Jade Cocoon: Story of the Tamamayu
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| Jade Cocoon: Story of the Tamamayu | |
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| Developer(s) | Genki |
| Publisher(s) | Ubisoft, Crave Entertainment, Genki |
| Distributor(s) | Genki |
| Release date(s) |  November 30, 1998 April 27, 2001 February 7, 2002 |
| Genre(s) | RPG |
| Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | ESRB Teen (13+) |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation |
| Media | CD-ROM |
| System requirements | Memory card |
Jade Cocoon: Story of the Tamamayu is a video game for the Sony PlayStation, released by Crave in 1998. The game combines elements of role playing games and virtual pet management. It was developed by Genki in collaboration with Katsuya Kondō, character designer for the Studio Ghibli movies Kiki's Delivery Service and Ocean Waves.
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[edit] Overview
Jade Cocoon is much more reminiscent of another Studio Ghibli movie, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. The world is covered in dense forest populated by bizarre, mostly bug-like monsters called Minions. The only safe havens are small villages, one of which is the home of the protagonist, Levant. Levant is a young Cocoon Master, whose job is to capture and purify the Minions. The Minions can then be used to fight to defend Levant, spun into silk for money, or fused with other Minions to form more powerful combinations.
Jade Cocoon was remarkable both for its stunningly beautiful graphics and the well-executed fusion system. Fused minions take on physical characteristics of both its parent creatures, allowing the player to customize the appearance of each one, as well as its abilities. Each minion has a collection of elemental attacks which can be passed from generation to generation. Strategy generally follows a rock/paper/scissors pattern (Wind beats Earth beats Water beats Fire beats Wind), as each wild Minion has an element (although fused Minions may have more than one).
[edit] Market performance
Jade Cocoon was released at around the same time when many Pokémon clones were in the market. Most gamers considered it to be just another generic imitation, and passed on it. Other flaws included the length of the game (about 10 hours, short for a role-playing game) and awkward Resident Evil-style controls.
[edit] Sequel
A sequel, Jade Cocoon 2, was later released for the PlayStation 2, with a complete overhaul of graphics, play style, and plot. It also sold badly, probably for the same primary reason, and no more sequels have been made.
