Jade Cocoon: Story of the Tamamayu

"Great game...until it ended 90 minutes later."

This one goes down there with Quest 64 and Pokemon. It was a simply amazing game, but it was WAY (major emphasis on the ’’way’’) too short. Trust me. You’ll beat this game in 2 hours tops. Maybe 2 and a half if you take your time. Other than that, it was a really intriguing game, and would have earned a 9 or maybe even a 10.
The creatures which you capture in this game are called ’minions’. You can evolve them into new minions, which is kind of a neat (though unoriginal) concept.

Gameplay-8/10:
One of the nice things about this game was the challenge. In that, it was hard, but not impossible. It should remind you of Pokemon (which, might I add, was about 6 times longer than Jade Cocoon). However, I liked this game much better than Pokemon, because it took the whole monster-capturing aspect to another level. Rather than give your creatures items to evolve (Pokemon), you can merge your minions with others to form new ones. Eventually, forming the ’’ultimate’’ minion.

Setting-9/10:
The setting is neat. It takes place in a foresty village, and a forest where you go to capture minions. The village serves as your retreat, where you go to rest, heal, heal your minions, buy items, merge minions, etc. The forests are beautiful, and full of surprises. And the village is cool too.
Graphics and sound-9.5/10:
These were my two favorite things about this game. The graphics were ahead of their time. Almost like a bad PS2 game in that sense (but for PS1). They were smooth, realistic.

Sound was great too. It was kind of new age for the most part, which fit the game very well. Also, something rather cliche: the main character never talks (can you say Super Mario RPG?)

Controls-10/10-Responsive and easy to adjust to. Unfortunately, you cannot customize them.

Replay Value-0/10:
This is what gives it the 5/10 rating. NO replay value. None whatsoever. I can almost guarantee that you will not play this game once you have beaten it.

Fun Factor-6/10:
Great while it lasted (which was, as was said before, not very long).

Rent or buy?-Rent. Under no circumstances should you buy this game. The lack of replay value coupled with the substantial lack of length will make renting it more than enough. I was stupid enough to buy this game, and advise you not to make the same mistake. I used it for an hour and a half, beat it, and never played it again.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 08/16/02, Updated 08/16/02