Gurumin: A Monstrous Adventure - hands-on

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We drill through the first layers of this weirdly charming action-RPG

Progression through Gurumin is semi-linear, and is determined by furniture, of all things. See, Parin's the only kid in a tiny mining town, and her only real friends are a bunch of cute monsters that live in a hidden village nearby. Gurumin 's story kicks off when said village is raided and destroyed by evil monsters who call themselves the Phantoms. Drill in hand, it's up to Parin to free her kidnapped friends and return their stolen stuff. Give the right item to the right friendly monster, and new areas of the map will open up for exploration.

Another benefit to freeing Parin's friends is that, later in the game, you'll be able to trap their essences in an urn and summon them to watch your back in the dungeons. Never mind that the friendly monsters range from a little breakdancing blue blob to what looks like a giant plush cat; we're sure they'll have their uses. The game also features around 19 different costumes, which grant Parin different abilities if she's willing to walk around looking ridiculous for a little while.

Mikel Reparaz
Mikel Reparaz
After graduating from college in 2000 with a BA in journalism, I worked for five years as a copy editor, page designer and videogame-review columnist at a couple of mid-sized newspapers you've never heard of. My column eventually got me a freelancing gig with GMR magazine, which folded a few months later. I was hired on full-time by GamesRadar in late 2005, and have since been paid actual money to write silly articles about lovable blobs.