Obscure Video Game Highlight: Incredible Crisis

When it comes to crazy games, there would be little doubt that Japan is at the forefront of the said field. With games like I'm Sorry and Seaman, you would be forgiven for thinking that the Japanese have a weird sense of humor or a skewed culture. Love it or hate it, these games have garnered a cult following and makes for a good laugh ( or perhaps invoke thoughts of killing yourself from all of the absurdities ). The following is a game I played with my friends when I was but a wee child, introducing the one and only Incredible Crisis.



 



Exclusively for the Playstation system, you play as Taneo and the various members that make up his family as we uncover what having a really bad day in Japan is all about. Taneo is a salary man working in modern day Japan waiting to get home for his mother's birthday when shit hits the fan. He is chased by boulders, thrown out of vehicles, falls off skyscrapers and has to prevent an army attack on a mothership. His family members aren't spared from the misfortune as in the other half of the story line you get to play as Etsuko (Taneo's wife), Ririka ( Tanoe and Etsuko's daughter) and Tsuyoshi (Taneo and Etsuko's son). Each of their story arc fits in seamlessly in the overall plot as it chronicles each family member's journey to find their way home for Haruko's (the grandmother) birthday.

The game is made up entirely of 24 mini games that function to progress the story ( although it is sad to see that some of them are reused ). Classified under the party genre, it is a great game for entertaining hoards of friends while leaving them crippled with laughter. The gameplay is very simple, comprising of simplistic quick hit mini games and button mashing sections, utilizing the directional pad and action buttons. Some of the mini gams are more puzzle oriented, focussing on completing a task within a certain time limit rather than action oriented gameplay such as  Etsuko's task to replace an item's exact weight with a combination of her own items. A big plus is that all mini games can be selected and played individually after the story mode of the game is completed.

Story wise, it will be crazy and it will be incredible (as the title suggests). I really love how the story features normal characters experiencing an extraordinary twist of fate. I do love it when game developers approach a game with a tongue in cheek manner, letting us gamers have game that is light hearted and humorous, a stark contrast to all the serious games which dominate the mainstream market. Incredible Crisis was remarkably innovative for its time, showing that a fully fledged game can be made comprising of mini games when done right. It is a shame that a sequel wasn't made for the PS2.

Incredible Crisis was developed by Polygon Magic. The design and script was done by Kenichi Nishi and the game's art director was Naozumi Yamaguchi. For more information and spoilers on the game, please click here.