There are some weird Japanese games that have never made the trip across the ocean like subway simulators or a nature safari phototraphy simulator. Now there's Tokyo Jungle. Slated for a 2010 release that got pushed back to June 7, 2012, and billed as an "animal survivor action game" that is part RPG and part WTF.
Set in a post-apocalyptic world without humans, animals now survive however they can on the streets of Tokyo. The two protagonists are made up of a pomeranian and a racing horse that try to avoid being eaten, survive and mate so they can then travel in packs to beat larger carnivours that want to snack on them. The alternate option is a survival mode where you pick an animal and see how long you can make it without becoming a meal. Be a lion, you say? Psh! Be a rabbit, a cat or even a rooster as you wander around and happen upon rare creatures like the "Legendary Giant Bunny," which is blue.
Now it gets weird: there are collectables and objects lying around Tokyo to give your animal a boost. Roller skates for an elephant? Check. A sumo outfit that makes dogs tougher? Check. What looks like a dinosaur wearing a hoodie? Sure, why not?
Even beloved Sony mascot/robot dog AIBO joins the survival game:
It's even engaging in a special online pre-order knocking $30 off the price.It's so weird and strange, we almost hope that it does get a US release. Because Kenji Inafune, creator fo Mega Man, seems to like it? Nah.
It's the pomeranian protagonist narrating how to play the game that sold us.
