Please note that my review and rating does not take into account the multiplayer aspect of this game.
Despite the conflict between the people of Parel and the monsters known as Minions residing in the forest, the village of Syrus would eventually become one to coexist with it's surroundings. However, when many villagers were put into a deep sleep by a sudden attack from the Locusts of Apocalypse, it would be up to Levant, the new Cocoon master, to save them.
Jade Cocoon is a joint effort between developers Genki and Katsuya Kondo - whom is known for his work on on a number of Studio Ghibli animations. The game goes some way to capturing the feel of one, in particular I felt the story had shades of 'Nausicaa Valley of the Wind' with a dash of 'Princess Mononoke'. There are a handful of anime sequences here which, although they look great, the lack of subtitles meant it was difficult for me to pickup on what the narrator had to say. The voice acting is well decent although Levant never says anything which takes away from the feel of the game.
The genre of this game is that of an RPG involving monster management. As a Cocoon Master, Levant can capture Minions to spin into silk to sell for money, but he'll also need them to do battle for him against others. There are over 150 monsters which you can encounter, however as you can only store about twenty of them the emphasis is not so much on "Gotta Catch 'Em All" - to put it in the phrase of a similar game, but to see what you can make of the monsters by merging them as you choose.
A number of all the monsters appear the same but in different colours, covering the four elements which lend the battles to a rock-paper-scissors nature. In the field contact between Levant and a Minion brings about a battle, and you can be up against as many as three although unfortunately only one can fight for your side at any time. Battle is turn-based but can be slow as you have to watch Levant go through the same motions again and again. However, it is one game where you'll actually use the defend command as it recovers magic.
Elsewhere, other elements are missing in action. The game is linear and is devoid of any real puzzles; it never feels like you are exploring, simply just wandering around. The village, which you will be coming back to time and time again, is not there to be explored. The graphics however are decent, with the pre-rendered backgrounds looking nice. The music is alright but is limited.
Jade Cocoon can be finished in less than 20 hours, which is not bad as there is a two-player mode where you can pit your Minions against each other. Unfortunately me and my brother never gave this a go despite our appreciation for RPGs which goes to show the impression that this game failed to leave on us. The game might appeal to the younger audience but I felt the monsters would be hard to identify with; picking the ones which stood out to me would be like going into the back-garden to find insects that I would love to bring up. Who knows what kids like to get up to.
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nice review, however i really enjoyed this game when i used to play it, i enjoyed merging more than anything else but it was still good even after i completed the game countless times...i guess its just how different ppl see different games. Anyway, good review.
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