Napple Tale: Arsia in Daydream (Dreamcast) (2000)
Developer: Chime

Review by Faididi and Co.

The wonderland of adventure

Story: Excellent

Poach may be a little schoolgirl, but she certainly has a big imagination. While hanging out with her friends during the summer festivities, she falls into a dream where she is whisked away to the magical but troubled realm of Napple World. There, Poach learns that she must recover the fairy-like beings known as Petals in order to return harmony to the people of that land, as well as to open the way back to her own home.

The denizens of Napple World have a lot to tell, and their conversations often change as Poach revisits them over the course of the game. Each of the thirty-plus unique characters who inhabit the town at the center of Napple World has her or his own memorable personality and agenda, instead of being a nameless clone who spouts out pointless bits of information. The dialogue is written with wit, the characters are charming, and even the very speech bubbles themselves are cleverly used, weaving together a beautiful story filled with whimsical spirit and gentle humor.

Gameplay: Excellent

Chime's Napple Tale: Arsia in Daydream is a 3D action adventure built upon an amazing interplay of exploration and platform action elements. Branching out from Napple Town (which serves as a hub) are over a dozen stages, through which Poach will run and jump in her quest to find the Petals. However, the town isn't just a simple junction, because it forms as large a part of the game as the stages themselves do. There is a surprising amount of character interaction here, and one of the best parts is how Poach repeatedly meets with the same folks both inside and outside the town, helping to resolve their affairs and learning more about Napple World from them in return. Poach enters the stages to track down characters as much as to uncover treasure chests or to beat the bosses, and she can find herself engaged in a wide spectrum of side activities, be they redecorating the town's streets, aiding a gentleman in courting a lady, fixing up instruments at a music school, or trying her luck at a slot machine-like toy. Napple Tale has a heroine who really grows into a part of its world's fond little community.

As for the stages, they are no less impressive. Ranging from breathtaking forests to verdant mountain passes, from fabulous nighttime carnivals to brilliant crystalline palaces, and from garden labyrinths to treetop mazes, the enormous stages are full of creative level and challenge designs. Although their layouts may appear linear at first, they hide multiple paths. Furthermore, thanks to the true 3D platform action design, Poach can actually move freely in the three dimensions, easily sidestepping obstacles (as in the style of Naughty Dog's Crash Bandicoot, not Namco's Kaze no Klonoa).

Attempting to stop Poach are numerous monsters, of course, but our heroine defends herself with a magical racquet. Wielding it like an oversized stick, Poach can quickly beat up her foes, and she can also swat projectiles back at the bad guys. The monsters come in every funny shape and size, from small squishy bugs to bomb-tossing plants to a gigantic bunny, and their quirky behaviors and patterns make them a thrill to face.

Poach's attacks with her racquet are already potent, but she can receive additional help from the friendly creatures known as Paffets. Before you blurt out any word that begins with "Poke-," you may rest assured that the Paffets do useful things without making irritating noises. Resembling cuddly marine animals, big round birds, and other adorable critters, the Paffets float behind Poach, automatically following her wherever she goes. Each of them can perform a special skill, such as firing powerful energy beams, restoring Poach's stamina, or building platforms that help her reach otherwise inaccessible ledges. Poach discovers Paffets by combining special elements obtained throughout Napple World, and preparing these elements involves a minigame whose investigative challenges make it quite enjoyable in itself.

Controls: Excellent

The flawless controls can't be any more responsive or intuitive. Poach walks, runs, jumps, double jumps, and attacks with ease, and working with the Paffets is a breeze.

Graphics: Excellent

To merely say that Napple Tale is a storybook come to life is an understatement. This game is full of exquisitely detailed and fluidly animated characters, softly textured yet vibrantly decorated environments, and subtle lighting effects. From the mountain stage with its awe-inspiring windmills to the floating carnival stage with its dazzling arrays of lights, and from the snowy canyon stage with its gorgeous night skies to the tropical garden stage with its colorful umbrella-shaped flora, the wonderful visuals breathe a surreal sense of life into Napple World. To facilitate travelling through the stages, there's an optional mini-map display that makes Poach's leaps easier to gauge, but it isn't needed, because the camera already works perfectly fine. The framerate remains consistently smooth, too.

Audio: Excellent

Matching the graphics in quality are the rich audio effects. The toony noises Poach produces whenever she jumps or swings her racquet help Napple Tale retain its lighthearted mood at all times. As for the vocal effects, Poach is the sole character who has a spoken voice in the game. She talks in a clear, melodical manner, and she is equally pleasant to hear whenever she sings. The classically inspired score doesn't forget to incorporate more modern-sounding pieces that reveal its full scope. No matter if it's the deeply moving songs of the stages, the flowing melodies of Napple Town's peaceful streets, the playfully upbeat tunes of the bosses, or the haunting themes of the townsfolk, the music is an enthralling fantasia.

Overall: Excellent

Sweet to the eyes, graceful to the ears, and captivatingly fun to play, Napple Tale is a splendid action adventure in every regard, and never have classic platforming elements been so elegantly integrated with nonlinear exploration. With its lovable characters, fantastic level design, sublime graphics, and absolutely delightful music, this most cherishable gem brings out the finest in wonder and magic.

OST: Excellent

Published by Marvelous, Napple Tale: Yousei Zukan and Napple Tale: Kaijuu Zukan form the two halves of the game's soundtrack. They aren't actual printed sheets of paper bound together, obviously; the Zukan are merely named so as a clever play on Napple Tale's themes.

However, if other game soundtracks can be called books, then the Napple Tale soundtrack is more like a rare tome, authored by the one and only Yoko Kanno. The tunes, including the short pieces sung by Maaya Sakamoto (who voices Poach), come in their original versions here, so you can listen to them in their glorious entirety. If there is one problem, it's that this soundtrack is separated into two halves, so those wishing to hear all the music will need to pick up both Zukan. Why this is so seems strange, considering how easily the whole set could have fit into a single package. Still, that shouldn't stop Napple Tale fans from checking out this soundtrack and savoring the game's score in its full form. (The reprints of Yousei Zukan and Kaijuu Zukan by Flying Dog and Victor are the same as the originals, except for curious if insignificant discrepancies in the tracks' lengths and for a different scent in the paper. There are no new tracks added.)

Those who are interested will also want to see Napple Tale: Shippo no Uta. Published by Victor, it's a mini-disc collection of three songs, released as a part of the game's promotion. Good things do come in small sizes, because the contents here include the opening theme, the ending theme, and a bonus song. The first two can already be found in Yousei Zukan, while the last one is exclusive to this release. The bonus song isn't heard in the game, but its lyrics and themes deal with the story of Napple Tale.