Blending genres is a fickle beast. Sometimes, it’s a harmonious combo, and results in a potent, palatable brew that offers players the best of both worlds. Others… well, take a look at how rote and blase the “numbers go up” RPG hybrids that come out of Ubisoft and Sony are. When established genres cross-pollinate, it’s important to amplify the best parts of each, without letting the worst parts of certain components drag the whole package down.
Thankfully, the charming Giraffe and Annika mostly avoids the pitfalls of its two primary ingredients: JRPGs and rhythm games. By smashing the whimsy of the former into the tactile satisfaction of the latter, Atelier Mimina have put together a rousing and engrossing adventure backed up by rock-solid mechanics and a lovely aesthetic.
Tropical Remix
Adorable catgirl protagonist Annika wakes up on a strange island one day, with no real recollection of who she is, where she is, or why she’s there. Luckily, enigmatic catboy Giraffe is there to guide Annika, and invites her on a quest to explore mysterious island ruins to unlock clues to her past. Along the way, she comes face-to-face with a cheeky witch, befriends talking animals, and discovers bits and pieces of her fragmented memory.
Giraffe and Annika’s story is fairly straightforward, and its twists and turns are fairly telegraphed early on. Yet there’s a comfort to these kinds of stories - fluffy, calming fantasy romps with familiar story beats aren’t necessarily a bad thing, if done right. If Persona can do “society is bad, friends are good” for three games in a row and get away with it, then there’s a place for smaller games like this offering comfort food to genre veterans.
Plus, it helps that the world and the characters in it ooze pure charm. It’s going to be hard for me to forget the cute carpenter ghost who helped me build a bridge, the caring mother rabbit and her rambunctious children, or the photorealistic talking turtle in this game - among many, many other bit players. Good characters can elevate formulaic stories, and Giraffe and Annika stands as a testament to that.
Jump Around
At its heart, Giraffe and Annika is a small-scale JRPG homage with no stats, no traditional combat, and no real way to fight enemies outside of boss battle. The game strips away the tried-and-true mechanics of other titles that look, feel, and play out like it, and the result is a satisfying aesthetic piece with some light platforming and a big emphasis on exploration.
That platforming comes in to play fairly early on, after Annika unlocks the ability to jump, and plays a huge part in how each dungeon progresses. You’ll be tasked with traversing moving platforms and scaling large hills to finish these dungeons - a far cry from the grinding, backtracking, and puzzle-solving you tend to come across in these sorts of titles. It’s clever, even with some slippery controls.
The exploration is a decidedly more mixed bag, as Annika is often tasked with running around the entire island and looking for stuff for NPCs. These parts are fine, and the intuitive map design and soothing atmosphere certainly help them to be more palatable. That said, it’s hard to shake the natural tedium that comes with repetitious fetch quests and pixel hunts. While it never grated on me, I wish there was a bit less of that and a few more actual dungeons, as those are one of the big highlights of this thing.
3, 2, 1, Let’s Jam!
The rhythm gaming component, on the other hand, is a real joy. In lieu of traditional boss battles, players have a magic duel with the aforementioned witch and all sorts of other beasties - all carried out through fun, self-contained rhythm sections.
As a longtime rhythm game fanatic, I adored the simple but satisfying mechanics on display here. Any Audiosurf or DJMAX player will feel at home right away, and the game offers three difficulty settings with each new song to help newbies get a bit more acclimated. It’s pretty straightforward stuff, with players tapping button prompts in time with the music, pressing down on hold notes for extended periods, and dodging ghosts that try to throw off your groove.
It’s all very simple, but as a genre veteran, I admire just how tight the overall package is. This is clearly made by a developer that not only understands rhythm gaming, but knows how to take the most basic elements of it and package it for a more casual audience. Considering that rhythm games can be one of the most daunting genres for newcomers, that’s no small feat.
Music To My Ears
I recognize that Giraffe and Annika isn’t going to be for everyone. Hardcore JRPG and fantasy enthusiasts might be put off by the game’s cute, cuddly approach to genre trappings. On the same note, rhythm game stalwarts might balk at the title’s small tracklist and simple mechanics.
But it’s that simplicity, to me, that makes this game so wonderful. Atelier Mimina has a thorough understanding of what attracts newcomers to these sorts of games, and such a mastery of their craft that they know how to bring those aspects to the forefront of their title. Because of this, they focus on making something that offers the same comfort and charm of several genres, but sands off the rough edges for more casual play. By marrying that with colorful visuals and an often breathtaking score, they’ve succeeded in making a lean, compact experience at a budget price.
Giraffe and Annika, then, is something I can’t recommend enough to almost anybody. Genre enthusiasts will likely appreciate the simple take on familiar mechanics and tropes, and newcomers will feel encouraged to dig deeper into the world of fantasy JRPGs, platformers, and rhythm games. Elevated by its winning aesthetic, memorable characters, and gorgeous soundtrack, this is a game I won’t be able to get out of my head for some time.
A Switch copy of Giraffe and Annika was provided to TheGamer for this review. Giraffe and Annika will be available on August 25 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch.
