Mitsukete! Ojipockle (JP) / Finding Ojipockle! (US)
System: Android, iOS
Developer: Appliss inc.
Publisher: Appliss inc.
Genre: Hidden Object
Release Date: April 20, 2015
Okay, so this is a really weird one. I was looking for something new to play on my phone and I found this one sitting in my 'recommended apps' list. I had no idea what it was and the trailer and screenshots didn't really explain what I was seeing, so I decided to play it. It was...different.
STORY
You play Sara, a Japanese college student. You have returned home and are going to take some time off to relax, but you're definitely hungry! You go to get some leftovers from your fridge and notice that container of curry you had is totally empty! For a moment, you're left to wonder if it's a stalker or a burglar or something of that sort...then you hear some rustling. You look around for several moments and finally pinpoint the source of the sound...
It's a palm-sized middle-aged Japanese man with fairy wings! You poke him. He disappears.
A similarly-sized old man on a cloud appears and decided to tell you what you just saw. That was an Ojipockle, and there's a huge problem! Ojipockle are losing their magic power and are unable to stay invisible, which would bring them immense horrors...such as a dog licking them for a long time (oh and humans would find them and do bad things). The little old man then tells you that only Fairy Water will give them their magic back, and decided to entrust you with a spray bottle of it, so you can spritz the Ojipockle you saw earlier with it.
But, what's this? The Ojipockle gave you some of his friendship when he disappeared! The elder Ojipockle realizes that by spraying that Ojipockle, he will bring his friends to your house, therefore making it totally easy to round up all of the Ojipockle that are losing magic! He entrusts you with the task of spraying the Ojipockle, then he leaves.
That's basically all of the story for the entire game...which is interesting, because none of that is a spoiler!
GAMEPLAY
Swipe and hold the screen to move, then repeatedly tap on the Ojipockle to spray them with the Fairy Water.You can also tap on different snacks that Ojipockle leave behind. The controls are very simplistic (but you can set an alternate form of movement that is labeled as advanced, but is actually one I found easier to use) and it makes each gameplay session quick and easy.
Spraying an Ojipockle with enough water or tapping a snack will leave behind a heart of friendship. Taking these hearts will get you closer and closer to leveling up, which will bring more or different types of Ojipockle to your house.
The game does work in real time, meaning you'll have to wait in between waves of Ojipockle (maybe 30 seconds at most) before more appear. But it also brings up some funny dialogue occasionally, such as the elder Ojipockle appearing and telling you that you're dedicated for playing the game late at night. The real-time clock also brings in a bit of difficulty. It's actually kind of dark at night, making it harder to see the Ojipockle! It's almost like a reward for playing during the day, but also gives you satisfaction for being able to find the Ojipockle in the middle of the night.
The only complaint I have about the gameplay is that there is only one room to explore. It makes sense from a story standpoint, but it makes the game kind of bland after a while.
Now, I've tried this game on both my Android phone and my iPad, and I've found that the game runs a lot faster on iPad. I don't know if it's because the bigger screen allows me to swipe higher/lower or what, but it just seems a lot smoother and faster.
SOUND AND VISUALS
There are few songs in the game. The theme song is a bright, bubbly song...but you only hear it on the title screen, which you'll probably skip pretty quickly. There's also a cute song playing when the tutorial is given, but the only other song in the game is a generic "i'm in my room" song. Both the latter two songs are quite forgettable in the long run.
The sound effects are cute and realistic. When you bump into stuff while moving around, it sounds like it would in real life. When you tap on the Ojipockle to get their attention, you get a random bicycle horn sound. The only other sounds are that of the Fairy Water spray, which just sounds like a spray bottle.
The visuals are simple, but they work. Everything looks like it should, and everything has the appropriate textures (or lack thereof, if required) and it's pretty realistic-looking. You never see your own character, which probably works for the best, and the Ojipockle are cute for being tiny older men. You can even see the definition to their man boobs and their butt cheeks!
And all the Ojipockle look different, too. Some are dressed in swimsuits, while others are dressed in pajamas. I personally find it quite adorable.
STORY: 6/10
GAMEPLAY: 8/10
SOUND: 7/10
VISUALS: 8/10
TOTAL: 7.25/10
