S&S; Review: Dokuro

Title: Dokuro
Format: PS Vita
Release Date: October 16, 2012
Publisher: GungHo Online Entertainment 
Developer: Game Arts
Price: $19.99
ESRB Rating: E

When you first pickup Dokuro, you instantly notice how different it is in style.  The platforming genre has been getting a lot of great releases lately, and the fact that this is on the Vita, makes it all the better.
Story and Presentation:
In the nightmarish world of Dokuro, you play as a nameless skeleton.  A member of an army that is controlled by the Dark Lord.  The evil lord ends up abducting the fair-haired princess for his liking, but you try to thwart the Dark Lord by rescuing the princess from his evil castle.  Your skeleton was once human, and you'll be able to periodically play as his original human form.  Just like the game's story, its visuals stand apart.  The game really does feature some of the most beautiful art I have seen on any system, not just the Vita.  It looks like the game was drawn using chalk like materials, creating a brand new setting for my eyes.  The animations aren't fluid, instead the movements remind me of a certain famous Tim Burton movie about a tall, lengthy skeleton.  There are some obvious similarities between Dokuro and a Tim Burton flick, and me being a fan of his movies, makes the game's presentation all the better.  There isn't a lot of color in the game, but the game definitely puts emphasis on certain things with the added use of certain colors.  Dark blues light up the horizon in the distance, while the bright yellow dress and golden hair really forwards most of the attention to the princess.  The music in the game is great, its so catchy.  The game will repeat a certain song throughout a level, and it'll never get old.  Don't be surprised when you're whistling or tapping your feet right along with the soundtrack.  
Core Gameplay:
This game is definitely a challenging platformer at it's core.  It seems that we keep getting more of these terrific but brutal 2D platformers, and as long as they keep getting better, I have no problem with it.  The game really mixes brilliant puzzles, side scrolling platforming, and combat all together quite nicely.  The added challenge of having to escort the princess through the hefty number of spiky obstacles while making sure you don't die as well.  She isn't the brightest princess to date, but she won't be willingly jumping into spiky pits and forcing you to restart.  Most times she will continuously walk forward, forcing you to think on your feet.  Its definitely an intriguing mechanic, that I haven't really seen in a game.  It can be frustrating at times, when the game picks up the pace, the princess' incessant walking will cause you to rage quit.  When you come across enemies, you'll have the power to turn into your human form, which allows you too fight back.  The combat is okay, its not all that fluid.  A lot of puzzles will require use of the Vita's touchscreen, creating for some interesting gameplay moments, to say the least.  One thing that i really love about Dokuro, is the fact that you can quickly restart puzzles where you're failing at.  This is a must for any challenging puzzler, and I'm glad they included it.  The game does come packed with trophies, even though they're difficult to achieve, the platinum trophy will be a great trophy for any trophy hunter.
Final Thoughts: Dokuro is very good, yet  different game.  Even though a lot of its mechanics are pretty familiar, I've never seen an art style like this one.  If your PS Vita hasn't been getting a lot of attention and if you're looking for a good platformer, give this one a try. S&S Rating: 7.5/10 @whatsPlay