So far the Tokyo Game Show hasn’t delivered a slew of new triple-A PS3 games nor has it heralded the return of games such as The Last Guardian, but it has provided us with a new game for the PlayStation Vita. Sony still seems to be downplaying, if not ignoring the Vita, during key press events despite software being available - some of which is entirely new and previously unannounced.
The next killer-app for the Vita may not have been announced, we all know that’s going to be Let’s Fish! Hooked On, but the quirky vibe of Sony Japan is clearly evident in the peculiar title Open Me.
The latest game from the PlayStation Camp initiative, which previously brought us games such as Patchwork Heroes and Tokyo Jungle, Open Me is a somewhat unexpected and off kilter game/app for the Vita. Not a true game in the sense that gamers will go on an epic journey, Open Me merely tests the curiosity of people and in term requires them to do a sometimes dreaded thing: work with someone else to achieve a specific goal.
Evoking the feeling of weirdness found in other games from SCEJ such as Trash Panic, Open Me simply requires players to open up a series of things. As depicted in the debut trailer for the game, cardboard boxes will be the source of mystery within Open Me but the game will reportedly feature other things such as metal containers and even safes/vault like objects.
Opening objects, which are rendered via the AR tech of the Vita, won’t be easy as every object will have it’s own way of being opened, but it will also required two players to do such a thing. Exactly how it’ll require two players to open a cardboard box via their Vita hasn’t been laid out in specifically, but Open Me is an exclusive two-player game from the get go.
The game may seem overwhelmingly odd and potentially like it’s a waste of time and resources at SCEJ, but it’s something different and for that I dig it. For as much as Sony may be viewed as another company focused on yearly franchises, there are quite a bit of original titles released and it’s nice to see smaller games/developers get a chance at being in the spotlight.
However, the big issue I have with Open Me is it’s multiplayer basis. If the game featured co-op play as a secondary feature then it would be golden, but setting up it as a two-player game may limit the audience in a huge way - especially if co-op play is limited to local connectivity and not online.
Despite the potential issues and weirdness that Open Me has, which in turn may make some people worry more about the state of SCEJ, I’m looking forward to opening things non-stop, hopefully if I can find a fellow box opener to game with.
