Dokuro (video game)

Dokuro is a video game developed by Game Arts and published by GungHo Online Entertainment originally for the PlayStation Vita[2] with later ports to iOS, Android and Microsoft Windows. The player controls Dokuro, who must save a princess after the Dark Lord wants to marry her.[6]

Dokuro
Box art
Developer(s)	Game Arts[1]
Publisher(s)	GungHo Online Entertainment[1][2]
Platform(s)	PlayStation Vita, iOS, Android, Microsoft Windows
Release	PS Vita JPN: July 5, 2012[3] USA: October 16, 2012[1] CAN: November 6, 2012[4] EU: January 30, 2013 iOS WW: December 4, 2013 Android WW: December 5, 2013 Microsoft Windows WW: December 8, 2014[5]
Genre(s)	Puzzle[6][7]
Mode(s)	Single-player

Gameplay

The player is Dokuro, a skeletal worker for the Dark Lord.[7] One day, the Dark Lord captures a princess and forces her to marry him.[7] Dokuro sees the princess crying which breaks his heart and he thus decides to help her escape the Dark Lord's castle.[7] Dokuro can flip switches to open up paths,[8] carry the princess after drinking a potion,[8] as well as others. The game's levels grow steadily more complex as the game progresses.[1]

Development

The game uses a graphical style that imitates artwork in a children's storybook.[7] The game's director, Noriaki Kazama, previously worked on gory video games such as Ninja Gaiden Sigma under Team Ninja.[9] Kazama said that after he had a baby, he browsed through children's books at the bookstore and was inspired by the art style.[9]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score Aggregator Score Metacritic VITA: 76/100[10] PC: 59/100[11] Review scores Publication Score Game Informer 6/10[12] IGN 8.8/10[6] Joystiq [7] Pocket Gamer [13] TouchArcade [14]

IGN gave the game an 8.8, saying "Stunningly beautiful and exceptionally fun to play, Dokuro belongs in the library of every PlayStation Vita owner."[6] Joystiq claimed that "Despite the bony exterior, Dokuro feels like it has a real soul, like it was made by people who truly loved and believed in it. It's inspired, well-made, and thoroughly enchanting", giving the game a 4 out of 5.[7] Game Informer, however, gave the game a negative review, stating "Between its unforgiving nature, unbalanced difficulty, and humdrum puzzles, I wouldn't have pressed on through Dokuro if I wasn't reviewing it. Rarely did I feel that fun "a-ha" moment that makes puzzle games exciting; instead I found tedium and frustration. I surely wasn't as devoted to this game as Dokuro was to the princess."[12]

References

1. "Dokuro". IGN. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
2. Fernandes, David. "GungHo Announces Dokuro Now Available at $9.99 for the Holidays". Operation Rainfall. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
3. "Upcoming PS Vita Game Dokuro (新作ゲームなのに破格の安さ！PS Vita『Dokuro』発売日決定)". Inside for All Gamers (in Japanese). Retrieved 12 September 2016.
4. Yang, Stephanie. "Dokuro Delayed for Canada and Mexico, European Release Date Still Pending". Operation Rainfall. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
5. "Dokuro Greenlit". Retrieved 12 September 2016.
6. Moriarty, Colin (19 October 2012). "Dokuro Review". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
7. Kemps, Heidi. "Dokuro review: The Mr. Skullhead Show". Joystiq. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
8. Spencer. "A Skeleton Saves A Princess On October 16". SiliconEra. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
9. Yip, Spencer (Sep 28, 2012). "Having A Child Inspired Dokuro's Director To Make Charming Games Instead Of Gory Ones". Siliconera. Retrieved Jan 1, 2013.
10. "Dokuro for PlayStation Vita Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
11. "Dokuro for PC Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
12. Wallace, Kimberley. "Dokuro's Love Remains Unrequited". GameInformer. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
13. Oxford, Nadia (8 January 2014). "Dokuro". Pocket Gamer. Steel Media. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
14. Carter, Chris (9 December 2013). "'Dokuro' Review – That's One Brave Bag of Bones". TouchArcade. Retrieved 11 August 2019.

External links

• Official site