Chulip

Chulip (チュウリップ), stylized as Chu♥lip, is an adventure/simulation video game developed by Punchline and released on October 3, 2002, in Japan by Victor Interactive Software for the PlayStation 2. After numerous delays, the game was released in North America by Natsume Inc. on February 13, 2007, as a GameStop-exclusive title. It was released on the PlayStation Network as a "PS2 Classic" on December 4, 2012, exclusively in North America. Chulip puts the player in the role of a young man who has just moved to a new town and next door to the girl of his dreams. Although she wants nothing to do with him due to his family's poor economic status, he decides to write her a heartfelt love letter. When the letter is stolen, it is up to the protagonist to travel around the village and retrieve all of its pieces. The gameplay of Chulip revolves around improving the player's reputation with the citizens in order to access all parts of the town. To do this, the player must impress each member of the community and then kiss them. Chulip was directed by Yoshiro Kimura, a former employee of Love-de-Lic. Kimura wanted the game's focus to be on kissing in public, a more Western-accepted custom, within a Japanese setting. Chulip suffered dismal sales, while its overall critical reception has been negative to average, sometimes mixed. Most reviews cited the game's quirkiness and charm as its strong points yet criticized its tedious gameplay mechanics. The game has gained a small cult following.