Obscure Games Corner #1: Kula World

Hey, I'm Jon, also known as Gauski. Wilson's more attractive, funnier, wittier, Welsh friend currently residing in Lincoln where I attend university (that's for anyone that wants to come stab me after reading this, I'm sure Wilson can provide a full address if needed (Edit by Wilson: “Also a knife…!”)). Upon hearing Wilson's cry for help for his blog I decided to answer the call, I felt it was a duty as one of Wilson's esteemed friends to aid the guy and make his posts look better by posting something that sucks; so here goes. My post is going to be about fairly obscure games, maybe games from yesteryear, or maybe just really obscure current gen games. Let's just get this over with.

Kula world – PlayStation 1

So the first game I chose to write about is a game released in... (checks box) 1997. It is a puzzle game where you play as a brightly coloured beach ball (a game Wilson should enjoy considering how much he seems to hate any protagonist in a game with a soul). The purpose of the game, as described in its own instruction booklet, is “...to collect the key or keys that open up the exit. On the way there are numerous traps and enemies to avoid.”

Sounds simple? Well as with almost every puzzle game oh no, Sir, no it is not. It’s incredibly difficult and frustrating. Let me give you an overview of what you actually do in the game, ‘cause the booklet (which is about 5 pages thick and contains a few different languages) is pretty vague. You roll around as the aforementioned brightly coloured beach ball on a floating platform in the sky made up of blocks, and you can only move across one block at a time. The point is to reach a bright green exit block on the level usually by rolling into a key and then rolling into the green. You can also jump forward one block if necessary.

Simple, right? “Surely they can't really do much with this game” I hear you exclaim. But oh how wrong could you (and originally I) be. The game seems to veer up in difficulty rather quickly, by not only pitting you against a time limit to complete the levels but by making you able to defy every law of physics you’ve ever learnt and allowing you to move 360 degrees around every block, meaning you can go underneath the level if you so wish to avoid certain traps and reach the exit. This becomes further confusing by using the fact that if you end up in certain places on blocks you may be able to jump to other floating platforms in the sky around you, thus forcing you to think carefully and intricately about each jump, so you don't just catapult yourself off the edge. This would be an interesting concept...if the time limit wasn't there. So 90% of your time playing this game consists of you thinking “FUUUUUUUUUU-” and jumping about randomly trying to find out how to get to the exit you can see in the distance, seven floating platforms away. Add in what seems to be compulsory in puzzle games; things like breakable platforms, invisible platforms that only show up when you are on them, spike pits, flaming balls of fire, a lives system and T spoons chin, and you get an incredibly hard and frustrating game, which will make you rage quit...and then later on go back for more. It’s an interesting game that is worth having a go on if nothing more, in the 10 year stint I have owned it I often go back to play on it time and time again, for some strange reason. As for a rating I can't really give it any more then 6/10 as it is just too frustrating to give anything else. If you do fancy checking out this game, it is available on eBay for between £30 and £60 (why haven't I sold it yet?!) or alternatively on the PSN store for £3.99


Addendum from your lovely Editor:

Thank you Jon, for your take on Kula World; an obscure and, let’s be honest, fairly shit sounding PS1 game.

Jon Gau will return in “OGC is Forever” “OGC Never Dies” and “The OGC is not Enough” where he’ll bring you further thoughts on games that have, with good reason, passed you by :D