Gamertell

Title Kumatanchi
Price: $39.99
System: Nntendo DS
Release Date: September 25, 2008
Publisher (Developer): Vanillaware (Dimple Entertainment)
ESRB Rating: Everyone
Pros: Absolutely adorable anthropomorphic cast of characters, very simple game mechanics, provides a nice assortment of items to offer Kumatan
Cons: Requires every day maintenance to keep Kumatan happy, Kumatan’s temper tantrums get annoying after a while, not enough to interact with
Overall Score: One thumb sideways, one thumb down; 65/100; D; *1/2 out of five.

Voyeurism Pays

Kumatanchiis a colorful game starring an uber-adorable little bear-girl named Kumatan. Kumatan begins the game as a brand new addition to a local zoo and her daily life revolves around performing various shows for crowds, practicing for those shows, visiting other animal neighbors (from an androgynous cat-boy to a sultry big-breasted cow-girl) and whatever else her little kuma (Japanese for bear) heart desires.

As the game progresses, players are able to buy different types of furniture to decorate her little shack, new foods to feed her and toys to excite her. In order to buy these luxuries, you naturally need to earn money.

Money is earned either by taking and selling pictures of Kumatan and or from Kumatan’s shows. Players also have the option of praising Kumatan by petting her or punishing her by finger flicking her if she’s done something wrong.

Kuma-gotchi

The best way to describe Kumatanchi is to compare it to those popular little electronic eggs known as Tamagotchis. Much like a Tamagotchi, Kumatan must be occasionally fed but, unlike a Tamagotchi, the Nintendo DS does not alarm you when it’s turned off. Just because you may be able to turn off your DS doesn’t mean that the world of Kumatanchi stops.

Time continues to pass and Kumatan goes about her day continuing on with show performances and practices. Therefore, players must have the discipline to visit Kumatan in her virtual world at least once a day if only for the sole reason of feeding her. Should you decide to neglect her, she’ll rightfully begin to despise you.

High Maintenance, Little Honey

The fact that she demands so much attention made it easy for me to want to pick on her. So, when Kumatan began hating me, this is where my real fun began. A clear sign of her irritation begins when she starts pouting around the room with crossed arms and steam toots from her ears. There’s no consoling her at this point.

She’ll still attend her practices and show performances but there’s a good chance that she will neglect to properly perform or even break her tools or toys. For example, it may be time for Kumatan to practice with nunchakus but, when she picks them up, she’ll just rip them apart and leave. At this point, you can flick her with your stylus to make her even madder or even bring her to tears.

If you’re really annoyed with her, you can also ruffle her feathers by interrupting her bathroom breaks and she’ll come out to scold you. Usually petting her will ease her negative feelings, but when she abhors you, there’s no consoling her and she’ll probably stay mad at you for a week. However, it should be known that photos of her dramatic reactions do fetch a pretty penny at the store.

This Honey Is a Little Sour

Kumatan is just too darned cute in whatever she does - especially her angry little fits - but her spoiled ways made me realize that I’m definitely not ready to have kids. If I can’t even handle a digitized bear-girl, how could I think that I could take care of a real kid without the option of an Off button?

Kumatanchi is definitely not for everyone but I would suggest it for people who harbor a secret mean streak or those who wouldn’t mind being considered a little sadistic. The key to appreciating this game is to not expect much out of it, then you’ll probably only be mildly disappointed.

While it’s definitely not worth $50 to import, it deserves a modest nod at $10.

Site [Kumatanchi] Read [DSFanboy]