Welcome to Missing in Action. This column is similar to IGNPS2's Missing in Action series, but we've taken a few liberties with our formatting. For one, we're focusing on one game at a time. Why? Well we find that there are a ton of GameCube games that have been swallowed by the void -- there's Too Human, Dead Phoenix, Thornado, Game Zero, Rebirth, and Raven Blade to name a few. We feel they're worth the individual attention. However, there are also games that aren't worth our investigative effort. More Barbie or Bratz titles have been swallowed by the Bermuda Triangle than any of us care to remember -- and hopefully that's where they will remain.
We've established a few basic rules. The title has to officially be MIA -- it was at one time in production and has either gone into hiding, been delayed, switched companies, or died altogether. Regardless of their fate, they also have to be games that readers care about, and that you have asked after. So, we've done some sleuthing, sought official clarification, and speculated its fate. Here's one story.
Case 003: Giftpia
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Skip Ltd.
Original Announcement: March 2002
Original Release Date: April 2003 (Japan)
Scene:
What do a handful of ex-Square employees, trippy colors, and a lot of mushrooms have in common? It's not a spot among the hippies at Golden Gate Park. These forces have teamed up to create Giftpia (or "Giftopia"). Developed by startup Skip Ltd., Giftpia tells the story of growing up and learning what it means to be an adult. Lofty topics for a fluorescent cel-shaded game to tackle, but Giftpia promises that there's more to growing up than work and purple hair.
Announced in March 2002, Giftpia was set to steal the audience of Animal Crossing with a more refined RPG/communication game. Directed by Kenichi Nishi, with the help of game designer Keita Eto, both of Chrono Trigger fame, Giftpia tells an odd tale about a boy named Pockle. Due to a freak oversleeping accident, Pockle missed his coming of age ceremony -- landing him in the slammer for treason (you can't be a Toys R' Us kid forever). Fortunately, he's freed from jail in exchange for community service. It's up to Pockle to collect 5,000,000 moneys to pay for a new coming of age ceremony.
Your assumption would be correct if you thought that Pockle had to get a job, but it isn't the same rampant errand running featured in Animal Crossing. While the beginning of the game will have you collecting wild fruit or fishing to earn your next dime, you'll soon graduate to handiwork, such as fixing broken sign posts. But, after eating some mushroom soup made by an old guy that turns into a chicken, Pockle learns that there's more to adulthood than just work. You've got to be nice to people too.
Here lies the meat of Giftpia. It's Pockle's job to roam his island collecting people's wishes and finding a way to grant them. Pockle might have to find a way to fix the relationship between a construction worker and a store owner. Other tasks include sneaking your girlfriend to the forbidden side of the island or finding a disaster hat for a crazed old fortune teller.
Sure they might be simple tasks, but it's what made Giftpia so appealing. The basic gameplay of Animal Crossing has been transformed into a game that requires you to think and solve puzzles rather than simply remember where Horus' house is. Not only are there puzzles, but you're constantly hounded by the game's time system. You're under pressure to get your chores done while worrying about getting to bed ontime and eating right. Skip took principles from Harvest Moon and transformed them into something of its own. Don't make it to bed on time and ghosts will chase to your house. If you don't escape, they'll put you to sleep, which leaves you vulnerable to theft.The package was sweetened by a very unusual and vibrant art style as well as a lot of small graphical touches (such as trees waving in the breeze or geckos sunning themselves on sidewalks), which was complemented by a great sense of humor and some tunes that sound similar to Jet Set Radio.
Giftpia was met with mild success when it was released in Japan in April 2003. Importers went crazy, which incited even more clamor for the title's US release. The frenzy climaxed at E3 2003, where Giftpia was shown in English. Then, Giftpia fell into obscurity. There were no progress reports, no demos, and no new announcements. When it was finally removed from most release lists, Giftpia earned Missing in Action status. How could such an original game just disappear without a trace?
Official Statement:
To solve the Giftpia mystery, IGNcube sought out an official statement from Nintendo. A representative said, "All I can say as of right now is that the title has not been announced." A very vague statement -- it could mean that the title is cancelled or that Nintendo will eventually release it (but wants to keep it a secret).
Continued Investigation:
Since the official statement wasn't what IGNcube would call enlightening, we went on a quest to dig up what little info we could find on Giftpia's immigration process. Inside sources in America and Japan state that the title is cancelled. The main reason? Giftpia is just too strange for the US audience.
What's odd about all this is that Giftpia remains on Nintendo of America's website. However, the site gives no information beyond an old synopsis of the game.
The other piece of the puzzle that doesn't quite fit in is that Nintendo showed Giftpia at E3 2003 -- in English. It doesn't really make sense that Nintendo would begin localizing this title before determining whether it should be released in the US, especially when Animal Crossing was so popular. Case Status: All evidence indicates that we won't be seeing Giftpia in the US. Wannabe Giftpia players will have to restort to learning Japanese if they want to partake in this quirky RPG.
Giftpia's case is muddled. There's no clear statement from Nintendo and we found some conflicting evidence. But, while Nintendo hasn't officially cancelled the game, so little has been released about its localization progress that it's easy to believe it is cancelled -- especially when it's the consensus of multiple sources. But if it's cancelled, why is it still on Nintendo's site? The project hasn't officially been cancelled for the US, so Nintendo is leaving its options open -- but that doesn't mean it will ever be released.