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Footage from the Japan-only PS1 game “Addie no Okurimono: To Moze From Addie.“ This game is actually available in the Japanese PlayStation Store, so anyone with a PS3 or PSP can potentially snag themselves a copy of it for a measly 600 yen (PSN downloads are NOT region-protected, though accessing the Japanese PlayStation Store can be a bit difficult if you don't know Japanese or don't have a Japanese mailing address handy). The game is a sort of adventure/puzzle hybrid. It's almost like an RPG, except instead of battles, there are word puzzles utilizing a toy Addie received for her 9th birthday called “Loglock.“ The story goes that Addie received her very own Loglock from her friend Moze's sister Emy, who promptly left after giving it to her. Then Moze dropped by and gave her a broken music box that served almost as a symbol of his parents' relationship. This is where you, as the player, learn that Moze and Emy's parents are getting divorced, and Moze is moving away the next morning. After Moze leaves, Addie spends the rest of the night playing with the Loglock to distract herself, and ends up falling asleep in the process. The game proper then begins, as we're treated to Addie's dream, in which she's running around a strange resort town full of people who look a lot like her friends, but claim they're not. Within this dream world, Addie can use the Loglock to transform objects into other objects - in the case of this video, she uses the Loglock to transform a “cage“ into a “bell,“ setting Moze's dream-double Joka free from his imprisonment. The closest comparison to this game would probably be Professor Layton; except unlike Layton, the puzzles in this game all DIRECTLY relate to the story, rather than just being appended to it (i.e. instead of “solve this math problem and I'll answer your question,“ it's things like, “transform this cage into a bell so the prisoner can slip out the bottom and run free“). The downside, of course, is that every puzzle in Addie's Present is the same - they're all word puzzles solved using the Loglock system, contrasting with the wide variety of logic puzzles found in the Professor Layton titles. Both gameplay styles have their merits and demerits, but I personally find Addie's Present a more rich and rewarding experience than Professor Layton. I think the biggest draw for me, though, is the game's story. Yes, the whole game takes place in her dream, but it's all VERY well-written, and seems very well-researched, too. You could probably write a psychological thesis on this game! Every character, every location, and every event that occurs seems somehow related to people she knows in her real life, things that she's concerned about, and/or aspects of her personality (id, ego, super-ego, etc.). It all comes together really well, for an experience unlike any other. It's a damn shame this game never saw an English release, as I think it could've really become a cult classic. I've taken the liberty of translating and subtitling this scene, to give you all a real taste for what this game is like. At this time, I have no plans to fan-translate the whole game or anything, but who knows what the future may hold? Enjoy!
