“Tokyo Jungle” is a Sony exclusive for the PS3 with a pretty compelling story: one day, all of humanity simply vanishes, leaving behind the animals. In Tokyo, this means the zoo animals, the pets, and the wildlife all take over a decaying, beautifully rendered Tokyo, and try to survive by eating, finding clean water, and knocking boots.
It’s one of a long, long line of games, ranging from “Seaman” to “Pokemon”, that center around genetics, evolution, and the life cycle to come out of Japan.
But it’s got a lot more to it than just a wacky plotline. Here’s why this PS3 exclusive is worth looking for, whenever it comes to the US.
#5) Finally, Simulated Animal Sex
OK, so the last thing gaming actually needed was 3D rendered models of Pomeranians humping, but, continuing with the wackiness, one of the important aspects of the game is finding a suitable mate and making more of yourself. This actually creates a “lives” system of sorts: when you reproduce, you hop to the next generation, and if you die before you reproduce in that body, you’ll go to the next one.
#4) The Situation for Some Truly Ridiculous Scenarios Presents Itself
The way the games mechanics are constructed, where animals can form packs or herds, depending on their species, and use those packs and herds for defense or offense, you can, if you feel like it, take out a crocodile with a pack of beagles.
Insane events like that are what gaming is all about.
#3) The Gameplay is Surprisingly Deep and Old School
Here, have a video:
It’s a mix of platforming, stealth, and old, old school RPGs, like you actually have to keep track of your hunger and thirst, make sure they’re properly sated, and, needless to say, you can’t carry any items because you’re a four-legged beast, not a human.
There’s also a mix of mechanics: assembling a pack or herd, for example. That’s got some real promise for some genuinely unique gameplay.
There’s some real appeal there. It’s a pretty strange mix, but one that sounds fun.
#2) You Can Finally Eat Yappy Annoying Little Dogs
Come on, you were all thinking it.
#1) It’s That Rare Game You’ve Never Really Seen Before
This is, to us, the biggest deal: love the concept or hate the concept, goddamn if you’ve ever played a game like this before.
That’s really the issue; as gaming has gotten more expensive, and gamers have gotten more demanding, game companies take fewer and fewer risks. When they do, they sometimes reap rewards, like “Grand Theft Auto III”, and sometimes fall flat on their face, like the aforementioned “Seaman”. So it’s nice to see Sony taking the time to develop a game like this, simply because it’s just something so incredibly different.
Also, we bet Pomeranians are delicious.