Dokuro on PS Vita: This Little Skeleton’s Got Guts!

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Dokuro on PS Vita: This Little Skeleton’s Got Guts!

The charming skeletal hero Dokuro may not get the love he deserves, but that certainly doesn’t stop him from saving the day. With a captivating chalk-drawn setting and adorable fairytale themes, Dokuro provides a unique platform-puzzle experience that will flex your mind and heart!

One day Dokuro’s boss, the great and powerful Dark Lord, returns to his castle with a beautiful princess in tow. I suppose “in-cage” is more accurate, since this particular princess did not come of her own free will. From the moment Dokuro lays his eyes on her, our bony hero is love-struck and resolves to save her from his master’s treacherous castle.

Dokuro on PS Vita

The Princess pays no mind to imminent danger and will automatically move forward until she reaches an obstacle she cannot cross. Dokuro’s main goal is to get the Princess from point A to point B. Naturally the path is always complicated by traps, pitfalls, and the occasional flying demon. These puzzles will take all the moxie and gumption you can muster as you travel through floors of ever-increasing complexity. As you progress, you uncover new abilities like the Hero Transformation mode that allows you to slash enemies to bits, and the almighty chalks that let you directly manipulate your surroundings with the touch of your finger.

Dokuro on PS VitaDokuro on PS Vita

It may seem a strange thing to have a seemingly invisible skeleton save the day, but Dokuro’s unsung endeavors are precisely what make the little scamp so relatable. Before the development team had even begun work on Dokoru, the game’s producer brought in children’s books filled with heartwarming fairytales to inspire the team. The classic storybook style is clearly evident, but the team decided on a unique twist. It was originally suggested that the protagonist be a handsome knight, but something about the little skeleton minion struck a chord with the designers and they decided it would make for a much more interesting story to have the Dark Lord’s own peon save the day. Dokuro may not be the hero the Princess expected, but he’s the only one she has – even if she doesn’t notice him! The game’s themes of unrequited love and tireless devotion are so clearly conveyed that any text is almost completely unnecessary. Dokuro is a skeleton-man of action and his beads of inexplicable sweat say more than mere words could ever convey!

Dokuro on PS Vita

It’s weird to think of a pile of bones as being cute or charming, but once you’ve met Dokuro, it’s hard to think of him any other way. Fearless, unrelenting, and with the power to single-handedly defy the Dark Lord’s minions, Dokuro will let no puzzle stand in his way as he escorts his beloved Princess to safety.

Get ready for some bone-chilling excitement when Dokuro hits PlayStation Store this October.

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51 Comments

8 Author Replies

  • Awesome news

  • Seems to be just my style! You’ve sold it to me for sure :)

  • GigaBoots did a preview of the demo on YouTube. Looked pretty good.

  • OoOoO nice. This looks fantastic. I can already see myself rating it captivating/cool/amazing in near. I have always loved puzzle platformers, and this one looks very cool.

    Wow, October? Shaping up to be the best month ever for the Vita with everything coming out.

  • Sounds like a great game! Will it also come to EU at the same time? Any info on the price?

  • I imported and played this game back in July and I can say that it’s a great little puzzle platformer. The style is charming and the gameplay is really fun. They keep it fresh by adding new obstacles, enemies, and mechanics as you progress through the story. And of course, the chalk style looks great on the OLED screen. I recommend this to anybody who is interested in puzzlers and/or platformers. Trophy hunters need not worry as all of the trophies (at least in the JP version) are definitely obtainable. If this is the same list, you can expect to see a platinum trophy as well. ;)

    I do have one question though. Will we be seeing the Dokuro avatars that were put on the JP store? I would love to have one but avatar region locking prevents this. Thanks!

    • Glad to hear you liked it!

      As for the avatars, it’s definitely something we are looking into, but we do not have official word yet.

  • I really liked the art direction. The game controls took a bit getting used to.

    I’m glad you had this and 12 other titles at PAX prime to play. I really enjoyed Guacamelee.

  • I just bought the Japanese version, expecting it never to be released here, but seeing it will be released on PSN (only) I’m glad I did. I prefer the boxed version over the downloaded one.

    Looks like a great game, I watched one trailer of it and I was sold <3

  • Definitely interesting and I’d love to play a demo. From watching the gameplay on YouTube, I’m a little worried that it might be too slow paced, or just one big escort mission. I’m willing to give it a shot though.

    • Without giving too much away, I can say there are some pretty exciting boss battles and things in general really pick up in later levels ;)

  • Is this game a PSN exclusive game or a game I can buy at my local retailer?

  • Glad to see this being brought over to the US, I’ll definitely be purchasing this as soon sas it’s available.

  • a Vita game? a welcome surprise. my system has been collecting dust for months. :/

  • It looks pretty good. Please make a demo.

  • Hey this is good news, so far, New Little Kings Story, Jet Set Radio, and this in Oct for psn.
    Now please can you answer this question for me please since it is obviously coming seeing the trademark spotted. Yes you know ‘Picotto Knights’, can you please give a little info on it like it will be coming this year or some screen or atleast confirm right here that it will come to NA :) please. Atleast give me a reply with a :) if Ill be happy with news about it soon, and :( if it isn’t going to come to NA witch i doubt :) thanks in advance

  • Ugh why are there no games for the vita? lol jk

    But for some reason I feel like this is going to said by somebody…

    Anyway this game does look pretty interesting, I hope they put out a demo.

  • Would love to get this game as a Vita Instant Game Collection for us Plus members. When is Plus integrating with Vita?

    • As a plus member myself – I’m pretty interested in this too, but alas I do not have this answer. Perhaps you could contact Sony?

  • I already own the asian version of the game (which actually have english in it!)
    The game is awesome, people that haven’t played it should buy it!

  • I’ve played the demo a while back, Great fun. It it’s set at the right price, I may just pick this up. :)

  • october is looking pretty good for vita

    this looks like a fun title

  • YES! Awesome news.
    Thank you GungHo and GameArts for bringing this to America.

  • You guys should definitely bring this out on Halloween. It sure looks spooky enough

  • IT’S ABOUT TIME.
    I’ve played the japanese demo back when my vita was linked to my japanese account.
    Still waiting for Frobiser Says though….

  • Looks good for a $10 game

  • Really sweet premise. Thanks to digital releases we Americans can get games that would never be available here due to understandable business reasons. Thank you.

  • This game looks pretty cool. Count me in!

  • Thanks for all the kind comments everyone ^_^

    I assure you, I am just as excited about Dokuro as you are.

    As for the demo, we don’t have one planned at the moment, but some trailers/gameplay videos will soon be available.

    Thanks for reading the article and we hope you are looking forward to this October!!!!!

  • I’m getting this no doubt on release :). Thanks for the reply Antonio, guess I’ll probably see you in a next post sometime in the future. Just remember the Zidane avatar lol. You’ll see it again i assure you that :p (and positively btw).

  • So is this game going to have a platinum trophy?

  • I’m so excited we’re getting this. This is a day one buy for me!

  • i have a question,if i import this game,would it be the same content as the us?in case u guys release dlc after would i be able to use it with my japanese copy?? more importantly, will i be supporting you if i import or not

  • Already imported it because I predicted if it came, it would be digital only. And it is. I would love avatars though.

  • Another digital only mega-fail. Guess I waited for nothing.

  • Looks awesome. Will we get a demo by chance?

  • Oh, thanks for bringing it over though. Will get more people to play the game, which deserves to be played by more people.

  • Played the Japanese demo a while back, really happy this is coming. Hope it will be $14.99 since its an indie game. Glad I didn’t have to buy this on JP PSN. Thanks for giving us the game that will guest star on Ragnarok Odyssey <3

  • In short thank you for the answer in long thank you for the answer here’s my money sir

  • Quote:
    » + Antonio Cara on September 14th, 2012 at 11:01 am said:
    » The US release will be available on the Playstation Store only.

    I’ve been very much looking forward to “Dokuro”, yet purposely held off importing the game as I heard a domestic retail release was coming. But PSN Store availability only? NO THANKS!

    While I’m glad it’s available for gamers who want it digitally, the rest of us will now be spending our money elsewhere. (I seem to recall Sony stating prior to the Vita’s release that all titles would be available as both retail & digital editions. So much for that….)

    I already regretted my decision to delay importing this title — even more so now after this rather superficial announcement — so I’m placing my import order immediately after I finish posting here.

    For other gamers also wanting a physical retail release, both the Japanese + Asian versions are 100% import-friendly — they contain built-in support for English (as well as French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean & Spanish).

  • I also imported this when it first came out. It is definitely a fun little game. For anyone that wants a retail box version, this game is VERY import friendly, the JP edition comes with a language option of 7-8 different languages. Covering English as well as all the major European languages.

    That said, I am glad to see it getting a NA release, even if it is d/l only.

  • If the people who want a Demo have a JP PSN account as well, there is a Dokuro Demo still available on the JP store.

  • @#37

    Interesting… I basically said the exact same things you did regarding obtaining a physical retail edition, yet my comment is still listed as “awaiting moderation”. Wonder why… I initially thought it was because I (*shock*) suggested users such as myself could obtain it via importing.

    Oh, and the demo is also still available on the HK store…

  • 1) will there be a demo?
    2) will it be one of those games that r 2 hard 2play and u keep on dying?

  • @39: It’s only really difficult until you figure out the way through the level. It’s very puzzle based, so that’s where the difficulty can come in. Once you figure it out, you can usually get through with minimal problems.

    It’s just jumping over the hurdle of “what do I do?” that makes it ‘hard’.

    Not sure if that made sense.

  • I just ordered this game from Play-Asia a couple weeks ago. Oh well, I prefer to have a physical copy anyway. I can’t wait to play it.

  • Sony, if you want the PlayStation Vita you have to do what you should do and what consumers want from PlayStation Vita.

    Ability to play out PlayStation 3/4 games on our PlayStation Vita whenever, wherever, with no need of an internet connection for either console, without having to have the disc on the PS3/4, without the PS3/4 having to be on and without having to purchase the game twice.

    Exclusive PSVita games that can only be played on the PSVita and use features that only the PSVita has.

    Digital copies of our Blu-ray/DVD movies.

    Video game console and tablet hybrid with a dedicated app store.

    Improved multitasking, example: using our browser no matter what we are doing, wether multiple things at once or multiple apps running in the background.

    3G for Latin America. (Claro, Movistar for example).

    New PSVita model with L3 and R3.

    Smaller and larger PSVita models.

  • PS3 version with “Cross Buy.”

  • ^No GTFO your a idiot.

  • I can’t wait to see how this game is going to turn out!!!

  • I went to Japan on a trip and wanted to get a PS Vita game, this was one of the few that has English, so I picked it up, its an amazing game!!! I’d buy it if I didn’t already have it, too bad is PSN only, I got a hard copy version and got an amazing little cleaning cloth when I bought it, I guess it was some sort of pre-orderish freebie. Its a hard but fun game and I love the art! Glad to see its getting a US release!

  • Also is has AMAZING BAD-A** BOSS FIGHTS! If you like Escape Plan or Little Big Planet you should get this, its hard to compare but I’d say is like those to mixed!(With out level creation but maybe be in the future? That would be awesome!)

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