Dokuro (video game)

Dokuro
Japanese PlayStation Vita box art
Developer(s)Game Arts[1]
Publisher(s)GungHo Online Entertainment[1][6]
Platform(s)PlayStation Vita, iOS, Android, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch
Release
July 5, 2012
  • PS Vita
    iOS
    • WW: June 30, 2013
    • JP: December 5, 2013
    Android
    December 5, 2013
    Windows
    December 8, 2014[4]
    Switch
    September 27, 2018[5]
Genre(s)Puzzle[7][8]
Mode(s)

Dokuro is a video game developed by Game Arts and published by GungHo Online Entertainment originally for the PlayStation Vita[6] with later ports to iOS, Android, Microsoft Windows and Nintendo Switch. The player controls Dokuro, who must save a princess after the Dark Lord wants to marry her.[7]

Gameplay

The player is Dokuro, a skeletal worker for the Dark Lord.[8] One day, the Dark Lord captures a princess and forces her to marry him.[8] Dokuro sees the princess crying which breaks his heart and he thus decides to help her escape the Dark Lord's castle.[8] Dokuro can flip switches to open up paths,[9] carry the princess after drinking a potion,[9] 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.[8] The game's director, Noriaki Kazama, previously worked on gory video games such as Ninja Gaiden Sigma under Team Ninja.[10] Kazama said that after he had a baby, he browsed through children's books at the bookstore and was inspired by the art style.[10]

Reception

The PlayStation Vita and iOS versions received "generally favorable reviews", while the PC and Switch versions received "mixed" reviews, according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[11][12][13][14] In Japan, Famitsu gave the Vita version a score of 34 out of 40.[17]

IGN said of the PlayStation Vita version, "Stunningly beautiful and exceptionally fun to play, Dokuro belongs in the library of every PlayStation Vita owner."[7] 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."[8] Game Informer, however, gave the same Vita version a mixed 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."[18]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Dokuro". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on January 25, 2013. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  2. ^ "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). April 29, 2012. Archived from the original on March 28, 2019. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  3. ^ Yang, Stephanie (October 19, 2012). "Dokuro Delayed for Canada and Mexico, European Release Date Still Pending". Operation Rainfall. Archived from the original on November 28, 2022. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  4. ^ "Dokuro Officially Greenlit on Steam". GungHo Online Entertainment. November 12, 2014. Archived from the original on June 8, 2023. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  5. ^ Romano, Sal (September 26, 2018). "Dokuro coming to Switch on September 27". Gematsu. Archived from the original on August 18, 2022. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  6. ^ a b Fernandes, David (December 19, 2012). "GungHo Announces Dokuro Now Available at $9.99 for the Holidays". Operation Rainfall. Archived from the original on September 13, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  7. ^ a b c d Moriarty, Colin (October 19, 2012). "Dokuro Review (PS Vita)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on February 9, 2023. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g Kemps, Heidi (October 24, 2012). "Dokuro review: The Mr. Skullhead Show (Vita)". Engadget (Joystiq). Yahoo. Archived from the original on October 26, 2012. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  9. ^ a b Yip, Spencer (October 8, 2012). "A Skeleton Saves A Princess On October 16". Siliconera. Gamurs. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  10. ^ a b Yip, Spencer (September 28, 2012). "Having A Child Inspired Dokuro's Director To Make Charming Games Instead Of Gory Ones". Siliconera. Gamurs. Archived from the original on September 28, 2018. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  11. ^ a b "Dokuro critic reviews (iOS)". Metacritic. Fandom. Archived from the original on July 20, 2020. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  12. ^ a b "Dokuro critic reviews (PS Vita)". Metacritic. Fandom. Archived from the original on May 30, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  13. ^ a b "Dokuro critic reviews (Switch)". Metacritic. Fandom. Archived from the original on June 3, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  14. ^ a b "Dokuro critic reviews (PC)". Metacritic. Fandom. Archived from the original on June 5, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  15. ^ Mackey, Bob (October 26, 2012). "Dokuro Review (Vita)". 1Up.com. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on May 30, 2016. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
  16. ^ Carter, Chris (October 19, 2012). "Review: Dokuro (PS Vita)". Destructoid. Gamurs. Archived from the original on October 18, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
  17. ^ a b "ドクロ [Vita]". Famitsu (in Japanese). Enterbrain. Archived from the original on February 1, 2023. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  18. ^ a b Wallace, Kimberley (October 16, 2012). "Dokura Review (PS Vita)". Game Informer. GameStop. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  19. ^ Haught, Jeb (December 19, 2014). "Dokuro (PC) Review". GameRevolution. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on August 12, 2023. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
  20. ^ Rhoades, Alex (November 17, 2012). "Review: Dokuro is a puzzler's paradise (PS Vita) [date mislabeled as "November 5, 2012"]". GameZone. Archived from the original on November 22, 2012. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
  21. ^ Peeples, Jeremy (October 18, 2012). "Review: Dokuro (PS Vita)". Hardcore Gamer. Archived from the original on August 12, 2023. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
  22. ^ Oxford, Nadia (January 8, 2014). "Dokuro (iOS)". Pocket Gamer. Steel Media Ltd. Archived from the original on August 11, 2023. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  23. ^ Willington, Peter (February 6, 2013). "Dokuro (PS Vita)". Pocket Gamer. Steel Media Ltd. Archived from the original on August 11, 2023. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  24. ^ "Review: Dokuro". PlayStation: The Official Magazine. No. 65. Future plc. December 2012. p. 84.
  25. ^ Giddens, Greg (February 6, 2013). "Dokuro Review". Push Square. Hookshot Media. Archived from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
  26. ^ Carter, Chris (December 9, 2013). "'Dokuro' Review – That's One Brave Bag of Bones". TouchArcade. TouchArcade.com, LLC. Archived from the original on August 11, 2019. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  27. ^ "Dokuro reviews". MobyGames. Atari SA. Archived from the original on August 12, 2023. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
  28. ^ Brown, Lewis (February 15, 2013). "Dokuro (PS Vita)". The Digital Fix. Poisonous Monkey. Archived from the original on May 13, 2017. Retrieved August 12, 2023.