#giftpia

[nintendometro]

The Japanese commercial for 'Giftpia' on the Gamecube.

[harimoheji]

Artist: Ryosuke Tei

[lowpolypeople]

Rumiko from GiFTPiA

[thefloofyfurret]

A list of my favorite robot/android/cyborg characters (I think)

Sasuke (Ganbare Goemon/Mystical Ninja)

Mettaton (Undertale)

R.O.B. (Gyromite)

Mappo (GiFTPiA)

K1-B0 (Danganronpa)

Kido (Zatch-Bell!)

Kuro Chan (Cyborg Kuro-Chan)

Sir Waddlelot (Ribbit King)

Bender (Futurama)

Tesse (Waku Waku 7)

Chibi-Robo (Chibi-Robo!)

Doraemon (Doraemon)

Gir (Invader Zim)

Quote and Curly Brace (Cave Story)

Rodney Copperbottom (Robots 2005)

Sunny, Sammi/Musashi and Muri/Kojiro (Robopon)

Buriki (Tingle's balloon trip of love)

Moby (Brainpop)

Robonyan and Goldenyan (Yo-Kai Watch)

Baymax (Big hero 6)

[sofy-tofy]

Gaming time!

[chililizardsplayhouse]

[easternmind]

Television advertisement for the Japanese Gamecube exclusive Giftpia, released twenty years ago to this day. The narrator asks:

You are a child who failed to grow up.

Do you want to save money and become an adult?

Do you want to fulfil your wishes and become an adult?

While the project received significant support from Nintendo, to the tune of half its total budget, as well as a very enthusiastic review from Famitsu who scored it with a very respectable 34/40, market performance was poor even for console's standards. Developed by Skip. Ltd, the game followed a similar design philosophy as Kenichi Nishi introduced years before with Moon RPG Remix, in that the player faces the dilemma of achieving maturity either though self-serving pursuits, or by way of generosity and selflessness towards those around him.

It's almost tragic that the game did not qualify for a western release, as there was an understandable perception at Nintendo that its failure to captivate the Japanese at a satisfactory capacity inevitably meant low engagement in English-speaking markets. True as that may be, Giftpia would have been enjoyed by dozens of thousands of players this side of the planet some five or ten years later, when players started to develop something of a voracious appetite for such eccentric and one-of-a-kind experiences.

[posthumanwanderings]

Yuzou Kako: Giftpia - pop error song