Genre: Point-and-Click Adventure

Traditional Japanese culture is very different from modern Western culture. It celebrates simplicity, preferring few possessions and finding entertainment in everyday objects. It takes something as mundane as a piece of paper and folds it into a work of art.

Japanese storytelling is also different. Western culture wants to see a decisive ending, preferably with the good guy winning. The Japanese story gives a balance between what man would consider good and evil and would likely have an ambiguous ending. The emphasis is on feminine process rather than masculine result.

Tengami is a simple story told in a child’s pop-up book. The pages look flat but when you open them, trees, animals and even tall pagodas pop up and stand tall. The coloring is done in subdued watercolor. The background music is performed on traditional instruments. The hero is also made of paper. He is a handsome nobleman (judging by his clothes) who travels back and forth across the pages, but rarely front to back lest we see just how thin he is.

The story is very simple. Our nobleman is dozing under the sacred cherry tree when a chill wind comes and blows off all the cherry blossoms. When he awakes, the tree is barren and it has begun to snow. So our hero embarks upon a quest to recover the three sacred cherry blossoms and restore vitality to the tree. And that is it. There is no higher motive or hidden agenda. The world will not be saved and we won’t necessarily get the girl. It is enough to devote your life to the restoration of the “wa” (balance, harmony) of this tree.

There is no further exposition during the game. Your mission is simple – find and return the cherry blossoms. There will be much exploration and many puzzles. And while the atmosphere is very Japanese, the puzzles will have a definite Western feel to them.

Navigation is simple – just click where you want to go and if you can, you will. Look for softly expanding circles of light. These indicate available pop-ups within the page. Look for spirit flames. When you stand in one of these you will activate a new pop-up and be able to turn the page.

Puzzles are mostly of the logical variety, but there are a few simple inventory puzzles as well. You will never need to carry more than one item at a time. The way back will never be blocked until you have completed the tasks at hand.

There is a built-in hint system, but I never needed to use it. The puzzles are all easy to medium in difficulty. Just relax and contemplate your surroundings. The answers will come to you.

Tengami is a refreshing change from the ubiquitous controller-twitching, level-upping, headshot-celebrating game. It is atmospheric, contemplative and peaceful. It is realistic in that you could almost believe that you actually make the book. It is mystical in that there is just enough magic to prevent you from trying.

+ Traditional Japanese atmosphere + Peaceful, contemplative gameplay + Puzzles that are logical and well-behaved

If you enjoy this game, then you might like to:
Play – Kami (Smart phone app)
Watch – Ergo Proxy

Trailer

System Requirements

MINIMUM PC:
OS: Windows Vista
Processor: Core 2 Duo
Memory: 2 GB RAM
Graphics: Open GL 2.1 compatible graphics card
Hard Drive: 900 MB available space

MINIMUM Mac:
OS: Mountain Lion
Processor: Core 2 Duo
Memory: 2 GB RAM
Graphics: Open GL 2.1 compatible graphics card
Hard Drive: 500 MB available space