Popful Mail

"The funniest RPG ever made, and hardly anyone's heard of it..."

Have you ever bought a game, even though you've never even heard about it before? You don't know anything about the game, but something about it just catches your attention? That happened to me a few years ago when I came across this oddly-titled action RPG, Popful Mail. The two things that appealed to me about the game was the fact it was by Working Designs, who have usually done quality work with other RPGs, and I also liked the anime art on the cover. I decided to take a chance and pick it up, and I have not regretted it since. Developed by Falcom, the creators of the classic Y's series, Popful Mail is a fun and hilarious lighthearted adventure.

Popful Mail (Or Mail, as most of the characters call her.) is a young, struggling bounty hunter. For months, she has been after the notorious criminal, Nuts Cracker, but she has not had much luck. After her most recent failure, she goes to a nearby town to see if there are any other bounty jobs she can go after. She hears about a wizard named Muttonhead, who has recently started terrorizing the land. And when she hears the price that's been put on his head, she instantly rushes out to make her fortune by catching him. Little does Mail realize that Muttonhead has bigger dreams than just terrorizing people. He has teamed up with Mail's old nemesis, Nuts Cracker, and the two are plotting to revive the Overlord, an evil being who almost succeeded in taking over the world years ago. With the help of a young, timid wizard named Tatto (Who used to be a student of Muttonhead's.) and a blue fire-breathing blob-like creature named Gaw, Mail's quest for fame and fortune will ultimately hold the fate of her world.

As you can tell by the names of these characters in the story synopsis, this game does not take itself very seriously. Working Designs has always had a habit of adding humor to their games, while still retaining the dramatic aspects of the RPG story. Well, this time, WD gets a chance to do a straight-out comedy. Sure, things turn a bit more dire once the Overlord is resurrected near the end, but the game never loses its sense of humor. This results in the funniest RPG ever made, as well as one of the funniest games ever.

Popful Mail is an action RPG that plays kind of like a traditional side-scrolling platformer. Each area you visit is represented in a side view, with plenty of tricky jumps and mini puzzles that you have to solve to proceed. You attack enemies with whatever weapon you have handy, and collect money in order to buy items or better equipment for your characters in towns. Your characters don't build levels, so you only have to worry about buying the best armor and weapons.

Part of the game's strategy is using the right character at the right time. You can switch among your three characters at any time during the game. Each character has his or her own strengths and weaknesses. (For example: Gaw can jump the highest and furthest, since he gets extra lift from the wings on his back, while Tatto, although physically weaker than the others, can attack from a distance with his magic staff weapon.) You have to figure out which character is best for which situation. You have to be careful, though. If the character you're using dies, then it's instant game over. You can't let one of the other two characters take over, so if the character you're using is near death, it's usually smart to switch to a stronger character quickly.

The graphics in this game won't win any awards, but they get the job done. They're done in a traditional side scrolling platform style. (In other words, they're very cute.) Non-threatening enemies such as raccoon soldiers, and little smiley-face dolls that explode when you're near them stand in your way. The character sprites are small and not overly detailed, through some of the bosses can be really big and impressive in a goofy anime-kind of way. The character portraits that appear next to the text box when the character is speaking are large and detailed, as well, and the lips on the portraits also move in a realistic way when the character is talking.

The game also includes some anime sequences that are shown before and after you enter a new area. These are well done, with plenty of movement and animation, so it's like watching an animated movie. Before Lunar: Eternal Blue came out for the Sega CD, these were the best cinemas the system had seen.

Sound was one of the game's biggest selling points when it came out back in 95. This game included more spoken dialogue than any other 16 Bit game at the time. It featured over 2 hours of dialogue, not including the full theme song that was played during the ending credits. All of the characters talk, and nearly every conversation you have, except for when you talk to nameless people in towns, is spoken in full dialogue. As is usual with most Working Designs games, the acting is above the usual standards we get with video games. Melissa Gulden brings the right amount of tomboyish toughness, along with sarcastic attitude, to her voice in the role of Mail. Ashley Angel (The voice of Alex in Lunar, and current member of boy band, O-Town.) is appropriately obnoxious and annoying as the troublesome elf kid, Slick, whom Mail has the misfortune of meeting throughout her journey. And the guy who does the voice of Nuts Cracker (I forget his name) is perfect with his bizarre accent.

In the other areas of sound, it's passable, but nothing great. The music is appropriately bouncy and upbeat, which matches the light-hearted comedic theme of the game. Although the music is fitting, it's forgettable, and most likely won't make too much of an impression. The sound effects are instantly forgettable, as well, and fail to make any sort of impression.

As for the translation, I think this is one of Working Designs' best works. This game literally had me laughing out loud throughout the entire game. I especially liked the villainous Sven T. Uncommon, who happens to talk like a certain popular Austrian action movie star. (At one point, he says to Mail, ''Listen to me now, and believe me pretty soon. I am no Kindergarten Cop. I am the Predator, and you are my prey. This little skirmish will be your last action, hero person. It's Judgement Day''.) Not only is the dialogue very funny, but the way the actors deliver the lines is great, also. Working Designs' humor has always been hit or miss with me, but in this game, the humor just seemed to fit more than in some of their other games.

So, are there any faults with this game? Well, it is terribly linear. There are no real side quests, and no real reason to play the game again once you beat it. (Unless you want to beat the game in a faster total time, so you can hear all the outtakes and bloopers after the ending credits.) Also, the game's a bit on the easy side. You can easily find items to replenish health, and even so, when you're not using a character, he or she will slowly recharge their health. As long as you keep on buying the best equipment in towns, you should have no problem. The game's also not very long. It should only take around 8 hours or so to see the end.

But in the end, I didn't really care. This game is just plain fun, and that's what counts. This game was never intended to be a serious RPG in the first place. It's fast-paced, it's funny, and it's simple enough for just about anyone to understand. I must commend Working Designs for bringing over such a strange and offbeat game to the US in the first place. It's a shame this game never found an audience, and has mainly gone unheard of. It's a rare, hidden treasure well worth your time and attention.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/25/01, Updated 06/09/03