same opinions, comparing it positively to Suda's other works and noting its combination of charm and weirdness, although one reviewer was disappointed that it was the same game as the original.
Reviewing the DS version for ''1UP.com'', Barnholt positively noted the surreal story and music, but felt that the gameplay began to falter during the second half and called the graphics "perhaps even worse" than the PS2 original. He concluded that the game was most suited to dedicated fans of Suda's work, and that it showed the increased quality of his work on later titles more than having its own qualities.
Matthew Razak of ''
Destructoid
''Destructoid'' is a website that was founded as a video game-focused blog in March 2006 by Yanier Gonzalez, a Cuban-American cartoonist and author. Enthusiast Gaming acquired the website in 2017 and sold it to Gamurs Group in 2022.
Histor ...
'' found the gameplay elements "seriously lacking" and faulted most aspects of the title, which contributed to the low score. Despite this, Razak felt that people should play it and experience its unique deconstruction of game cliches, a theme that he realized ran through all of Suda's subsequent work.
''
Eurogamer
''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 alongside parent company Gamer Network.
In 2008, it started in the formerly eponymous trade fair EGX (Eurogamer Expo until 2013) organised by its parent company. Fr ...
''s Oli Welsh found that most of the puzzles presented to the player were forced in and distracted from the main narrative, but noted that the odd elements within the game fitted well into the story's surreal style. He was fairly negative about the graphics, despite the stylized look helping alleviate the downgrade from the PS2 original. In conclusion, he called the game's dated appearance and style "a double edged sword", both entertaining and annoying players with its mechanics and styling.
''
Game Informer
''Game Informer'' (''GI'' is an American monthly Video game journalism, video game magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of video games and video game console, game consoles. It debuted in August 1991, when the video game reta ...
''s Joe Juba enjoyed the bizarre characters and story, in addition to the artistic styling and music. His main complaints were focused on tedious sections within the gameplay and the "blocky" graphics. He said that, unless the player believed in sacrificing everything for style, ''Flower, Sun, and Rain'' could not be recommended.
Mark Bozon of ''
IGN
''IGN'' is an American video gaming 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 district and is headed by its former e ...
'' was highly critical of the game's dated graphics, found the overall gameplay very slow, and found the garbled voice work unsettling while enjoying the soundtrack. He concluded that, even as a fan of old school and abstract gameplay design, he had not enjoyed his time with the game.
Lark Anderson, writing for ''
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 ...
'' said there was "never a dull moment" due to the eccentric cast and story, and found the puzzle elements to be an entertaining challenge. His main complaints were the poor graphics, unresponsive camera system, lack of direction during navigation and the constant need for backtracking.
''Nintendo World Report''s Nick DiMola noted the dialogue for its humor, but generally faulted most other aspects of the game; he called its graphics and sound low-quality, felt the gameplay was shallow, and found the puzzle solving segments a chore. He found it hard to recommend the title for any but dedicated fans of Suda's work.
''PALGN'' reviewer Ben Chev called the script "well-written in what can only be described as a typical Suda 51 style", and praised the music for its unique take on classical music. However he generally faulted the gameplay and called the graphics the worst he had seen for the DS.
Notes
References
External links
*
{{Grasshopper Manufacture
2001 video games
Adventure games
Grasshopper Manufacture games
Nintendo DS games
PlayStation 2 games
Single-player video games
Victor Interactive Software games
Video games about time loops
Video games developed in Japan
Video games directed by Goichi Suda
Video games scored by Masafumi Takada
Video games set in hotels
Video games set in Oceania
Video games set on fictional islands
Rising Star Games games
Marvelous Entertainment games
Xseed Games games
H.a.n.d. games