Murasaki Baby’s premise is simple. Help a child find her mommy. To do this you guide the child from door to door, solving puzzles and avoiding obstacles along the way, in a bizarre Tim Burton-esgue world. From the onset, one thing will become blatantly apparent: this game is a touchscreen exclusive. Regardless, the player is put in the position as the would-be guardian of a little girl, guiding her across the screen with your finger as she gladly hangs on.
The world of Murasaki Baby in is an artistic wonder. The colors and styles are dark, but not macabre. The spiraling trees and imposing landscapes feel twisted but not overly foreboding. This is in part because the child doesn’t seem all that scared. Certainly, there are times when the child is stricken with fear by a hulking figure that you must avoid or a dark tunnel that needs illumination, but otherwise she giggles and laughs like it is all normal.
She walks by trees that have apparently absorbed other children into its trunk without even a squeal. It is truly a strange land, but to this little girl it is simply home. And the child rarely ever seems to be in danger. The heart-shaped balloon she holds isn’t so lucky. In fact the enemies in the world seem hell-bent on popping this balloon which ends the level with the baby wallowing in despair. As a father, I can attest that this is accurate result of such a tragedy for a child. So the challenge becomes guiding the child by the hand with one finger while moving the balloon out of harms way with another.
When the player isn’t trying to save the balloon from flying pins, menacing thorns, or falling objects, the rest of the game is comprised of finding a way to get from A to B. The levels begin with exiting a door and the player must find a way across to the next door and the next level. To accomplish this, the player will often have to change the background scenery with a flick of the rear touch pad. Doing so changes the imagery and color of the scene but also enables the ability to call on elements with a tap, such as rain or wind that puts out a menacing fire or propels a boat across a pond. Some changes in scene enable lifts or create paths across a crevice. It is a clever mechanism that adds depth to the game, but the puzzles are not hard to figure out. Which background to use to discover ways to the next door becomes more and more obvious as the game progresses. Some levels are not challenging at all and seem like filler.
Many games have made use of Vita’s touch controls to enhance gameplay, but I don’t know of any where it is the sole mechanism. This fact alone is going to make the game a hit or a miss based on the player’s own preference. For me, it is a miss. I found it quite annoying being made to guide the child across the screen with my finger and having to constantly shift my hand position to usher her in the right direction. I also found it difficult to maneuver secondary objects such as the balloon. At times, I had to put the Vita down in order to accomplish the tasks as I was afraid I was going to drop the unit. I’m quite certain that my big clumsy hands are to blame, but that leads me to question why a physical control method was not an option. In the end, I found being forced to use the touchscreen for every control mechanism to be a major detraction from the otherwise wonderful world in front of me.
While I appreciate the bold move to forego the use of physical controls, it was a risk that was simply not necessary. I imagine from a designer’s view this creates a connection between the baby and the player, but frankly it just doesn’t work. It is a shame as the art and music are absolutely gorgeous. I did find myself caring about the child and I desperately wanted to help her find her mother. The game does an awesome job of creating this emotional bond between child and the player as her guide and guardian. But there is no getting around the aggravation of the touch screen controls. It simply robs the game of what could have been a tremendously satisfying experience.