PS Vita: Short bursts of fun with Saving Murasaki Baby

Murasaki Baby is a very unique game if you were to combine Tim Burton's art vision with Lemmings.

Unlike with Lemmings though, you only have to make sure one character is safe instead of several little beings.

Murasaki Baby is unorthodox both in its visual style and how the game is played. The game is only played using both the touch pads of the PS Vita.

You don't use the analogue sticks or any of the face buttons at all in this game. You move the main character by holding her hand while trying to keep her out of harms's way.

Murasaki Baby tells the story of a young girl who wakes up trying to find her mother. This is easier said than done because she is in a bizarre and weird world that is full of odd creatures. She is also afraid of the dark, so you need to find a way to light up dark areas any way you can.

The young girl herself looks pretty creepy because her mouth is on her forehead. Most of the "human" characters look like this which makes the game look very unique. If they were ever to make a movie of Murasaki Baby, Tim Burton would fit nicely as its director.

Moving around the young girl in the game is a chore in itself because you have to hold on to her hand to make her move. If you let go of the touch screen at anytime, she will freeze up and not move. You also need to make sure she doesn't get close to the dark because she will cower back.

The most important thing in the game is to make sure her balloon stays intact. If her balloon ever pops, it's game over and you have to restart from the last checkpoint.

To make the job easier for you, you can change the environment to suit your needs. If the girl needs to cross a ditch, you can change the background to make it rain so she can go across. You can also change the background to the wind can come and blow away unwanted enemies and more.

Murasaki Baby is not a very long game as you only get around four hours of gameplay. Still, it's a pretty good game to play if you have time to kill. The PS Vita is the perfect console for a game like this as the touchscreen controls are responsive.

The only downside to Murasaki Baby is in fact that you can only play the game using the touchscreens. Some players might find the game awkward to play because of this.

There were many times I wished to use the left stick to move the young girl, but I couldn't. It's only a minor gripe, but traditional gamers may find it difficult to play.

If you are a fan of the game Lemmings, you'll love the similar style of gameplay on offer here with Murasaki Baby.

It's a great game for a handheld device like the PS Vita. It's not a game that will keep you engaged for hours, but it's fun to play in short bursts.

Verdict: 7.0 out of 10