Kuru Kuru Kururin Discussion (Nintendo Game Boy Advance)

Here's my highly informative and full of youthful enthusiasm review from 2001.

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Kuru Kuru Kururin (Import)

A fantastic but overlooked test of your puzzling skills and dexterity. Beee the stick!

September 4, 2001 - Ahh the puzzler, gaming's strangest offspring. Whether you're sadistically cramming hundreds of mice into a rocket, firing enemy-filled bubbles at the ceiling, driving a truck covered with alien potatoes or as in this case helping a green duck fly a helicopter through a series of devilish mazes the result is often the purest, most addictive gameplay you can find. Meet Kuru Kuru Kururin, the best addition to the puzzle game Hall of Fame since Chu Chu Rocket!

For reasons only known to Nintendo this was a launch title in Japan, Europe and Australia but a US release still isn't planned (maybe developers Eighting who also made the Bloody Roar series on PlayStation didn't want the game to spoil their bad-ass image). My advice though is don't let that stop you from picking up one of the most original and challenging GBA games out there.

These days no puzzle game is complete without a quirky, nonsensical story and that's what you get here too! K'K'Kururin features a cast of relentlessly cute characters and a storyline based around the rescue of your brother and sister ducks who have conveniently waddled off into 10 differently themed worlds. Now, if like me you're completely at home with this kind of happy, bouncy Japanese videogame fun then that's great. If not though just skip the cutscenes and you'll soon find that like all classic puzzle games Kururin is built on an incredibly simple, absorbing idea. Beneath its cutesy, sugar-coating there beats the heart of a demanding, extremely well balanced game.

Visuals: Kururin can't quite match the presentation and finesse of newer titles like Mario Kart Super Circuit but Eighting has packed this game with character. The graphics perfectly match the gameplay and there are enough little touches (like the animated background details) to make this a very colorful and appealing experience. Best of all the courses have a clear visual simplicity that neatly avoids any problems with screen lighting. You don't need a halogen lamp strapped to your head to enjoy this sucker!

Sound: You may be too intent on negotiating the courses (and occasionally shouting at the screen) to pay much attention to the music. However, it actually shows off the GBA's sound chip really well and makes use of a rich variety of instruments and musical styles. The sound effects and voice samples are crisp but fairly limited due to the nature of the game.

Gameplay: Essentially you control a constantly rotating stick (the long rotor blades of the tiny duck-copter). Your goal is to manoeuvre it through a maze of corridors without touching the walls until you reach the end zone. Each collision costs you one third of your health which can only be replenished at strategically placed heart spots. Advance through the game and the pressure is piled on as the deviously constructed maps get much larger, tighter and more convoluted. Added features include springs that you'll need to bump into to reverse the way the stick is rotating and moving objects to avoid such as pistons, spiked balls and cannon fire!

Kuru Kuru Kururin is very different from other puzzle games. You aren't trying to rack up a high score but the exact same drive to win is there. In return it demands careful strategy and at times near pixel-perfect control of the D-pad (and the A + B buttons which vary your speed). Luckily the controls are as precise and fair as they are simple.

Naturally there are several modes on offer; Adventure, Challenge, Practice and VS. Each of these prove to be fun and worthy additions: the main part of the game, Adventure Mode, is the aforementionned story-driven journey through 30 levels (spread over 10 worlds with themes like Ocean, Jungle, Machine and Cake Land). Along the way you can also seek out decorative items used to alter the color and look of your stick. Okay, that probably doesn't sound like the most exciting of incentives but it's useful in differentiating yourself from your competitors in the VS mode! Here you can race against three of your friends simultaneously. All the multiplayer options are available from a single cart (+ link cables), a definite bonus if you're importing.

The Challenge mode, which features another 50 smaller levels, isn't just about surviving to the end zone but about how fast you can get there. Any collisions also cost you a precious 3 second penalty that can mean the difference between just clearing a level and earning yourself a gold star. Believe it or not, it's high adrenalin, gut-wrenching entertainment!

Replay value: Although I'd recommend starting in Easy mode to get a feel of the game the harder difficulty with a double length stick is where the real test of your gaming skills (and sanity) lies. Every level of the Adventure and Challenge modes has high scores to beat as well as an ultimate target time that will require you to really perfect your technique. If you want to be the best damn helicopter-flying duck in the world, and you will, then you're going to have to work at it! Find some willing friends and the multiplayer adds a surprising amount of replay value too.

Overall: This is a great, unique game but that's not to say its easy. Before playing it my first impression was that it might be frustrating at times... well that's true and is really my only complaint, but trust me it's equally as compulsive! The learning curve is carefully judged and as tough as some of the later levels and challenges are - the second that your stick crumbles into pieces you'll be hammering the A button hungry for another try.

If you're looking for a fresh experience with your GBA and something that can provide many hours of fun then I highly recommend you hunt down this game at your local importer. Pick up the UK or Australian version if you can, but you should have no trouble understanding the menus or story of the Japanese game. You'll have a blast, just don't ask yourself why a bird needs a helicopter!

Graphics - 8.0
Sound - 7.5
Gameplay - 8.5
Replay Value - 8.0
Final Score - 8.1

Information Box

Genre - Puzzle
Publisher - Nintendo
Developer - Eighting
Players - 1-4
Online Play - Not Supported
ESRB - n/a

Release Date
March 21,2001 (Japan)
June 22, 2001 (Europe)
June 22,2001 (Australia)
TBA (USA)