Chulip
A quirky adventure about kissing townsfolk to win a love letter.
Chulip (チュウリップ), also written as Chu♥lip, is a PlayStation 2 adventure and simulation game developed by Punchline. It first came out in Japan on October 3, 2002, published by Victor Interactive Software. After several delays, Natsume Inc. brought it to North America on February 13, 2007, where it was sold only at GameStop. A digital version was later released for the PlayStation Network on December 4, 2012, as a "PS2 Classic," available exclusively in North America.
The player controls a young man who has just moved to a new town and lives next door to the girl he dreams about. She rejects him because his family is poor, so he decides to write her a love letter. When the letter is stolen, he must travel around the village to recover its pieces. The main goal is to raise the protagonist's reputation with the townspeople, which requires impressing each citizen and then kissing them.
Yoshiro Kimura, a former Love-de-Lic employee, directed the game. He wanted to focus on public kissing—a custom more common in Western countries—set within a Japanese village. Chulip sold very poorly and received mostly negative to average reviews, though some were mixed. Critics often praised its quirky charm but disliked its tedious gameplay. Over time, it gained a small cult following.
The story begins with a dream where the hero kisses his love under a talking tree on a hill, and the tree says they lived happily ever after. He wakes up moving into Long Life Town with his father, and the girl from his dream lives there too. She rejects him due to his poverty. Following his father's advice, he kisses odd townspeople to strengthen his heart and improve his reputation. He also decides to write a love letter, but it gets stolen, forcing him to search for its three pieces: ink, paper, and a pen. Along the way, he cheats his way to the top of a corporation, contacts aliens, and acts as a defense lawyer. Once he collects the pieces, he writes and mails the letter. The game ends with the couple kissing under the Lover's Tree, just like in his dream.
In gameplay, the player must kiss citizens to raise their reputation. Health is shown as hearts, and kissing others adds more hearts. Figuring out when and how to kiss each NPC is a puzzle. The game follows a 24-hour schedule; during the day, NPCs walk around.
- Developer
- Punchline (a department of Skip Ltd.)
- Director
- Yoshiro Kimura
- Platform
- PlayStation 2
- Release date (japan)
- October 3, 2002
- Release date (north america)
- February 13, 2007
- Genre
- Adventure/simulation
- Aggregate score
- 57% on GameRankings and Metacritic
Lore & Background
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 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. The game's plot involves bizarre incidents such as cheating to the top of a major corporation, making contact with aliens, and acting as a defense lawyer in court.
Reader's Guide
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. The ambitious gameplay has been almost universally criticized, with reviewers labeling the often-unclear progression as frustrating and tedious, requiring excessive patience. The game's 24-hour day schedule means missed opportunities require waiting until the next in-game day. Despite its flaws, Chulip is remembered for its unique concept and director Yoshiro Kimura's desire to showcase Japanese culture and the custom of public kissing, which he observed in Western countries.
Did You Know?
- The title Chulip is a play on words combining the Japanese onomatopoeia for a kiss ('chu') and the English word 'lip', as well as the Japanese rendering of 'tulip'.
- The game was developed by a team of 12 to 14 people and took two and a half years to complete, with one year and three months devoted to programming.
- The North American version was released exclusively at GameStop stores on February 13, 2007, the day before Valentine's Day.
- The game's director, Yoshiro Kimura, was a former employee of Love-de-Lic and came up with the idea after seeing couples kissing in public in Western countries.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Chulip?
Chulip is a quirky PlayStation 2 adventure and simulation game in which you play a young man who must kiss townsfolk to earn a love letter. It was developed by Punchline, a division of Skip Ltd., and directed by Yoshiro Kimura.
What is the main gameplay loop in Chulip?
The core mechanic centers on approaching and kissing various residents of a small town, with the ultimate objective of winning a love letter. The game blends this unusual premise with light simulation and exploration elements.
When was Chulip released and where could you buy it?
The game launched in Japan on October 3, 2002, and arrived in North America on February 13, 2007, sold exclusively through GameStop. A digital PS2 Classic version later appeared on the PlayStation Network in December 2012 for North American players.
What is the story premise of Chulip?
You take on the role of a young man who has just moved into a new town and discovers he lives next door to the girl he has been dreaming about. She rejects his advances, setting off the game's lighthearted quest to kiss townspeople and earn a love letter.
Who published Chulip in Japan and North America?
Victor Interactive Software handled the Japanese release, while Natsume Inc. brought the title to North American shelves after several delays. The North American physical edition was limited to GameStop stores.
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