ChuChu Rocket Universe: Sequel To Beloved Dreamcast Game
A few days ago, the Dreamcast turned 20 and one of the things I heard said in the national conversation was “Whatever happened to ChuChu Rocket? I’d love to play that again.” Poof, wish granted….but on a monkey’s paw. ChuChu Rocket is coming back, BUT as an exclusive title on Apple Arcade, the App Store subscription service revealed by Apple earlier this week.
Yes, if you don’t own an Apple device, if you’re not a slave to Apple in some way, you cannot play ChuChu Rocket Universe. Not on Switch, not on Steam, not on anything but iPhone and iPad. This will also mean that, if ChuChu Rocket is never ported to another system, no one will ever be able to truly own it, as it’s stuck on a plan that costs a fee per month to access. No sir, i don’t like it.
Mechanics in ChuChu Rocket Universe are the same as in the original: help the mouselike ChuChus escape the jaws of the catlike KapuKapus by guiding them with directional arrows to their space rocket. Against another player, your goal is to rescue more ChuChus than they do. The Dreamcast was so ahead of its time that this online component existed in the original game. On dial-up.
There are also some new elements:
● The entire game has been transformed into beautiful 3D worlds, resulting in even more insane puzzles – good luck!
● New mechanisms have been added like switches or teleports
● New and astonishing environments are welcoming dozens of levels, some of them inspired by the most infamous originals
● Even the menu has received the ChuChu touch. Fly your rocket from one planet to another, from one constellation to the next!
Apple Arcade launches September 19 for $4.99 a month. Hopefully the contract Sega signed with Tim Cook wasn’t too binding and the game will see release on another format eventually.