## Description
_Mushi Tar ō_ is best described as a “bug-catcher simulator” – the player
basically takes control of a young boy who’s goal is to catch as many
different bug species as possible (there are 165 different species total, to
be exact).
After the initial screen, we are presented with a 2D world map, depicting the
surroundings in a third person perspective. From here on out, the player
controls the young boy by moving him up, down, left or right, trying to find
bug icons across the map.
Once the character reaches one of these icons a certain mini-game ensues,
which involves catching the bugs in several distinct fashions: using one of
the boy’s hands to clap them against a tree, using both hands to trap them in,
having another insect used as bait, using a net to catch flying insects
passing by, among several others. Whenever you catch one, it is immediately
put into storage, so you never lose insects once they are caught. Every time
one of the mini-games is completed, the player will return to the world map
and be able to check out information about the species he’s just caught. Also,
a balloon will appear next to the icon representing the stage that was just
completed, so the player can distinguish between finished and new stages.
All the mini-games have a certain time limit, and if the depicted number of
insects is not caught within that time frame, one of the available 3 attempts
will be lost. When all 3 are gone, it’s game over.
These mini-games comprise the majority of the game per se, and it is by
finishing them off one by one that new ones are revealed (by having new bug
icons appear on the world map), until all different species are collected.
Even though there are 165 different species to collect, during each different
trial the player will catch several insects of the same species, thus
providing the game with more content by extending gameplay time.
Speaking of gameplay, while some of the mini-games are quite feasible, others
require a certain degree of luck, since in those you have a very limited field
of vision (you can’t see the bugs before you execute the commands to catch
them), essentially making your moves blind ones.
The graphics are standard 2D PSX-era graphics, and while there is no music in
the game, the sound effects play the role of a fully-fledged soundtrack – from
cicada noise to water running down a stream, all sound effects manage to
convey the feeling of being surrounded by nature.
Mushi Tarō