I am a girl… and I play games. Neither of these facts are surprising, and those of you who are frequent readers will know that I appreciate RPGs, action games and the occasional shooter more than your average gamer. Indeed, looking back at an old review of mine for Bayonetta, I even managed to find some bits of that too cutesy. I loved the grittiness and the sex appeal, but I somehow found something too girly in it. You’d certainly never guess from my games back-catalogue that I was a girly girl and I’m proud that I never will be… so, why is it I find myself becoming increasingly drawn to games that exude cuteness?
In recent months I’ve noticed a trend. Perhaps I need to balance years of finding games like Saw amusingly gory. Although I still enjoy the same games I always have, the more realistic look of some games means I have to look elsewhere for my fantasy fix. But I never expected to find myself playing so many cute games. And not those teetering on the edge either, the full on ‘OMG, I’m such a girl!’ games.
I loved Costume Quest, thinking it was wholesome fun, and now I’m addicted to Kinectimals (shamelessly addicted too, I even have the cuddly toy!). But this was just the start; on top of all this, I recently hit a new level of cuteness saturation in the form of XBLA title ilomilo (although not technically out till January 5, a demo code from the website will allow you to buy it through the games menu).
Without a shadow of a doubt, ilomilo is the cutest game I have ever played, and is still a highly challenging game. It’s a 3D puzzle game involving two characters desperately trying to reach eachother by running around, using special blocks to allow them to build bridges and eventually eat cookies! ilomilo really is cuteness personified; the characters are darling and their movements are full of emotion. Plus, the music is impossible to listen to without a) smiling and b) having it stuck in your head forever. The entire design of the game is just so adorable.
I am, and have always been, a puzzle addict. Even before puzzlers were widely available as video games, and you had to do manual puzzles (shock, horror!), I knew they were for me. But looking back a few years ago, I don’t think I would have felt nearly as strongly about ilomilo as I do now. I definitely wouldn’t be obsessively petting my oh-so-fluffy tiger cub in Kinectimals, and I would have dismissed Costume Quest as something for kids (DLC out now – hooray!). I’m trying to embrace my inner child a bit more these days, trying to relax and enjoy life, and although I never knew it, it appears my inner child is more of a girl than I thought. What’s next? A chick flick?! Help! If you catch me wearing pink any time soon, it’s probably safe to call the men in white coats as there are some girly steps I’m just not ready to take! I’m off to play some Halo to balance the equation. 🙂
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