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Ohenro-San: Hosshin no Dojo JPN GC (pilgrimage game mini featurette)

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    Ohenro-San: Hosshin no Dojo JPN GC (pilgrimage game mini featurette)

    Seeing as this is a pretty old game i decided against putting it in the first play thread so its in here. As so few people have ever heard of it, i though you all might like to see what it's about.


    Boxed set with game & Inro kun (pedometer)


    The rather rare 3 button walking controller

    This is one of the most obscure & weirdest & wonderful gamecube games you can get. Its like a virtual holiday in japan (^_^)

    Its a simulation game based on the Ohenro pilgrimage, a 1,400 kilometer journey around the 88 temples of Shikoku region of japan. Due to the disk size only 23 of the temples on the route are represented in the GC version. As you visit each temple you are meant to offer prayers & collect a special seal that goes in your ohenro journal each one is unique to each temple. Its sort of a souviner of your visit.

    You might be wondering just how the game works if you have ever seen any screenshots (probably less than 3 people on here hehe) Sadly is not like a densha de go kind of game with pure FMV, instead its a series of still photographs which zoom in & slowly fade to the next one as you walk. The scenery you pass is the old side of japan with breathtakingly beautiful views, as you slowly pass through the countryside you will see so many sights then theres the amazing scenery of inside the temples.

    You navigate the temples with a selection of menus, you can also bring up a map in case you miss anything. There are a few things to do in each temple you visit. Firstly you will have to find the priest who stamps your book with the temple seal, without this you cant progress to the next temple. You can also take part in prayers if you find the altars. During praying the screen turns black & buddist prayers appear which you are meant to chant along with. Hehe its too bizarre but if you can read kana its do-able, if you dont want to chant you can just listen to the monks chanting.

    This is an example of one of the temple seals that you collect for your journal, each one is a calligraphy work of art & no 2 are ever the same.



    Also in each temple there are prayer slips & candles to find, you have to visit all areas to find them.

    The game makers spared no expense when they made the game. It has its own 2 special controllers.

    To play the game properly you use the 3 button walking controller & the idea is to use the 2 big buttons to walk on the spot (crazy eh)



    The second controller is the pedometer that you clip on as your walking so it can count how many real steps you take, it has a little gamecube joypad plug on the bottom so you can connect it to port 4 of your gamecube. When you connect it lets you upload the milage you have walked into your journal.



    Here are some pics from the game, apologies in advance for the poor shots but rear projection tv's & cameras dont mix.





    These are the screens you see on the journey between temples, the meter in the top right is the amount of step left to do.


    These are the kind of things you see when you get to a temple.


    This temple has a golden budda statue, every temple has somthing different to see.


    Last edited by importaku; 04-01-2006, 22:19.

    #2
    that looks great... is the pad thing up to a beating? i'd quite like to see how quickly i could get around the temples.

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      #3
      The buttons feel pretty sturdy but i dont think it was made for my fat bastard figure. I had just a quick go as i didnt want to tempt fate.

      The controller is so hard to track down, id be gutted if my fat ass cracked it.

      You can walk with just a regular gc pad too. you just either hold up on the control stick for super speedy running or tap the L & R buttons to walk.

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        #4
        that's just nuts, how accurate is it(supposedly, don't imagine you've been to all of those temples )?

        nice find, i shall be around to check it out at some point. but for now, sleep i think.

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          #5
          Not gotten round many temples yet im at temple 5. The kanji filled menus tend to slow me down when i get inside.

          Seeing as ive never done the ohenro in person i cant vouch for accuracy but the temples seem to be fairly well covered. You can visit all the main features of every temple. At the beginning of each new temple you get like a tourist guide bit where your told the history of the temple (in spoken japanese)

          Its very japanese intensive its nearly all kanji, shame im not fluent as id have loved to know about each temple. I love the traditional side of japan as much as the modern.

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            #6
            Brings back memories this game, me and evilboris were tempted by it when it floated onto playasia one time....
            Pilgrimage [Pedometer Set] for GameCubeThis is a used item. If not otherwise mentioned below, spine card is included for titles that originally came with spine cards.

            seemed like it was a VERY japanese game though, so i avoided it.
            Nice to see some ACTUAL impressions on this game though.

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              #7
              Get yourself a copy of the film 'Shikoku' as well. It's a pretty cheesy horror but revolves around the Ohenro.

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                #8
                ive seen this before, but as Darksteve points out its heavily japanese. Infact im sure i saw it for sale in HK many moons ago. I glanced and thought hmmm........ then thought nah.........

                should have snapped it up anyways as obscure games like these are a real find. Oh well, post more ofr us Importaku and thanks for sharing it with us. Ive totally forgotten about this. Infact complete it and tell us what happens. lol!

                112

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                  #9
                  I might take some more pics tonight.

                  Yeah its very very japanese, not at all import friendly, its possible to muddle your way through if your good at remembering what menu option does what. in each temple you get multiple menus that you use to navigate your way around. No kana to help thoigh its pure kanji.

                  Wonder just how many copies of this game were made as it was extremely expensive when it first came out, the game & pedometer box set was 12,800 yen (roughly ?60 ish) & the walking controller was 6800 yen (about ?30).

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                    #10
                    Heres some pics from Gokurokuji temple.


                    These are the kanji options that you have to contend with right through the game.










                    Comment


                      #11
                      Well here we are, months later & i have finally finished my pilgrimage.

                      What a most unusual game, going round the temples was very relaxing it was a great way to wind down before i went to bed.

                      Anyway incase your wondering what happens when you complete it. After you leave the final temple the credits kick in where you get to see scrolling pics of various parts of the countryside then after its finished you get this screen that confirms that you have finished it.



                      If you load up your save you get taken to the temple journal screen where you can read up on all the temples youve visited but thats it, you cant go round again. If you want to do that you have to start a new game.

                      "Adds ohenro san to the import achievements file" (^_^)v

                      Comment


                        #12
                        The game looks really great, it must have been relaxing to play.

                        I started reading some more about this pilgrimage and it seems that lots of people make it every year, but most go by tour bus and very few walk the entire way. If I ever get some time off work it might be fun to go to Japan and spend the 6 to 8 weeks required to walk the trail. ^_^

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