Kururin Squash! is an action-puzzle video game developed by Eighting and published by Nintendo. It was released only in Japan on October 14, 2004. The game is the successor to Kururin Paradise and is the only title of the Kururin series with 3D computer graphics.
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Speeen!
the fact that easy mode just makes the ship tiny is so funny
so cuuuute
It always amuses me when small-scale/portable 2D games get a console counterpart. It's like the opposite of downscaling console games for portabe systems, the more common practice. Nintendo definitely tried it more during the GameCube era, with titles like WarioWare: Mega Party Games and Four Swords Adventures. But Kururin? I'll admit I had my doubts, but it's still more Kururin at the end of the day. What could go wrong?
The moment the intro started playing, I was completely smitten. It warped me back to a time when games were just allowed to look like this; I mean, they still can nowadays, but almost never from the big AAA titles that get all the spotlight. This intro is like Katamari, Yoshi's Story, and Parappa all rolled into one. It's cute, colorful, quirky, and stylized. In this title, Kururin wins a lottery and his whole family goes to visit a series of islands. By the time they return home however, it seems as though Kururin and his parents are the only ones who made it back. Engage the Helirin (the copter has had a name that I've been ignoring this whole time), and rescue your family once more!
I feel like I'm going to eat my own words in this regard, but I now think analog controls may be a bit of a detriment to the gameplay of Kururin. It may just be my inability to grip the precision they actually provide, but the three defined speeds in the GBA Kururin titles were constants that you could learn and adjust to. Holding the B button still speeds you up in Kururin Squash, but you've got an entire analog stick's worth of speed choices now as well. Another thing that contributes to this feeling is the camera angle. As opposed to the GBA titles, it's not quite top-down, because they want to emphasize the fact that we've upgraded to 3D models. I feel at least 95% of the walls I hit were justified, but the lingering 5% always wondered, "Did I really?"
The stages are also now littered with coins along your path (and tucked out of the way) for you to collect, which figure into your end-of-stage rank. They do a good job at hiding coin stashes in precarious areas off the beaten path, so it never gets boring collecting them or anything. You mostly spend them on cosmetic items, which is fine. They're actually pretty out-there cosmetics, taking advantage of the third dimension and all that. You can also buy expendable items, like extra hearts, or a "continue from checkpoint" option. I kinda ignored the timer in this game in favor of collecting all the money I could muster.
Kururin Squash's real draw comes with the different forms the Helirin is equipped with for many stages. I feel like I made a genuine mistake by choosing the "full size" Helirin for my file. The level design feels much more focused on making use of these new forms, to the point that my size felt like a detriment. It's unfocused, and it strays a bit too far from the foundation that Kururin is built on. While it's definitely a lot of gimmicks, I bet these were conscious choices made to keep things fresh after the basic gameplay peaked in Kururin Paradise. Plus, these changes also allow for a series first: actual boss fights! Moreover, they're all actually really fun, each one testing your ability to use a form of the Helirin.
I feel kinda bad for saying it, but after playing Kuririn Paradise, I had a feeling that Kururin Squash wouldn't hit the same highs. I do feel like Squash succeeds in having its own unique gameplay strengths, gimmicky as they may be. Also, I have no idea why this game is named "Squash." Nothing gets squashed in this game, except maybe my brain. With all the Kururin games successfully binged, I'm requesting that someone please stop the world from spinning, I'd like to get off now.
The moment the intro started playing, I was completely smitten. It warped me back to a time when games were just allowed to look like this; I mean, they still can nowadays, but almost never from the big AAA titles that get all the spotlight. This intro is like Katamari, Yoshi's Story, and Parappa all rolled into one. It's cute, colorful, quirky, and stylized. In this title, Kururin wins a lottery and his whole family goes to visit a series of islands. By the time they return home however, it seems as though Kururin and his parents are the only ones who made it back. Engage the Helirin (
I feel like I'm going to eat my own words in this regard, but I now think analog controls may be a bit of a detriment to the gameplay of Kururin. It may just be my inability to grip the precision they actually provide, but the three defined speeds in the GBA Kururin titles were constants that you could learn and adjust to. Holding the B button still speeds you up in Kururin Squash, but you've got an entire analog stick's worth of speed choices now as well. Another thing that contributes to this feeling is the camera angle. As opposed to the GBA titles, it's not quite top-down, because they want to emphasize the fact that we've upgraded to 3D models. I feel at least 95% of the walls I hit were justified, but the lingering 5% always wondered, "Did I really?"
The stages are also now littered with coins along your path (and tucked out of the way) for you to collect, which figure into your end-of-stage rank. They do a good job at hiding coin stashes in precarious areas off the beaten path, so it never gets boring collecting them or anything. You mostly spend them on cosmetic items, which is fine. They're actually pretty out-there cosmetics, taking advantage of the third dimension and all that. You can also buy expendable items, like extra hearts, or a "continue from checkpoint" option. I kinda ignored the timer in this game in favor of collecting all the money I could muster.
Kururin Squash's real draw comes with the different forms the Helirin is equipped with for many stages. I feel like I made a genuine mistake by choosing the "full size" Helirin for my file. The level design feels much more focused on making use of these new forms, to the point that my size felt like a detriment. It's unfocused, and it strays a bit too far from the foundation that Kururin is built on. While it's definitely a lot of gimmicks, I bet these were conscious choices made to keep things fresh after the basic gameplay peaked in Kururin Paradise. Plus, these changes also allow for a series first: actual boss fights! Moreover, they're all actually really fun, each one testing your ability to use a form of the Helirin.
I feel kinda bad for saying it, but after playing Kuririn Paradise, I had a feeling that Kururin Squash wouldn't hit the same highs. I do feel like Squash succeeds in having its own unique gameplay strengths, gimmicky as they may be. Also, I have no idea why this game is named "Squash." Nothing gets squashed in this game, except maybe my brain. With all the Kururin games successfully binged, I'm requesting that someone please stop the world from spinning, I'd like to get off now.
A really fun and challenging lil time. The analog stick on the gamecube controller gives a whole new level of fidelity to the controls, and for a game like kururin, that is extremely important. There are also neat powerups and boss fights that happen in the game which keep things fresh. Levels are really solid and well designed. All in all a good game that i'd def rec for anyone looking for a game that's easy to learn but difficult and precise to master. Definitely the best in the kururin series, but honestly just having analog control alone makes it win that title.
Excellent arcade styled game with loads of replay value and a unique gameplay loop that gives you a good challenge, while also remaining fair and fun. Really solid game overall.