[PSP] つくものがたり

Atlus Japan used to be tops in the occult/supernatural games department, but no thanks to financial woes and in-house political hoo-ha, they eventually got swallowed up by their parent company Index Holdings. Given, the outfit still exists (in name, at least), but are now limited to mainly mobile/SNS game releases and paltry remakes. The only thing I'm looking forward from them now is the PSP version of Persona 2: Tsumi, but the release date is still far off and it seemed like there was nothing out there that can help tide me over. But then FuRyu's Tsukumonogatari happened.

The preview videos peaked my interest right away. At first glance, it looked and played like a spiritual (pun intended) successor to Tokyo Mono Hara Shi down to the TV anime-esque flow and severely restricted movement between event scenes. A melded galge and RPG setup, weird events and most importantly, cute girls voiced by established seiyuu... what's not to like?

It seems that Yuuto would rather choose to fall than give in to the advances of an aggressive female classmate... Dammit man, are you a monk or something?

You take on the role of Yuuto Ishigami, a high school student with a pragmatic and somewhat jaded approach to life. (he reminds me a bit of Kyon for some reason, though I'm sure Yuuto isn't the sort who facepalms a lot)  To him, the new school term was just another long period of mind-numbing repetition.

Events will soon prove Yuuto wrong.

Ayaka-sensei is a diamond in the rough. Aside from being aware of the existence of spirits, she's also the sort who finds prude teenage boys utterly boring.

The saucy new class adviser Ayaka Abe immediately takes an interest in him, though not for reasons that might pop up in your dirty little minds at a moment's notice. First day introductions were going on as usual until a student named Haruka Minami suddenly stirs up a ruckus outside that has a few of them up and about. Poor Yuuto soon finds himself being flung through the window from the third floor along with Haruka... after (miraculously) surviving the fall, Yuuto starts seeing odd creatures. Ayaka later reveals that he's not just imagining things: The school is slowly being overrun by hostile spirits known as  ayakashi, and the only way to stop them is by enlisting the aid of yorishiro. (helpful spirits that reside in certain objects) Yuuto is then given a cellphone equipped with a camera (as well as a partner spirit named Kutabe) and must gather more yorishiro in secret to keep the ayakashi at bay.

 That vase may not look like much now, but you'll be surprised how potent flower power can be at times like this.

As mentioned before, Tsukumonogatari has a lot of things in common with Tokyo Mono Hara Shi. Majority of the gameplay involves reading and listening to the story unfold, then making dialogue choices when prompted. You know, typical garden-variety galge stuff...

Hey look! It's Dragon-sensei from that Fanta commercial! Take note of what he's trying to say... it might appear in the test.

During recess and after school, you have the opportunity to control Yuuto and roam around the campus in search of a yorishiro. The only way to get them is to take a centered picture of the object they inhabit when no one else is present in the room. Now before you start getting trigger-happy with that camera, be warned: Each shot takes 5 minutes off of the in-game clock, almost on the same boat as entering and exiting a room several times. Luckily, you still have the luxury of trial-and-error thanks to a quicksave function. You'll know a yorishiro has been obtained when you get a "nice shot!" message from Kutabe.

 No, Minami's not being nervous, that shaky word is a Kotodama! Quick, capture it!

Aside from collecting yorishiro pictures, Yuuto also needs to gather the power of human will in words, known as "Kotodama". While interacting with or listening to people around, you'll find that certain phrases have shaky text. (this is partially why this game doesn't have a "skip" function) Yuuto has to capture these words immediately, because they will probably not be spoken again. Rumor and fact-based Kotodama (highlighted in yellow) need not be captured, and are oftentimes more potent than their passing counterparts.

 See? I told you that flower vase was badass. The ayakashi doesn't have a "ghost" of a chance.

Ayakashi "boss fights" manifest in story parts during specific times. Here's where all that running around pays off: Yuuto can prepare for the battle by selecting a picture connected to the yorishiro. Each has a specific combat specialty and elemental affinity, which can be used to take advantage of an ayakashi's weakness. Choose your summons carefully, because they can only be used to fight a battle once for the whole game. Up to 3 collected Kotodama can be applied to fortify the yorishiro with extra abilities prior to summoning, increasing the odds of winning the battle.

A yorishiro can still appear to fight even if you don't have a usable picture, but it's a frail sort which will serve as easy pickings for the enemy. That's why it's important to manage your collection schedule carefully.

I swear, Yuuto can be such a turtle. Who takes five minutes just going from room to room?

Watching the clock in order to properly obtain Kotodama from NPCs was a rather stressful experience, but the story sequences provided relaxation (from the moe appeal) and most importantly, humor in between. Overall, Tsukumonogatari may not be an Atlus game, but it proves to be a title that Megaten fans like me can truly enjoy. Keep your camera phones close by... an ayakashi might be creeping around.