View source for Giftpia

{{Short description|2003 video game}}
{{Infobox video game
| image = GiFTPiA Coverart.png
| developer = [[Skip Ltd.]]
| publisher = [[Nintendo]]
| producer = [[Shigeru Miyamoto]]<br />Hiroshi Suzuki
| director = [[Kenichi Nishi]]
| artist   = [[Ryōsuke Tei|Furu Furi Company]]
| designer = Sayoko Yokote<Br>Hiroshi Moriyama 
| composer = Hirofumi Taniguchi
| released = {{vgrelease|JP|April 25, 2003<ref name="famitsu">{{cite web | date=April 18, 2003 | script-title=ja:週刊ファミ通5月2日号新作ゲームクロスレビューより | url=http://www.famitsu.com/game/dendo/2003/04/17/238,1050553878,12177,0,0.html | publisher=[[Famitsu]] | language=Japanese | accessdate=2011-03-29 | archive-date=2012-10-24 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024124408/http://www.famitsu.com/game/dendo/2003/04/17/238,1050553878,12177,0,0.html | url-status=live }}</ref>}}
| genre = [[Adventure game|Adventure]]
| modes = [[Single-player video game|Single-player]]
| platforms = [[GameCube]]
}}
{{nihongo|'''''Giftpia'''''|ギフトピア|''Gifutopia''}}, stylized as ''GiFTPiA'', is a [[video game]], developed by [[Skip Ltd.]] for the [[GameCube]]. It was released in Japan on April 25, 2003. Nintendo cancelled the North American localization of ''Giftpia''. In English, the game would most likely be better understood as called "Giftopia" to represent the two words, [[gift]] and [[utopia]].<ref>{{cite web|author=IGN Staff|date=January 3, 2003|title=First Look: Giftpia|url=http://cube.ign.com/articles/381/381962p1.html|website=IGN|accessdate=2008-05-24|archive-date=2007-10-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071002153419/http://cube.ign.com/articles/381/381962p1.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Plot and gameplay==
{{Expand section|date=May 2008}}
''Giftpia'' follows the protagonist Pokkle, a resident of Nanashi Island, who, on the day of his [[coming of age]] ceremony, oversleeps and misses the whole thing.<ref name="cvg">{{cite magazine | date=May 14, 2003 | title=Nintendo News: E3 2003: Combat-free RPG thrills with Giftpia  | url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/91171/news/e3-2003-combat-free-rpg-thrills-with-giftpia/ | magazine=[[Computer and Video Games]] | accessdate=2011-04-03}}</ref> The mayor of the island, Mayer, is so incensed that he orders Pokkle's arrest and a fine of five million "Mane" (the game's currency) to recoup the costs of the event.<ref name="missing">{{cite web|author=IGN Staff|date=April 14, 2004|title=Missing in Action -- The Lost Games of GameCube: Giftpia|url=http://cube.ign.com/articles/505/505660p1.html|website=IGN|accessdate=2008-05-25|archive-date=2007-02-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070209163835/http://cube.ign.com/articles/505/505660p1.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Thus, it is up to Pokkle to work off his huge debt.<ref name="cvg"/> At the game's start, Pokkle must cope with heavy restrictions: an early curfew, a ball & chain, having his face [[pixel]]ated and having [[robot]] police chief Mappo supervise him. Throughout his adventure, Pokkle is assisted by his dog Tao and his girlfriend Kyappy. There is also a large cast of supporting characters that live on Nanashi Island and interact with Pokkle, including a bartender that goes by Peevee and a radio DJ called DEEJ. Pokkle eventually encounters an old man who will give him some mushroom soup and teach him about other paths to adulthood via [[Charity (practice)|helping others]].<ref name="missing"/>

''Giftpia'' is similar to [[Nintendo]]'s ''[[Animal Crossing]]'' in that both games place an emphasis on interacting with other characters.<ref name="missing"/> In order to meet the game's five million Mane requirement, the player must initially take menial jobs such as fishing, collecting fruit, or repairing signs. After meeting the old man, the player must travel the island, collecting its residents' wishes, and fulfill them.<ref name="missing"/> However, the player has numerous restrictions that are lifted as the game progresses. For instance, if the player stays out after curfew, ghosts will chase Pokkle to his house. If he does not make it back, he will be put to sleep, making him vulnerable to theft.<ref name="missing"/> The player is also responsible for making Pokkle eat, as he will otherwise starve to death.<ref name="cvg"/>

==Development==
''GiFTPiA'' was announced in early 2002 under the development of [[Skip Ltd.]] and the direction of former [[Square (video game company)|Square]] employee [[Kenichi Nishi]].<ref>{{cite web | author=IGN Staff | date=March 11, 2002 | title=GameCube Gifted | url=http://cube.ign.com/articles/355/355309p1.html | website=IGN | accessdate=2011-03-29 | archive-date=2005-09-25 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050925191850/http://cube.ign.com/articles/355/355309p1.html | url-status=live }}</ref> Game designer [[Shigeru Miyamoto]] signed on as one of the game's producers. According to the Japanese newspaper ''[[Nihon Keizai Shimbun]]'', [[Nintendo]] provided half of the game's [[Japanese yen|¥]]500 million budget.<ref>{{cite web | author=Metts, Jonathan | date=March 5, 2003 | title=New Giftpia Info | url=http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/8362 | publisher=Nintendo World Report | accessdate=2011-04-03 | archive-date=2012-09-28 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120928222346/http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/8362 | url-status=live }}</ref>

{{external media | width = 210px | float = right | video1 = [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TUsO9g6zko&t=8715s E3 2003 - Show Floor Games - Giftpia], Game Sack<ref name="e3booth"></ref>}}

Although the game was shown at [[Electronic Entertainment Expo|E3]] 2003 in English<ref name="e3booth">{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TUsO9g6zko&t=8715s |title=E3 2003 - Show Floor Games - Giftpia |date=2024-08-14 |last=Game Sack |access-date=2025-02-18 |via=YouTube}}<!-- This youtube video was cited because all other available sources provide almost no info or proof on the game's English E3 showing, outside of a single line of text. This video shows footage of the game running in English at its E3 2003 booth. Based on the description, this was likely the same footage that was uploaded to the Kikizo Games page cited after this, but unfortunately that video was removed from Kikizo and there seem to be no surviving archived links of it. This video was uploaded with permission from the person who shot it, and was uploaded by the copyright holder. The citation purely concerns the footage of game being shown in English, and not anything like commentary in the video. As mentioned before, there is no adequate text based source that contains this information. --></ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Schneider |first=Peer |date=2003-06-02 |title=GameCube: Inside Giftpia |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2003/06/03/inside-giftpia |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030621170635/http://cube.ign.com/articles/422/422162p1.html?fromint=1 |archive-date=2003-06-21 |access-date=2025-02-18 |website=IGN}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2003-07-01 |title=Kikizo Games: News: Giftpia: Strange, but Beautiful |url=http://games.kikizo.com/news/200307/003.asp |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030812172816/http://games.kikizo.com/news/200307/003.asp |archive-date=2003-08-12 |access-date=2025-02-18 |website=Kikizo Games}}</ref> and a North American localization seemed likely, the game remained exclusive to Japan. Nintendo stated that the game was not announced for a North America release.<ref name="missing"/> The website ''[[IGN]]'' thought that the game was not going to be released due to being "too strange" for US audiences, an assumption that was confirmed by Nintendo of America in early 2006.<ref name="missing"/><ref>{{cite magazine |magazine=[[Nintendo Power]] | publisher=[[Nintendo|Nintendo of America]] | location=Redmond Washington | title=Breaking the Mold: Chibi-Robo | issue=201 | page=28 | author=Hoffman, Chris | date=March 2006}}</ref> One of the game's planners, Sayoko Yokote, hoped the game would be localized by a company other than Nintendo.<ref name="cubed3">{{cite web|author=Riley, Adam |date=July 22, 2006 |title=C3 Exclusive Interview Skip, Ltd Talks Nintendo, Chibi-Robo DS, GiFTPiA & More! (Transcript) |url=http://www.gamiko.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3603 |publisher=Cubed3 |accessdate=2011-04-02 }}{{dead link|date=January 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

The music in ''GiFTPiA'' is provided via the in-game [[radio]] known as Nanashi-FM. The musical score was co-composed by Hirofumi Taniguchi and Yousuke Obitsumi and features over a dozen musical artists on the radio stations. The soundtrack was released on July 14, 2003, by [[Enterbrain]] alongside the ''Giftpia Book'', a 99-page full color guide to the game.<ref>{{cite web|author=Wyrdwad|title=Giftpia Title Music + Nanashi-FM|url=http://www.rpgfan.com/soundtracks/giftpia/index.html|publisher=RPGFan|accessdate=2008-09-01|archive-date=2008-09-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080915172422/http://www.rpgfan.com/soundtracks/giftpia/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Reception==
Retail sales of ''Giftpia'' were unexceptional at best. According to estimates from [[Media Create]] and [[ASCII Media Works|''Dengeki'']], the game sold between 48,000 and 55,000 units during its first three weeks on sale in Japan.<ref>{{cite web | date=May 23, 2003 | script-title=ja:集計期間:2003年5月5日～2003年5月11日 | url=http://www.famitsu.com/game/rank/top30/2003/05/23/120,1053623266,12958,0,0.html | publisher=Famitsu | language=Japanese | accessdate=2011-03-29 | archive-date=2012-10-24 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024124419/http://www.famitsu.com/game/rank/top30/2003/05/23/120,1053623266,12958,0,0.html | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Alex Wollenschlaeger|date=May 18, 2003|title=Japandemonium - Along the Way|url=http://www.rpgamer.com/news/japan/aw052403.html|publisher=RPGamer|accessdate=2008-09-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080905225907/http://www.rpgamer.com/news/japan/aw052403.html|archive-date=September 5, 2008|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> By the end of 2003, the game had sold nearly 70,000 units, ranking it 176th among all games in the country for that year.<ref>{{cite web|title=2003年テレビゲームソフト売り上げTOP300 |url=http://geimin.net/da/db/2003_ne_fa/index.php |publisher=Geimin.net |language=Japanese |accessdate=2011-03-29 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141009011126/http://geimin.net/da/db/2003_ne_fa/index.php |archivedate=2014-10-09 }}</ref>

''Giftpia'' was given a total score of 34 out of 40 by ''[[Famitsu]]'', earning it a "Gold Award".<ref name="famitsu"/> The reviewers remarked that although game gives the initial impression it is for children, it offers "nice puzzle elements, great characters and a wonderful score".<ref>{{cite web | author=Arushan, Zosha | date=April 17, 2003 | title=New Famitsu scores! | url=http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/8553 | publisher=Nintendo World Report | accessdate=2011-04-03 | archive-date=2012-09-28 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120928222517/http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/8553 | url-status=live }}</ref> ''GiFTPiA'' was awarded a curious review score of ??% by the UK-based ''[[NGC Magazine]]''. They felt unable to review it properly, but were sure that there was "...clearly a quite brilliant game lurking beneath the reams of Japanese text".<ref>{{Cite book|last=Kitts|first=Martin|url=https://archive.org/details/NGC-084-2003-09/page/n57/mode/2up|title=Giftpia Review|date=September 2003|publisher=[[Future plc]]|isbn=|location=[[United Kingdom]]|pages=58|access-date=January 23, 2021|issue=84}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ngc/ggfj/index.html Official webpage] {{in lang|ja}}

{{Skip Ltd. games}}
{{Chibi-Robo!}}

[[Category:2003 video games]]
[[Category:Adventure games]]
[[Category:GameCube games]]
[[Category:GameCube-only games]]
[[Category:Japan-exclusive video games]]
[[Category:Nintendo games]]
[[Category:Role-playing video games]]
[[Category:Single-player video games]]
[[Category:Skip Ltd. games]]
[[Category:Social simulation video games]]
[[Category:Video games developed in Japan]]
[[Category:Video games produced by Shigeru Miyamoto]]
[[Category:Video games set on fictional islands]]
[[Category:Video games with cel-shaded animation]]