Can a tiny Pomeranian in a red sweater survive in a post-apocalyptic world that’s gone to the dogs?
There’s some big noise being made over a tiny dog.
The buzz is growing over Tokyo Jungle, a game where humans have likely destroyed themselves through an apocalyptic event. Not that you know anything about that; you’re just a pampered Pomeranian in a little red sweater. But now, all your pet food is gone and you feel the hunger. You have no choice – you must venture out into the Tokyo streets, where it seems the gates of hell (or at least Ueno Zoo) have opened up.
We naturally had to try this thing out. And yes, it’s as demented as you heard. Your health bar is continually declining, probably due to something toxic in the air. To keep alive, you must learn how to stalk your victims, target them for takedown, and eat your kills down to the bone. You level-up after a certain number of calories gathered from your hunts.
In the TGS demo, our ravenous dog begins by sniffing out a group of rabbits and downing them one by one for a fast meal. Yet rabbits aren’t the only things on the menu. Fresh kills will lure ravens from the sky and straight into the belly of the tiny beast. At the end of a long hunt our dog will need a place to crash – but the perfect blanket heap is unfortunately occupied by a massive alley cat. But with a few scratches and a bite to the throat, the cat proves no match for the tenacious little Pomeranian. All this from an animal more suited to the inside of a woman’s purse than survivalist living.
Now the bad news. It’s a simple, side-scrolling 2D platformer. And if you are looking for mind-blowing graphics, look elsewhere; they aren’t that impressive.
As a concept game, you couldn’t have a cooler idea. It’s Battle Royale with animals – amusing and horrifying at the same time. Apparently, you will get to play as other animals, which should be entertaining as well. No word yet on other types of animals you can control, but if screenshots in Famitsu are anything to go by, we’re super excited by the chimpanzee in overalls.
TGS 2010 reporting is done jointly by Fintan Monaghan and Lisa Gay.
