This is the third part of my retrospective article series about the Sega Saturn exclusive game Nanatsu Kaze no Shima Monogatari.
You can read the previous parts here:
Part One
Part Two
In this part, I will focus on...
The game-play of Nanatsu Kaze no Shima Monogatari is pretty basic on the surface. Once you hatch and are born into the world of the Seven Winds, you - as newborn oldbody Professor Garp - learn to walk left and right with the directional pad. You can enter doors with the up direction, descend steps with down (or ascend with up), and use the A button to talk and pick up items. By "Chapter Two" and onward, you can run by holding A while using the left or right directional pad.
You can jump with the B button and you can attempt to fly (and fail at doing so) by rapidly pressing it. The C button will open the menu screen and then you can use the X, Y, and Z buttons to access your various useful items - like your "wind wands", your color coded "horns", your fishing rod, or even...this interesting looking bug catcher here (which is modeled after Nintendo legend Gunpei Yokoi's Ultra Hand tong toy).
There are many other interesting items to be used for various puzzles, or collected for your cozy tree-house cabinets. In Garp's literal tree-house, you can also save the game by resting in his comfy chair, and you can view a storybook which contains information on the island's other inhabitants, items, and objects - knowledge that will be helpful to you on your various quests in the game.
One thing I should note, as stated in the SSM interview, is that there are "no commands or prompts" that "appear on the screen" in the game. Instead, "players control Garp and are free to act according to their own decisions."
And perhaps no section indicates this "lack of prompts" play-style better than the very beginning of the game, in which you are presented with just...a giant spiked egg - and no "playable character" in sight.
Perhaps you wait a bit to see what will happen - and when nothing does, you hit the A button. But nothing happens. So maybe you tap the A button again, or another button - maybe you try the B button next. And with each use of the B button, pieces of the egg begin to crack, so you naturally keep tapping the B button - or jump button, as you will learn once enough pieces of the shell have fallen and you can see just what is happening "within" the egg - until Garp "hatches" out of it. Congratulations, you have just "birthed" Garp into the Island of the Seven Winds, and you can now explore his - and your - new surroundings in earnest.
So yes, it is very much an "exploration game" which you can enjoy at your own pace - though there is also a narrative that eventually unfolds during your time on this island of many mysteries.
In SSM, when asked if there is something he'd like the players to feel or experience when they play the game, Amemiya states:
More than anything, I want them to play it until the very end. If there’s a stone, try moving it, or experience the fundamental things that humans think about. I think those kinds of puzzles are the purest form of mystery. Solving them can be really fun. Also, if players can come to like one of the characters, I think playing in this little world will definitely become enjoyable.
There is something about the game-play that is pretty unique for this type of 2D scrolling game. But before that, I should mention that while side-scrolling is the term used in the SSM interview to describe the movement, it is probably more accurate to call it a "flip screen" game, as the screens do not transition until you reach near the edge. Maybe you could instead call it a "side stroller", due to the leisurely pace of the game. Garp does move quite slow after all - which I'm sure was a point of contention for less patient players when it was released.
But anyway, there is an aspect of game-play generally in these types of 2D games that this one lacks: Nanatsu Kaze is a game devoid entirely of fighting - at least on your end (Garp certainly takes his share of punishment over the course of his quest). But you certainly won't be "crushing turts" with the jump button in this game, or using the wind wands and their powerful magic properties to wipe out waves of relentless foes. Now obviously, having "no combat" is not unique for puzzle-solving adventure games with first-person views like Myst, or even for certain 2D adventure games (like those from Lucasarts back in the day), point-and-click types, or later-era games like Animal Crossing - but for a 2D game like Nanatsu Kaze, where the primary method of controlling the character is set up like a traditional action platformer or side-scroller, it was pretty rare in 1997. I feel it might be rare even now.
Also, why is it set up like a 2D side-scroller or platforming type game anyway? That is kind of an odd choice for such a puzzle game, right? Well, this choice is another thing Amemiya requested for Givro to "pull off". One reason is because if you look at Iho Kembunroku, a lot of the artworks are already set-up in this almost "2D plane" style, and one of the goals in the creation of Nanatsu Kaze was to emulate the look of those artworks. At the time, 2D was a much better choice than 3D for that - but another reason it was made this way, is because of the huge connected island the game takes place in (without stage selection screens and whatnot).
Tomiyama in SSM says:
The director wanted to make sure that players could experience the scale of a large island. To do that, we couldn’t just switch camera cuts around constantly. The path had to be continuous, so the player could really feel the size of the island.
Sawada continues:
The key concept is that the island is a connected whole. When you take ten steps forward, the area you walk through should be part of that same world. But we didn’t want the experience to be just about strolling around the island for fun. We needed to figure out how to shape it into a playable game while keeping it engaging. There’s no combat, but there are still plenty of enjoyable elements prepared for the player.
Tomiyama again:
At one point, we considered structuring it like a picture book, where you’d change screens as if flipping pages. But doing so would have broken the “connected island” concept.
Now you know. Anyway, back to the lack of combat. Instead of fisticuffs, Garp's primary method of conflict resolution, of problem-solving, is by lending a helping hand to the other villagers on the island, fixing problems for them, making them happy. Making friends. Remembering them. Remembering their names! This is a very important part of the game: names.
One without a name is forgotten. One who is forgotten does not exist in this world.
This is a theme of the game's story, and - not to spoil too much, but I will have to spoil a bit to explain this well enough - it is also very important for the game-play aspect as well. You need to learn the names of the other villagers in the game and input them at crucial times. In some cases, you have to actually give names to the villagers. But it is key to remember those names. You may actually get stuck in the game if you forget them - but you wouldn't do that would you?
You will also be asked to name your "favorite thing" at the start of the game. I find the name feature quite charming. Yeah, it is a simple thing - how many times have you been asked to input a name at the start of a video game? A bunch, almost all the time! But how many times do you really think about it? It just gives a little flavor. Sometimes people will just put in random, silly things without thinking. It doesn't matter, it's just a game. But in Nanatsu Kaze, it matters. When you are asked to input a character's name in this game, you are meant to remember it and them - it is given weight through the story, and the moments when you must recall a name and input it actually harken back to what Amemiya considers the "trigger" for creating Nanatsu Kaze: Peter Pan.
As Amemiya states in his interview in the official Picture Imagination Book (which is even designed like the storybook in Garp's home):
The trigger is simple - it's "Peter Pan." In the scene where Tinkerbell dies, the mother tells the child, "If you believe in fairies, clap your hands. Then Tinkerbell will come back to life." When I learned that story, I was a bit shocked. From there, it wasn't interactive, but I thought it was amazing that old books had elements like that. So, the concept isn't necessarily new, it's inspired by old fairy tales.
Maybe this is a little confusing to understand, but basically I think Amemiya means he wanted to tell a fairy tale story and use the interactive video game medium to involve the "reader" (or in this case, the player) in a similar fashion to this pivotal Peter Pan moment. Sort of like how in the stage play version of Peter Pan, the audience is asked to clap to bring Tinkerbell back to life. In Nanatsu Kaze, though I will avoid any direct spoilers, you may be using your name inputs to do something similar. And though all of gaming is interactive, I believe that Amemiya has a fascinating way to view that interaction between player and story. I don't want to spoil it too much though.
There are quite a few villagers that populate the Island of Seven Winds, and they range in importance from major to minor. Villagers like...
Rockman.
No, this is a different one.
RockmanGemstone Jim Stone.
From the in-game storybook, Rockman Jim Stone is...
A young stone gentleman, nimble and light on his feet, who is suprisingly fond of children. He's searching for a friend.
Or how about...
Cavitt, the Wardrobe Man.
A quiet resident of the grass square. He is a hard-headed man who turns away after a word or two, even when people try to talk to him.
And who will ever forget...
Tennen Bitora Ronso.
(This name does not really mean anything from what I can tell, aside from tennen and bitora seeming to resemble "tennen hito" or "innocent being"). - LapinVT
Tenne Bitora Ronso is...
A resident who lives in a hole and is known by the nickname "Dancing Dweller"...
(The romanji for his nickname is likely wordplay on his big nose. Odoru equals a loan word for odor, so odoru juunin is the pronounciation for the nickname.) - LapinVT
...friendly...still, you can't tell what it's thinking.
This is just a small sample of the large cast of villagers, but every character on the island has a unique name; a crazy, visually striking look; a quirk to their personality.
There is a lot of wordplay going on with these fellows too - a lot of attention was put into their individual creations. But the question is, even with all these characters' flair, their pizzazz, if you didn't know about the name mechanic stuff and how important it is in the game, would you be paying attention to all of these critters? Would you memorize the name of that silly-looking NPC you barely interacted with - or did you ever talk to them in the first place to even learn their name, since they were seemingly not required to progress the plot? Sometimes as gamers, are we just flying through a game to get to the end, so we can move on to the next title - without enjoying all the finer points along the way? Nanatsu Kaze is at times about taking a step back rather than forward - to remember. To reflect. I mean, obviously a person can play a game however they want, but it is just an interesting thing to think about...
Anyway, you, as Garp, traverse the huge, connected island of the Seven Winds and solve puzzles - and a lot of the solutions involve calling upon the friends you "make along the way" to help you out just as you help them. The first friend you acquaint yourself with, for example, is Kisuke - the hedgehog tailor from Iho Kembunroku! But how does this little guy lend his own "helping hands" when his hands are scissors? Well, there is a lot of grass to mow on this island...actually, mostly you will call upon him (using the "Blue Horn" item you acquire) to cut through thorny paths or trees so you can access more areas on the island that Garp would not be able to get to alone. Kisuke can also cut flowers or fruit or wood and other such material so you can gather them as items.
One cool aspect is that Kisuke has a variety of cutting animations depending on what object he is interacting with. So if it is grass low to the ground that you want him to cut, he might do a "trimming" animation - just a little off the top, compared to his more impressive athletic feats when it comes to slicing down some bamboo-esque tree. The attention to detail in this game is...a cut above.
Similarly, you can also call upon the help of Kurion (using the "Red Horn") - described as a "shy and sickly propeller rabbit child" in SSM - who can spin his ears like a propeller, to help you/Garp fly through the air (since Garp cannot fly on his own, despite his dragon status).
And then you can also use a "Yellow Horn" to call upon Rokujou, the "frog child" with "thick nerves" who can break rocks blocking your path by inflating "his cheeks with air to produce a loud sound".
In addition to calling your friends, another game mechanic involves the "wind wands", or wind whips made from the roots of a flying tree. These are collected throughout the game after you complete various objectives, and they too will help open up the connected island world. Each whip conjures up one of the seven winds, so we finally get to see the differences between those various winds briefly mentioned in Iho Kembunroku. One wind will alter your size so you can fit into smaller spaces, another wind has healing properties, and so forth. It is quite involved.
Hmm, what else? Well, I kind of mentioned the collecting element, but I did not say too much about it. There are many items you can collect throughout the game - some are important to the story, some you might give to other villagers, but a lot of them just exist for your own viewing pleasure. You can catch and trade insects, you can arrange objects on a cabinet in Garp's tree home (a cabinet which holds secrets within its drawers), etc.
Oh. Fishing. You can fish, just as Garp does in that classic Iho Kembunroku illustration involving a contentious game of Bushin Shogi. Any fishing in a video game is usually relaxing, and so too it is in Nanatsu Kaze. And of course there are some rare fish to be on the lookout for - and some rare insects if you prefer to collect those.
But, since this is the oddball land of the Seven Winds, these are not your garden variety fishes and bugs. No, these are Amemiya Box Garden variety - varieties such as:
The Houtaiuo, or Bandage Fish.
A fish unique to the island, swimming with its drooping fins quivering pitifully. It can be caught relatively easily at the lake's open area.
The Nekketsuo, or Hot-Blooded Fish.
A very common fish in Tamariya and the lake’s open area. It’s rather unwavering, so it charges straight ahead even in small spaces.
The Ichigouo, or Strawberry Fish.
A fish with a beautiful body color, often mentioned alongside the Appo fish. It can be caught relatively easily in the island’s lakes and puddles.
The Suzuwo! Or Bell Fish.
A fish that can be caught relatively easily in any sea around Nanakaze Island. Its body color and adorable face make it a popular ornamental fish.
Now, let's inspect the insects...
The Hatena...or Question Bug...?
A very rare insect found in the upper part of the island. It prefers damp, hot environments where mushrooms grow.
and the
Dangomushi, or "Pill Bug".
An insect that inhabits a wide area in the central part of the island. Its distinctive traits are its peculiar, quirky movements and skewer-like body shape.
And I could go on, but you get it - "and many more"...
In the Imagination Book, Amemiya says:
...the "insect catching" and "fishing" are very complicated, and the factors that cause insects to appear, for example, are very deep and well-developed, so please try to catch and play a lot. I recommend it to you (laughs).
And he also states:
In Nanatsu Kaze no Shima Monogatari, there were little things that didn’t really matter from a gameplay perspective, but we kept them in because they were interesting.
The fishing and insect and item collecting sections are things you can do just for fun. There is an insect here-and-there that you might have to catch for a villager in order to advance some task, but generally they are "free time" activities in the game. But regardless of their lack of importance to the overall completion of the game, a lot of thought and detail was spent on them - in their designs and programming.
So, I think this sort of encapsulates the game-play of Nanatsu Kaze. It is simple in execution, but there is a lot going on behind the scenes.
I mentioned all this stuff before going into detail about the actual story of Nanatsu Kaze, because, well...I don't want to spoil too much of the story. As you have gathered, this is very much a "play it for yourself" type of game (should you have the proper language skills or help) where you will get the most enjoyment out of trying to solve the puzzles without being told exactly what comes next. And though it is a game that you can complete at your own pace, it does have "storybook chapters" that occur once you solve "simple tasks" - and eventually a quite powerful and moving narrative will become clear.
The game has a sort of "Proto Animal Crossing" style - and like Amemiya stated, there are no "demon lords" to defeat. It is a story you unravel on your own, starting with low stake tasks - but these small threads do eventually lead to something bigger...bolder. And a dark, ominous wind begins to blow over the island...
Please insert Disc Four to continue reading...
Next up: The Story of Nanatsu Kaze no Shima Monogatari
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
You can read the previous parts here:
Part One
Part Two
In this part, I will focus on...
THE GAME-PLAY
The game-play of Nanatsu Kaze no Shima Monogatari is pretty basic on the surface. Once you hatch and are born into the world of the Seven Winds, you - as newborn oldbody Professor Garp - learn to walk left and right with the directional pad. You can enter doors with the up direction, descend steps with down (or ascend with up), and use the A button to talk and pick up items. By "Chapter Two" and onward, you can run by holding A while using the left or right directional pad.
You can jump with the B button and you can attempt to fly (and fail at doing so) by rapidly pressing it. The C button will open the menu screen and then you can use the X, Y, and Z buttons to access your various useful items - like your "wind wands", your color coded "horns", your fishing rod, or even...this interesting looking bug catcher here (which is modeled after Nintendo legend Gunpei Yokoi's Ultra Hand tong toy).
There are many other interesting items to be used for various puzzles, or collected for your cozy tree-house cabinets. In Garp's literal tree-house, you can also save the game by resting in his comfy chair, and you can view a storybook which contains information on the island's other inhabitants, items, and objects - knowledge that will be helpful to you on your various quests in the game.
One thing I should note, as stated in the SSM interview, is that there are "no commands or prompts" that "appear on the screen" in the game. Instead, "players control Garp and are free to act according to their own decisions."
And perhaps no section indicates this "lack of prompts" play-style better than the very beginning of the game, in which you are presented with just...a giant spiked egg - and no "playable character" in sight.
Perhaps you wait a bit to see what will happen - and when nothing does, you hit the A button. But nothing happens. So maybe you tap the A button again, or another button - maybe you try the B button next. And with each use of the B button, pieces of the egg begin to crack, so you naturally keep tapping the B button - or jump button, as you will learn once enough pieces of the shell have fallen and you can see just what is happening "within" the egg - until Garp "hatches" out of it. Congratulations, you have just "birthed" Garp into the Island of the Seven Winds, and you can now explore his - and your - new surroundings in earnest.
So yes, it is very much an "exploration game" which you can enjoy at your own pace - though there is also a narrative that eventually unfolds during your time on this island of many mysteries.
In SSM, when asked if there is something he'd like the players to feel or experience when they play the game, Amemiya states:
More than anything, I want them to play it until the very end. If there’s a stone, try moving it, or experience the fundamental things that humans think about. I think those kinds of puzzles are the purest form of mystery. Solving them can be really fun. Also, if players can come to like one of the characters, I think playing in this little world will definitely become enjoyable.
There is something about the game-play that is pretty unique for this type of 2D scrolling game. But before that, I should mention that while side-scrolling is the term used in the SSM interview to describe the movement, it is probably more accurate to call it a "flip screen" game, as the screens do not transition until you reach near the edge. Maybe you could instead call it a "side stroller", due to the leisurely pace of the game. Garp does move quite slow after all - which I'm sure was a point of contention for less patient players when it was released.
But anyway, there is an aspect of game-play generally in these types of 2D games that this one lacks: Nanatsu Kaze is a game devoid entirely of fighting - at least on your end (Garp certainly takes his share of punishment over the course of his quest). But you certainly won't be "crushing turts" with the jump button in this game, or using the wind wands and their powerful magic properties to wipe out waves of relentless foes. Now obviously, having "no combat" is not unique for puzzle-solving adventure games with first-person views like Myst, or even for certain 2D adventure games (like those from Lucasarts back in the day), point-and-click types, or later-era games like Animal Crossing - but for a 2D game like Nanatsu Kaze, where the primary method of controlling the character is set up like a traditional action platformer or side-scroller, it was pretty rare in 1997. I feel it might be rare even now.
Also, why is it set up like a 2D side-scroller or platforming type game anyway? That is kind of an odd choice for such a puzzle game, right? Well, this choice is another thing Amemiya requested for Givro to "pull off". One reason is because if you look at Iho Kembunroku, a lot of the artworks are already set-up in this almost "2D plane" style, and one of the goals in the creation of Nanatsu Kaze was to emulate the look of those artworks. At the time, 2D was a much better choice than 3D for that - but another reason it was made this way, is because of the huge connected island the game takes place in (without stage selection screens and whatnot).
Tomiyama in SSM says:
The director wanted to make sure that players could experience the scale of a large island. To do that, we couldn’t just switch camera cuts around constantly. The path had to be continuous, so the player could really feel the size of the island.
Sawada continues:
The key concept is that the island is a connected whole. When you take ten steps forward, the area you walk through should be part of that same world. But we didn’t want the experience to be just about strolling around the island for fun. We needed to figure out how to shape it into a playable game while keeping it engaging. There’s no combat, but there are still plenty of enjoyable elements prepared for the player.
Tomiyama again:
At one point, we considered structuring it like a picture book, where you’d change screens as if flipping pages. But doing so would have broken the “connected island” concept.
Now you know. Anyway, back to the lack of combat. Instead of fisticuffs, Garp's primary method of conflict resolution, of problem-solving, is by lending a helping hand to the other villagers on the island, fixing problems for them, making them happy. Making friends. Remembering them. Remembering their names! This is a very important part of the game: names.
REMEMBERING NAMES IS...THE NAME OF THE GAME
One without a name is forgotten. One who is forgotten does not exist in this world.
This is a theme of the game's story, and - not to spoil too much, but I will have to spoil a bit to explain this well enough - it is also very important for the game-play aspect as well. You need to learn the names of the other villagers in the game and input them at crucial times. In some cases, you have to actually give names to the villagers. But it is key to remember those names. You may actually get stuck in the game if you forget them - but you wouldn't do that would you?
You will also be asked to name your "favorite thing" at the start of the game. I find the name feature quite charming. Yeah, it is a simple thing - how many times have you been asked to input a name at the start of a video game? A bunch, almost all the time! But how many times do you really think about it? It just gives a little flavor. Sometimes people will just put in random, silly things without thinking. It doesn't matter, it's just a game. But in Nanatsu Kaze, it matters. When you are asked to input a character's name in this game, you are meant to remember it and them - it is given weight through the story, and the moments when you must recall a name and input it actually harken back to what Amemiya considers the "trigger" for creating Nanatsu Kaze: Peter Pan.
As Amemiya states in his interview in the official Picture Imagination Book (which is even designed like the storybook in Garp's home):
The trigger is simple - it's "Peter Pan." In the scene where Tinkerbell dies, the mother tells the child, "If you believe in fairies, clap your hands. Then Tinkerbell will come back to life." When I learned that story, I was a bit shocked. From there, it wasn't interactive, but I thought it was amazing that old books had elements like that. So, the concept isn't necessarily new, it's inspired by old fairy tales.
Maybe this is a little confusing to understand, but basically I think Amemiya means he wanted to tell a fairy tale story and use the interactive video game medium to involve the "reader" (or in this case, the player) in a similar fashion to this pivotal Peter Pan moment. Sort of like how in the stage play version of Peter Pan, the audience is asked to clap to bring Tinkerbell back to life. In Nanatsu Kaze, though I will avoid any direct spoilers, you may be using your name inputs to do something similar. And though all of gaming is interactive, I believe that Amemiya has a fascinating way to view that interaction between player and story. I don't want to spoil it too much though.
There are quite a few villagers that populate the Island of Seven Winds, and they range in importance from major to minor. Villagers like...
Rockman.
No, this is a different one.
Rockman
From the in-game storybook, Rockman Jim Stone is...
A young stone gentleman, nimble and light on his feet, who is suprisingly fond of children. He's searching for a friend.
Or how about...
Cavitt, the Wardrobe Man.
A quiet resident of the grass square. He is a hard-headed man who turns away after a word or two, even when people try to talk to him.
And who will ever forget...
Tennen Bitora Ronso.
(This name does not really mean anything from what I can tell, aside from tennen and bitora seeming to resemble "tennen hito" or "innocent being"). - LapinVT
Tenne Bitora Ronso is...
A resident who lives in a hole and is known by the nickname "Dancing Dweller"...
(The romanji for his nickname is likely wordplay on his big nose. Odoru equals a loan word for odor, so odoru juunin is the pronounciation for the nickname.) - LapinVT
...friendly...still, you can't tell what it's thinking.
This is just a small sample of the large cast of villagers, but every character on the island has a unique name; a crazy, visually striking look; a quirk to their personality.
There is a lot of wordplay going on with these fellows too - a lot of attention was put into their individual creations. But the question is, even with all these characters' flair, their pizzazz, if you didn't know about the name mechanic stuff and how important it is in the game, would you be paying attention to all of these critters? Would you memorize the name of that silly-looking NPC you barely interacted with - or did you ever talk to them in the first place to even learn their name, since they were seemingly not required to progress the plot? Sometimes as gamers, are we just flying through a game to get to the end, so we can move on to the next title - without enjoying all the finer points along the way? Nanatsu Kaze is at times about taking a step back rather than forward - to remember. To reflect. I mean, obviously a person can play a game however they want, but it is just an interesting thing to think about...
Anyway, you, as Garp, traverse the huge, connected island of the Seven Winds and solve puzzles - and a lot of the solutions involve calling upon the friends you "make along the way" to help you out just as you help them. The first friend you acquaint yourself with, for example, is Kisuke - the hedgehog tailor from Iho Kembunroku! But how does this little guy lend his own "helping hands" when his hands are scissors? Well, there is a lot of grass to mow on this island...actually, mostly you will call upon him (using the "Blue Horn" item you acquire) to cut through thorny paths or trees so you can access more areas on the island that Garp would not be able to get to alone. Kisuke can also cut flowers or fruit or wood and other such material so you can gather them as items.
One cool aspect is that Kisuke has a variety of cutting animations depending on what object he is interacting with. So if it is grass low to the ground that you want him to cut, he might do a "trimming" animation - just a little off the top, compared to his more impressive athletic feats when it comes to slicing down some bamboo-esque tree. The attention to detail in this game is...a cut above.
Similarly, you can also call upon the help of Kurion (using the "Red Horn") - described as a "shy and sickly propeller rabbit child" in SSM - who can spin his ears like a propeller, to help you/Garp fly through the air (since Garp cannot fly on his own, despite his dragon status).
And then you can also use a "Yellow Horn" to call upon Rokujou, the "frog child" with "thick nerves" who can break rocks blocking your path by inflating "his cheeks with air to produce a loud sound".
In addition to calling your friends, another game mechanic involves the "wind wands", or wind whips made from the roots of a flying tree. These are collected throughout the game after you complete various objectives, and they too will help open up the connected island world. Each whip conjures up one of the seven winds, so we finally get to see the differences between those various winds briefly mentioned in Iho Kembunroku. One wind will alter your size so you can fit into smaller spaces, another wind has healing properties, and so forth. It is quite involved.
Hmm, what else? Well, I kind of mentioned the collecting element, but I did not say too much about it. There are many items you can collect throughout the game - some are important to the story, some you might give to other villagers, but a lot of them just exist for your own viewing pleasure. You can catch and trade insects, you can arrange objects on a cabinet in Garp's tree home (a cabinet which holds secrets within its drawers), etc.
Oh. Fishing. You can fish, just as Garp does in that classic Iho Kembunroku illustration involving a contentious game of Bushin Shogi. Any fishing in a video game is usually relaxing, and so too it is in Nanatsu Kaze. And of course there are some rare fish to be on the lookout for - and some rare insects if you prefer to collect those.
But, since this is the oddball land of the Seven Winds, these are not your garden variety fishes and bugs. No, these are Amemiya Box Garden variety - varieties such as:
The Houtaiuo, or Bandage Fish.
A fish unique to the island, swimming with its drooping fins quivering pitifully. It can be caught relatively easily at the lake's open area.
The Nekketsuo, or Hot-Blooded Fish.
A very common fish in Tamariya and the lake’s open area. It’s rather unwavering, so it charges straight ahead even in small spaces.
The Ichigouo, or Strawberry Fish.
A fish with a beautiful body color, often mentioned alongside the Appo fish. It can be caught relatively easily in the island’s lakes and puddles.
The Suzuwo! Or Bell Fish.
A fish that can be caught relatively easily in any sea around Nanakaze Island. Its body color and adorable face make it a popular ornamental fish.
Now, let's inspect the insects...
The Hatena...or Question Bug...?
A very rare insect found in the upper part of the island. It prefers damp, hot environments where mushrooms grow.
and the
Dangomushi, or "Pill Bug".
An insect that inhabits a wide area in the central part of the island. Its distinctive traits are its peculiar, quirky movements and skewer-like body shape.
And I could go on, but you get it - "and many more"...
In the Imagination Book, Amemiya says:
...the "insect catching" and "fishing" are very complicated, and the factors that cause insects to appear, for example, are very deep and well-developed, so please try to catch and play a lot. I recommend it to you (laughs).
And he also states:
In Nanatsu Kaze no Shima Monogatari, there were little things that didn’t really matter from a gameplay perspective, but we kept them in because they were interesting.
The fishing and insect and item collecting sections are things you can do just for fun. There is an insect here-and-there that you might have to catch for a villager in order to advance some task, but generally they are "free time" activities in the game. But regardless of their lack of importance to the overall completion of the game, a lot of thought and detail was spent on them - in their designs and programming.
So, I think this sort of encapsulates the game-play of Nanatsu Kaze. It is simple in execution, but there is a lot going on behind the scenes.
I mentioned all this stuff before going into detail about the actual story of Nanatsu Kaze, because, well...I don't want to spoil too much of the story. As you have gathered, this is very much a "play it for yourself" type of game (should you have the proper language skills or help) where you will get the most enjoyment out of trying to solve the puzzles without being told exactly what comes next. And though it is a game that you can complete at your own pace, it does have "storybook chapters" that occur once you solve "simple tasks" - and eventually a quite powerful and moving narrative will become clear.
The game has a sort of "Proto Animal Crossing" style - and like Amemiya stated, there are no "demon lords" to defeat. It is a story you unravel on your own, starting with low stake tasks - but these small threads do eventually lead to something bigger...bolder. And a dark, ominous wind begins to blow over the island...
Please insert Disc Four to continue reading...
Next up: The Story of Nanatsu Kaze no Shima Monogatari
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
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