One of the most unique gaming concepts in a long while - if taken in short spurts.
For as long as video games have been around, there are those games so unique, so different and so freakin’ weird that their lack of immediate commercial viability prevents it from penetrating other markets. The majority of these games originate from Japan. When the PlayStation 2 launched in Japan, one of the more interesting releases came straight from Sony – a quirky action game starring a mosquito, entitled Ka. Ignored for over a year before the formation of Fresh Games by Eidos Interactive, Ka, in all its strangeness, is now available to gamers in the US under the name Mister Mosquito.
Under the control of an insect named Mister Mosquito, the player has entered into the house of the Yamada family during the summer season. Unless Mister Mosquito can drink enough blood before the winter rolls around, he will not be around to see another summer.
Mister Mosquito has some of the freshest gameplay this reviewer has ever run into. It isn’t particularly exciting, nor is it a snore, but the concept behind it is what kept me playing more than any actual fun factor that the game held. Each stage in the game takes place in a different room of the Yamada household (e.g. the bathroom, the kitchen, the daughter’s bedroom, etc.) where one of the family members is located. While flying around the room, boxes will appear around certain items. These items, such as turning off the lights or ringing a phone, are to distract the human in the room while Mister Mosquito awaits a chance to strike. A red box outlines the areas Mister Mosquito can suck blood, but he has to be careful; the longer he sucks, the bigger chance he has of being caught.
This game is not meant for long gaming sessions. The attraction behind Mister Mosquito was hard to attune to for more than a half hour at a time. In short spurts, however, the game is a total riot. The Yamada family is about as wacky as they come, and watching their reactions to the mosquito’s continued presence makes for some laughs. The really strange voice acting and oddball dialogue translation only helps to push Mister Mosquito the edge in terms of sheer wackiness. Oh, and if you’re able to follow the storyline, then you, sir, are a better man than I.
There are few replay value incentives for gamers who blow through the elementary simply gameplay mechanics of the game. Hidden throughout the levels are Heart Rings and EX tanks. Collect enough Heart Rings and Mister Mosquito can take a few more hits from the Yamada family before heading to wherever it is that mosquitoes go when they die. EX tanks allow the player to suck up more blood than usual and if these are filled, Mister Mosquito can change his body color. A small touch, but certainly amusing.
The simple fact that a company is willing to release Mister Mosquito here shows that not every corporation has forgotten why we play games in the first place: to experience things we couldn’t possible do anywhere else. I tip my afro to you, Fresh Games.
