GiFTPiA is one of the Japan-only titles I have most wished for a translation for. It’s a pseudo RPG adventure title released exclusively for the Nintendo Gamecube. Alas, it was never meant to be. The figureheads at Nintendo clearly deemed it too weird for North America, but if you know me you know that nothing is ‘too weird’ for me. Decades later it still hasn’t had a fan translation even now. I’ve officially given up, but where there’s a will there’s a way. I sat down with a handy translation guide and decided to finally power my way through this quirky adventure. Is GiFTPiA all I had hoped it would be? Let’s dive right into the world of Nanashi Island and find out!
This adventure follows the exploits of a young man named Pokkle. Well, by the traditions of Nanashi Island (where the entirety of GiFTPiA takes place) he’s still a boy. To grow up you have to partake in a coming of age ceremony. Unfortunately for him he sleeps through the entire thing in his comfy bed at home. As misfortune would have it this is one of the highest crimes on Nanashi Island. Pokkle is immediately arrested. He is soon released on probation but to get back in the good graces of the law he has to pay 10,000 mane (the currency on the island). Worse yet, to fund a new ceremony will cost him an unheard of sum of five million. Thus sets into motion the events of this rather charming adventure.
If you’re looking for some action or really, anything exciting then GiFTPiA isn’t the right game for you. Pokkle doesn’t fight monsters, nor does he rescue princesses. Instead he completes tasks around the village for both the mayor. At first your goal is to raise some jingles by doing odd-jobs. Upon release from jail his face is censored, and he is stuck dragging around a ball and chain. You have to complete tasks such as picking up garbage, repairing signs, etc. You know, basic chores. It’s about as fun as it sounds, and if this was all there was to GiFTPiA I would have checked out early on. Pokkle soon meets a hippy named Ziggy who informs him that the ritual is not the only way to become a man. From here Pokkle’s goal shifts and the real premise behind GiFTPia becomes apparent. I’ll get to that later though.
Okay so let’s start with the basics. As Pokkle you wander around the 3D environments Nanashi Island interacting with the characters and environment. Time passes with each day consisting of only a few minutes. Pokkle isn’t a machine, and he has to eat. His hunger is represented by hearts on the top right hand screen. You begin with just one, and it depletes as you run around. You can gain more by finding hearts, and in this way it’s similar to Zelda. As you gain more you can do more things each day. The only sense of urgency in GiFTPiA comes from these aforementioned mechanics. If you run out of hearts it’s Game Over and you have to start from your last save. Should it get too late in the day Pokkle will be chased by the sleep fairy. You lose items and mane if touched by them.
In this sense GiFTPiA feels like Harvest Moon, and that’s not a bad thing. There’s just no farming elements here. What’s nice is that you can eat items to replenish your hearts so you aren’t entirely limited by the hunger mechanic. The rest of the game is best compared to something like Animal Crossing. GiFTPiA is a very social game and interacting with NPCs is most of what you’ll be doing here. The developers, Skip, put a lot of effort into making Nanashi Island feel like a living, breathing place. The villagers all have names, personalities, and schedules. As you play you sort of ‘get to know’ everyone. You’ll find they have habits and unique mannerisms as well as interests and likes. Even the island itself is chock full of personality and lore. Being restricted to just one area sounds limiting, but it’s actually a great concept.
I also really like how the island changes over time. In the beginning you cannot access some areas, but these become open through story progression. There’s also a store which has inventory which changes when you reach specific milestones. You also have an ATM with which you can store the mane you’ve earned, but to be honest this is one of the more cumbersome elements of the game. You have to pull out and hold the ATM card as you approach the machine. It seems unnecessary. Speaking of items you have an inventory in which you can store things you’ve picked up. You can also pull these out and show them to villagers for a variety of different reactions. There’s even a camera with which you can take photos of people. The world is fairly fleshed out and enjoyable to experiment in.
As I mentioned earlier the game quickly changes focus from saving money to something entirely different. After meeting the mushroom fairy you’re informed that Pokkle doesn’t need the coming of age ceremony. He can instead grow up by granting wishes of the individual inhabitants of Nanashi Island. That may sound like a tall order, and it is, but it’s much more interesting than selling items and completing chores. To do so you must first gain empty wish gems. Showing these to people at during specific events. Upon doing so the gem begins to glow, and you’re off to complete the task. When you’ve fulfilled the requirements for the wish you’re given a fulfillment gem to mark your progress.
Now keep in mind these wishes are pretty basic objectives. They include things like breaking up a fight, getting a ball from a dog, taking people to specific locations, etc. GiFTPiA never asks you to do anything too crazy, but sometimes the solutions can be a bit vague. Also, in some circumstances you can solve the wish right away, and other times you’ll have to complete objectives beforehand. Also, you can’t begin to grant a wish until you’ve collected an empty wish gem. This is done by offering tributes to an outdoor altar. The problem is you have to throw in a lot of items to get one. This was my least favorite part of GiFTPiA. Whenever you find someone who needs a wish granted you have to go around gathering items to tribute. It’s too repetitive if you ask me.
As if the concept wasn’t already strange enough GiFTPiA has a zany and off the wall art style. Everything is rendered in 3D, and it uses a very pleasant cell shaded engine. The characters are, for lack of better word, abstract. This is another aspect of the game that reminds me somewhat of Animal Crossing. Everyone has exaggerated features, and in some cases it’s great, but other times I wasn’t a fan. I especially love the design of the robotic police officer Mappo who follows you around in the beginning. He pops his head in throughout the adventure, and his overblown antics made me love him. The soundtrack is also very, well, strange. It’s mostly techno pop, and while I like it well enough some of the compositions are too abstract. The game is voiced, but in the typical weird mumbling style so many other titles use.
Isaiah
I also played Giftpia later in life, I think I first picked up the game in 2020/2021? I played through with a walkthrough and boy was it an incredible experience. Such a great game, not quite as mundane as animal crossing and not quite as thrilling as Zelda, yet it was captivating in its own rights.