Cosmology of Kyoto is a phenomenal game for several reasons. Granted, I’m old-school when it comes to games, and I will assume that anyone reading this review will be the same, so my definition of “phenomenal” probably means nothing to people who only play modern adventure games.
The best thing for me about this game was that, in a dozen or more plays, I never had the same adventure twice. In fact, none of my friends who’ve played Cosmology of Kyoto have had even similar experiences to mine.
This is rare even in new text-based adventure games, and I appreciate the detail put into this one all the more, considering its age and technical limitations (it was released in 1993). I thought it would be difficult for me to get into, but much like my favorite game -Princess Maker 2, your player gains abilities and items based on the decisions you make for them. It’s really not much different from PM2 or other text-based RPGs.
The graphics and game play are rich and lush. As you interact with the characters in the game (villagers, demons and other magical creatures), you are given the opportunity to shape your character’s final outcome. This is obviously (to me, anyway) the reason that each game play
is so unique. I don’t know that you could map out a playing strategy even if you wanted to, as it gets fairly complex fairly quickly.
If you like this game (or if you’re trying to find out whether or not you’d like this game), I thought it was similar to Throne of Darkness and The Last Ninja (actually, I think Cosmology of Kyoto was kind of like a combination of those two games).
A friend of mine who studies Japanese culture told me that this game is actually a pretty accurate portrayal of Japanese society a thousand years ago (apart from all the demons running around, that is!). If you’re interested in that sort of thing, that could be a bonus incentive for you to try out this really excellent example of adventure gaming.
