Loopop Cube: Lup * Salad DS

[toythatkills]

The reviewer should know exactly what the 'Hiking' mode is all about. Right, Matt?

I wish! Hopefully you won't mind me pasting your translation of that mode

Hiking Mode

This bonus mode will become playable if you clear 'Normal' mode. The puzzles are arranged in a random manner, so there might be times in which you might not be able to solve some puzzles. If a puzzle looks impossible to solve, no matter however you much you try, it might be a good idea to switch to another puzzle.

According to how you arrange the three key-words the same puzzle will appear, so trade your cleared-puzzle data with friends and [then] play [Hiking Mode]. If you choose the 'random' option, a puzzle will be generated according to a completely random number, so choose whichever option according to how you feel.

... And if you clear a certain, particular puzzle, maybe something...?

I think all we've managed to establish for certain is that changing the options will create a slight variation on the same puzzle. Each one you solve you will get a stamp for, and this opens a new option on that screen which takes you to what appears to be a level select screen, though none are selectable. Whether you have to solve certain puzzles to unlock them, or just a certain amount, or something else entirely is unclear. I haven't give that mode an awful lot of time, if I'm honest. I've spent pretty much my whole time in the normal single player campaign type mode, there's been little left over for this mode!

There's also the comment about sharing data with friends, though I can't see the option for that in the game. It could be that because there are so many random puzzles here that it's encouraging you to solve loads and then collect the solved puzzle data from friends too, in a gotta catch 'em all style, but as I say I see no option for that so it's all conjecture. I've been trying to work out the point of it for a while

EDIT: Been experimenting a bit more and I've solved five puzzles now - still nothing's happened and I'm none the wiser. I'm not really keen on continuing though as the type of puzzle it is (just a huge wall of blocks) is my least favourite type, they don't rely on logic enough for me and it's feeling like a bit of a chore to do the 'same thing' over and over

[vertigo]

Really??poor show there, vertigo. [Shakes head.] Mods: ban him, please.

I'll read this as "I'm also playing this game, but honestly couldn't tell you"
And I did a search but only came up with charlesr's thread linking to the review.

"Each one you solve you will get a stamp for" Aha! Useful. At least I now know it's not just a random mess that doesn't tell you how you've done.
I do have about 95 of the not-normal mode puzzles to do though.

Is there another 100 that appears underneath after that, or do I then divert my attention to this Hiking Mode? Or have neither of you got that far yet?

[vertigo]

The cake song is the best

You ain't heard the telephone song yet then But the cake song is so full of boundless joy and enthusiasm, it doesn't matter to me that I can't understand most of it. It makes me want to eat some cake.

[importaku]

Caaaakiiiiii (^_^)

[vertigo]

I wonder why they chose London, Sydney and Milwaukee for level 12 though. Milwaukee seems like an odd choice unless one of the developers has ties there.

The Cake song does feature one of my favourite musical instruments ever (waiting for arada392's wrath here). It's the one squeezed in after the piano bit and before the vocal, the one that you bang on it and it rattles that was always used in first school plays to signify a snake hissing

[toythatkills]

You've got another difficulty to go it sounds like to me! There are three, and the last one... Oh man!

EDIT: Solved ten of these mysterious puzzles now, still nothing. I'm not solving any more. I'm beginning to think that completing the main game will reveal something or other, but I've still got four to go that are kicking my ass, so it's not happening any time soon!

[vertigo]

Well I had a go on one of the mystery ones and got a stamp which was still there when I turned it off and on again, so obviously you can work through them too, although most of the ones I saw were in the same format but different colour placement. Interesting. I don't think some of them are impossible though, are they?

[toythatkills]

When you say most of them were the same format, are you saying you had some that were different? Every one I've tried has been four(ish, I forget) rows of six, one row of four, and then one of two, just with the colours mixed around. Always the same shape though. Maybe there are twelve secret different puzzles hidden amongst all these random ones which would sort of explain the level select screen... Ah, who knows. I could guess what this mode is all night and still have no idea!

I refuse to believe that any of them are impossible, though some are definately easier than others and some seem impossible, but I've played the game long enough to know that loads of them seem impossible and aren't!

[vertigo]

Sorry, I meant all, as I had gone through only a few and also seen that level select screen.
However, perhaps the special levels only come up once you've completed a full set of each level set?

Seeing as there are 20 options on the top row, 8 on the 2nd and 20 on the bottom and the completion stamp disappears when you change any of the top two options, does this mean that there are 3,200 of these levels to beat in addition to the 360 levels in the other difficulties? The trailer only advertises ~350 so if it's got 3,560 of the buggers because the trailer doesn't mention Hiking Mode, it may be around for a while. I wouldn't have thought any of them are impossible. Hard, perhaps, but not impossible. But really... 3,560 levels? Or are there duplicates? All I have to say to that is "!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" in my best Cloud Strife voice and wonder if anyone's on drugs enough to do a full solutions faq.

I really, really enjoyed level 1-5 on the 2nd difficulty, by the way. Enjoyed it for 2 days Until I finally realised what I was meant to do at the bottom left corner to finish it off. It's always obvious once you work it out and I was clearly being an idiot, as usual.

And if you get frustrated with it, just stick a level on, turn the music up, and sing along with the cake and telephone songs
TERURU TERURU TERURURURUUUUU...

[toythatkills]

Issue 23 of NGamer has a 'review' of this in it. I say review, it's not much more than a paragraph really which I s'pose is to be expected for a title this obscure. Anyway, they barely even played it ("there's at least 120 levels") and they actually hated the music, awarding it 68%. Totally wrong!

Nice to see it there at all though.

Back to the hidden mode, I came to the same conclusion as you that there must be 3200 puzzles. If the twelve in the level select screen are hidden in there they could take forever to find! I guess that's where swapping data comes in. If you just have to solve 1600 each you'll be done in no time

Someone needs to get the main game finished and see what happens!

[vertigo]

I figured that maybe they unlock after you've done a certain amount, so only another 262 puzzles to go for me to find out

[arada392]

This has nothing to do with the actual game, I'm sorry to say, but I think I've finally figured out the title of the game and what it means. So curious was I to understand the title of this game, that I went so far as to actually buy the manga upon which the game is based. Many other people must have shared the same sentiment, because the version of the book I have was published in response to the release of the DS port. The manga lacks the cute, quirky and catchy music of the game, but, all in all, it's amazing how well the game captures the atmosphere and feeling of the original work. (Or maybe that's because I played the game first.)

Anyway, as for the title of the game I've encountered a couple of images around the web that suggest that the title of the game should be romanised into "Lup Salad," (such as this one) but this doesn't seem to be the 'correct' romanisation. Based on the romanised title on the cover of the book, the official romanisation for the game should be this:

Rupup Cube: Rup Salad DS

What is 'Rup'? Well, it's just a characteristic sound, or favourite phrase of the main character, Salad. Sometimes the final 'u' sound is lengthened to give a more 'puzzled' sound to what Salad is saying, while adding 'p' or 'pu' to the end heightens the pathos behind her words. (Please look at the attached files; my apologies for the terrible quality of the pictures.) So, while the title is not as nonsensical as some people have made it out to be, there are no hidden meanings or references to some kind of unfathomable aspect of Japanese culture.

Reading the manga brings up another mystery, though: why did DATAM POLYSTAR and fupac decide to make a game based on this manga? The original manga was published in 1992, and it wasn't until 1996 that the game was released, so it's safe to say, I think, that it wasn't because the manga was so popular that it warranted a videogame tie-in.... I suppose we should be grateful, at least, that games like this continue to be made.

[hudson]

I'm a bit upset.

I borrowed this off a mate in work and now the cake song has been plaguing my mind for 2 days. I woke up today already hearing it

[hush]

i really need to pick this up at somepoint

[toythatkills]

... Rupup Cube: Rup Salad DS ...

That's a brilliant post. I can only offer thanks for all that! I'll have to watch all the story scenes again now, and see if I can pick out these "rup" sounds!

I borrowed this off a mate in work and now the cake song has been plaguing my mind for 2 days. I woke up today already hearing it

i really need to pick this up at somepoint

Just, yes. Now, if possible