Shikoku Pilgrimage Experience

Awa Province Edition

JP release: 24th April 2003
EU release: N/A
NA release: N/A
Developer: Panasonic
Publisher: Panasonic
NGC Magazine Score: N/A
AKA: Ohenro-San
Mods Used: None

Shikoku Pilgrimage Experience is a walking sim. And not the modern term referring to games with little combat, but it’s simulating a walk. One walk in particular, the Shikoku Pilgrimage, which is a large walk that visits 88 temples and other sacred sights. This game doesn’t cover the full trail, though, as only the first 23 temples are included.

The game offers a few ways to let you walk. Two of these utilise unique GameCube accessories. The first is a pedometer, which enables you to walk around in real life then plug it into controller port 4 to transfer your steps into the game. Another is a walking mat with three big buttons, the main act as L and R while another is the A button. As these were made by Panasonic, all the brochures and advertising show off the lovely Panasonic Q version of the GameCube. If you don’t have these, you can alternate the L and R buttons to walk every step or, if you’re feeling lazy, push the analogue stick forward fast forward through the steps.

Between temples, you’re treated to a slideshow of about 5 or 6 images, which very slowly fade into each other as you make steps, meaning that most of the time you’re looking at an in-between of the two. Once you reach a temple, you can explore more, although it’s a bit cumbersome.

Temples are still a collection of photos, some of them panoramic, and you have to select your next location from a menu. Each section of the temple has tour which lets you know details about the location you’re at. You’ll need to locate a few areas to pray at and the game teaches you the proper etiquette for that particular dojo. There are also occasionally people you can talk to.

There’s not really much game in here, but it’s a fascinating capsule, providing a snapshot of these 23 temples in the early 2000s. For anyone interested in this particular pilgrimage or the temples in the game, it seems like a great resource.

Fine

The nature of this thing is that recommending it or not recommending it is kind of meaningless, though I will say this: unless you can read Japanese and you really, really love seeing photos of Japanese temples, I can’t imagine how you’d get anything out of this at all.
Jonny, Lunatic Obscurity

Remake or remaster?

It’s more of a time capsule than anything else.

Official Ways to get the game

There’s no official way to buy Shikoku Pilgrimage Experience.