If you’ve been to Tokyo recently, chances are you probably were exposed to Docomodake at least a few times, possibly without even realizing it. Like any other famed mascot from Nippon, a thing like Docomodake is commonplace in the oft-times kaleidoscopic whirlwind of Japanese consumerist culture. Appearances from these types on the massive televisions at Shibuya crossing or in advertisements on the Yamanote line that circles the city are as common as, say, media watchdogs laying into the latest M-rated spectacle are here.
And with the popularity the Docomodake family of mushrooms have shared in their home country has come loads of themed merchandise. The corporate mascot for NTT Docomo, one of the three mobile phone giants in Japan, has spawned company goodies from cell phone straps and stuffed toys to picture books and clothing, to name a few items. Hell, the company even sponsored an art show showcasing interpretations of these “anywhere mushrooms” (literal Japanese translation) by up and coming Japanese artists in both New York and Tokyo. So it shouldn’t really be surprising that the Docmodake IP was turned into “Poron! Docomodake DS” in Japan. What’s baffling to me is that the folks at Ignition Entertainment decided to bring the game—renamed Boing! Docomodake DS—stateside, not that’s that’s a bad thing (although I’m not so sure about the “Boing”).
Regardless, the game is instantly recognizable as uniquely Japanese. From the quirky accordion theme accompanying the title screen to the game’s simple aesthetic, Docomodake presents a colorful, charming world. “But what kind of game stars an anthropomorphic mushroom?” you might be asking. If you’re thinking platformer, you’re right—sort of. Docomodake is more of a puzzler than anything else, but it has a certain debt of gratitude to Super Mario World and (especially) Yoshi’s Island, as much for its sugary exterior as for its mechanics.
Essentially the goal is to get Papa Docomodake though each area’s various pitfalls and obstacles in order to gather your family together for the annual festival that’s held in the Docomodake forest. The rest of the Docomodake clan—mom, grandma, grandpa, kids, and eventually (spoiler!) daughter’s boyfriend—have been scattered throughout the game’s world and need to be brought home to the Docomodake house.
Guiding Papa Docomodake to his family isn’t done easily though, as the Docomodake world is far less navigable than the easy, go anywhere accessibility corporate mantra that Docomo itself prides itself on. In part, the game plays like a traditional platformer, replete with plenty of, uhm, platforms of various types to jump on/from/to/etc. But there’s also plenty of high places Docomodake can’t reach on his own, not to mention any number of switches and other contraptions that can only be reached by proxy. This is where things start to get a little tricky. See, Papa D can split himself into a number of mini mushrooms, which can be stacked as ladders (or even stairs, if you’re skilled) or hurled at birds, spiders and other predators to stun or otherwise incapacitate them. Each split also makes Docomodake himself smaller, and essential details for getting through many of the game’s height or size-related puzzles. The catch is that minis are basically brain-dead copies of Docomodake, so they can’t be independently controlled or do any of the other things our heroic father mushroom can, and for his part Docomodake can only split into so many, which are handily tallied on the DS’ top screen. Minis also “die” very easily. How a part of oneself physically dies is beyond me—hell, maybe AQ Interactive is secretly purporting some existentialist identity crisis that corporate mascot Papa Docomodake is going through or something, I don’t know. Anyway, when he’s done using the minis for a particular task, Docomodake can recombine them from anywhere on the screen to form his normal, fatter self once again.
Sound complicated? Probably. But once you get into its groove, Docomodake’s quirky mechanics quickly become second nature. Papa Docomodake is controlled with the d-pad/face (make him dance by holding down on the d-pad and b—utterly useless, but oh so cute) while you use the stylus like a mouse to select and manipulate minis. Placement is generally a drag, drop or tap affair. Minis can be highlighted one at a time or in groups by touching them or drawing a circle around more than one, but they can’t move through solid objects, only around them. Tapping is reserved for making minis into roly-polies, round projectiles used in a not dissimilar fashion to the colorful eggs of Yoshi’s Island, the difference being that unlike Yoshi’s eggs, minis die if not recombined with Docomodake after being thrown.
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