Steambot Chronicles
First look at IREM's upcoming cel-shaded, steam punk, musical adventure.
Preview by Aaron Drewniak (Email)
November 3rd 2005
Unlike so many other Japanese RPGs, Bumpy Trot is also all about choice. Right from the start you need to answer a few questions just to determine what sort of character you'll be playing. A character who will never say anything without your input, with response choices that range from upright and honest, to bitterly sarcastic, to just plain confused. While in the traditional RPG style, rummaging around people's houses will turn up items to sneak off with, but you're not going to find potions of strength or swords that can hum the Spy Hunter theme. Mostly it's shirts, boots, chaps, and other articles of clothing to dress up your character however you choose. From a fifties gangster to a Mexican bandito, there's a wide range of styles to mix and match with. If you don't want to progress on the main plot, there are side jobs you can take on, arena matches to advance your rank and earnings, or just try your luck at a game of pool.
What do we think? If I had to choose one Japanese game to be localized for the US market, without a doubt it would be Bumpy Trot. Not because it's certain to sell, or because it's the most action-packed gameplay that's ever got my heart racing, but because it has such a wonderful charm and atmosphere that I really wish I could understand the story better than my remedial Japanese skills will allow.
It draws you in. When my character was watching the Trot Band perform with Connie singing the game's main theme so mellifluously under the twinkling stars in the town square, I really felt as if I was part of the audience, and all the more determined to act when it was rudely interrupted. With other RPGs like Final Fantasy X, the player is taking "control" of a pre-determined character who has his own personality, and his own odd fashion sense. In Bumpy Trot, you choose how to act, and that has a real impact on the other characters you interact with, including how they'll treat you in the future. While it's nowhere as freeform as something like Morrowind, it gives you just enough freedom to feel like a part of a great adventure, with a storyline that's strong enough to keep you from feeling that you're only wandering around.
I thought I had finally found one game no company was brave enough to bring to the US, but if rumors and pre-order listings on EBgames.com are to be believed, then it looks like I've once again underestimated Atlus USA, who just might be bringing this along to America sometime in 2006. Though I imagine they'll shorten the title a bit.
