Gurumin: A Monstrous Adventure -- The Mechanics.

Gurumin is a surprisingly good fit on the PSP. Nothing about the controls had to be sacrificed. You control the main character of Parin with the analog nub or the D-pad. The X button is used to attack. Parin uses a drill that can be powered up three levels. The drill is more powerful at higher levels of course, but you can also charge up the attack by holding down the attack button. It will cause more powerful attacks and special moves. It will also allow you to drill items like rocks looking for treasure and to break through damaged walls and the like in the dungeons. The circle button is jump. The square button is what is referred to as a guard dash. It's a spinning forward motion movement that allows for you to dodge attacks and not take hits. The shoulder buttons allow you to rotate the camera left and right. The triangle button will center the camera behind Parin. As far as controls go, Gurumin couldn't be more simple. The game plays out using an old style overworld map where you move around the paths with hubs that you can enter. When you first move to a dungeon hub that you've never entered before it will be listed as new. You'll need to complete the dungeon once to have it read clear. When you move over a dungeon you'll get an information bubble that pops up to tell you the total number of creatures in the dungeon. It will tell you how many you've killed. It also lists the number of jars and chests in the dungeon along with how many you've found. It will list your best time for completing the dungeon. The last thing it will list is your rank for completing the dungeon. You're awarded medals based on how you perform. The highest rank awarded is S. Earning an S rank earns you a gold medal. An A rank earns you a silver medal. I've never scored low enough to earn a bronze.  The gold medals can be traded with a character in the game for useful items. The silver medals can be sold for money. Fortunately time doesn't play into earning an S rank. You can take your time to thoroughly search the dungeons for the enemies and the treasures, as they're what counts. To earn an S rank you'll need to defeat all the enemies and find every last treasure chest and clay jar. The dungeon themselves are the standard fare with enemies and traps to overcome, cleverly hidden passages to discover, switches to throw, and puzzles to solve. The dungeon designs have been smart and fun thus far. The actual gameplay of Gurumin is quite fun. But does the game have that old Falcom charm? We'll have to wait and see.