Prey the Stars

Prey the Stars: Gabu Gabu Planet (GABU★GABUプラネット, Gabu★Gabu Planet) is an eating game that's easy to learn yet tricky to master. Its namesake is taken from the Japanese onomatopoeia for guzzling or gulping down something.

Toshio Otake served as the director and main programmer while Takahiro Kawai handled the game's design. Character designs and background illustrations were created by Japanese pop artist TOUMA and visual art group Bright.lt respectively. The music had been composed with the assistance of Robeter Productions.

The plot centers on a planet that looks similar to Earth as it gets invaded by four hungry monsters. These dog-like creatures of unknown origin are mysteriously summoned to devour anything in sight, be it in the land, sea, air, or even space. Later on, it is revealed that their destructive gluttony helps preserve the cycle of life by revitalizing the spirits of the planet.

Gameplay

The main objective is to have the player's character eat as many objects as possible for a high score; the one with the most amount of points is declared the winner. Players have to compete with two or three other opponents along the way.

At first, objects can be eaten by merely tapping the A button repeatedly. However, the game gradually introduces other tools of the trade needed to devour an item. When consuming an elemental object, characters can simply lick them down to size using the X button. This helps negate the effects of their elemental properties as well as soften their resistance to bites. Sometimes, a few spirits may fly out of an item after a bite or two. Players may opt to suck them in by pressing the Y button as they eat. If successful, the monster gains additional points based on the number of spirits absorbed into their belly. In the event that the player does not want their monster to eat a particular object, they can always spit it out with the B button.

Eating more items will cause the player's character to grow in size. In case the character is too small to consume a particular item, they can either consume more items or search for a power-up icon that appears on the playing field. The player's size is judged by the level of the stomach gauge located on the bottom left of the touch screen. It's probably better to reserve the biggest objects of the map when it reaches level 3 (or MAX level). A monster's own size and the timing of their bites become crucial factors during mid-game missions.

Participants can easily monitor their position and ranking by looking at the dual screen. If a competitor is close to taking the top spot, it may be in the player's best interest to disrupt them in any way they can. Pressing A or blowing into the microphone can push opponents away from objects or into pitfalls. Special abilities are also be acquired by eating three items of the same elemental type in a row.

When a monster falls off the playing board or experiences their doom to another competitor, they instantly revive themselves by hatching out of eggs that land randomly on the stage. Upon revival, their stomach gauge is reduced and abilities earned prior to their death are lost. Should players find themselves in a bind, they may choose to block or deflect certain attacks by holding the L button.

Modes

Story Mode

Being the main feature of the game, it contains a total of eleven stages for players to finish. This mode is used to unlock new skins, other monsters, and the hard difficulty setting. Finishing the game once turns it into Challenge Mode, unlocking a slew of various challenges for each stage.

Multiplayer Mode

Enables four players to compete wirelessly with local players or with Wi-Fi settings and friend codes. Players can create their own rooms for others to join in.

Extras

Contains tutorials, story cinematics, records, and skins unlocked by the player.

Options

Enables one to switch audio settings (stereo and mono) or adjust difficulty settings (easy, normal, or hard). Players may also choose to change their nickname for Wi-Fi battles or erase their game data for a completely new start.

Characters

These four monsters are the main characters of the game, brought to the planet by a mysterious being. The section below contains information regarding every relevant stat available.

Special Skill - The special ability during GABUGABU Time.
Bite - Strength of a monster's normal chomp. Determines number of button taps for normal consumption.
Lick - Innate proficiency for removing elemental hazards from objects.
Suck - Starting expertise for draining spirits (bonus points) from objects.
Level 1 Stomach Gauge - Length of stomach gauge when small.
Level 2 Stomach Gauge - Medium tier stomach gauge length.
GABUGABU Meter - Represents the length of a monster's GABUGABU meter and how many seconds their GABUGABU Time lasts.

The All-Rounder. Gabu is the first character players have access to right from the start and a decent choice for newcomers. According to his character profile, he is an energetic and carefree monster who only shows interest in things that grab his attention. Despite his tendency to doze off when bored, Gabu truly wants to be better than anyone else. He is named after the Japanese onomatopoeia for biting.

Special Skill: Boost - Licks away the elemental properties of an object in one go and sucks in all visible spirits simultaneously.

Bite - 80

Lick - 50

Suck - 50

Level 1 Stomach Gauge - x2

Level 2 Stomach Gauge - x3

GABUGABU Meter - 8 "Perfects!" to activate (Lasts for 20 seconds)

The Power Biter. Bari is unlocked by clearing the Family Crisis stage. He comes with the highest bite stat and can easily consume any non-elemental object. However, he suffers in elemental themed stages due to his low licking stat. In terms of personality, Bari is both cool-headed and impulsive. His overconfidence and curiosity are only matched by his disdain for other monsters meddling with him. He is named after the Japanese onomatopoeia for crunching.

Special Skill: Crush - Chomps down on non-elemental items with only one bite.

Bite - 100

Lick - 30

Suck - 30

Level 1 Stomach Gauge - x3

Level 2 Stomach Gauge - x3

GABUGABU Meter - 8 "Perfects!" to activate (Lasts for 14 seconds)

The Vacuum. Chuchu is unlocked by clearing the Water Slider stage, and his specialty lies in sucking objects into his belly, thus leading to greater bonus points per eating session. Unfortunately, his sluggish mobility leaves him vulnerable against most attacks from his rivals. Chuchu happens to be as calm as he looks, preferring to do things at his own pace and never getting mad. He is named after the Japanese onomatopoeia for sucking.

Special Skill: Spirits - Forces out multiple spirits from an object by sucking. Further sucks can drastically increase the amount of points earned.

Bite - 80

Lick - 30

Suck - 80

Level 1 Stomach Gauge - x1

Level 2 Stomach Gauge - x4

GABUGABU Meter - 10 "Perfects!" to activate (Lasts for 30 seconds)

Lick Machine. Pero becomes available after the Sand Horizon stage has been cleared. Pero's stats has the highest licking stat and is a balanced competitor. His glaring weakness happens to be his low sucking ability. Nobody knows what Pero is thinking due to his quiet yet quirky personality. However, he does have a humorous side stemming from his tendency to get easily distracted. He is named after the Japanese onomatopoeia for licking.

Special Skill: Automatic - Can use any button while eating without penalty.

Bite - 80

Lick - 60

Suck - 30

Level 1 Stomach Gauge - x3

Level 2 Stomach Gauge - x2

GABUGABU Meter - 5 "Perfects!" to activate (Lasts for 24 seconds)

Spirits are NPCs that show up in Story Mode. They are the magical beings responsible for the planet's creation. Their existence helped shape life and nature, but as the world continued to flourish, the spirits began losing their strength. Before they vanish completely, they called upon the four monsters to consume the planet in a bid to restore their lost powers.

Spirit of Energy - A spirit who holds the power of nourishment. Is the first to be absorbed by the monsters.
Spirit of Love - A spirit who houses love in all its forms. Tends to talk about love most of the time.
Spirit of Creation - A spirit who represents creativity and livelihood.
Spirit of Metal - A spirit from which metals are born. Is the first to reveal the background story of the spirits.
Spirit of Time - A spirit who holds dominion over time.
Spirit of Adventure - A spirit who represents excitement and adventure.
Spirit of Water - A spirit who holds command over the deep oceans. Is known for using surfer slang upon interacting with the monsters.
Spirit of Wind - A spirit who resides in the sky and clouds.
Spirit of Fire - A spirit with the ability to produce flames. Humorously tries to reward the monsters with unnecessary items before being absorbed.
Spirit of Earth - A spirit whose power sustains the entire land.
Spirit of Stars - A spirit with influence over the stars and other celestial bodies. Is actually the eldest of the eleven spirits and the one responsible for awakening the four monsters to begin with.

Stages

There are eleven different stages. The duration of a stage is determined by a time limit of five minutes or by the number of items still on the map.

During the main storyline, players must complete a set of missions in order to unlock the next area. These missions gradually increase in number and difficulty. Completing the game enables multiplayer items to appear as well.

Stage	Description
Food Festival	The first stage available to players, it takes place inside a refrigerator filled with all kinds of foodstuff. This is where beginners can learn to acquaint themselves with the basic foundations of the game. The edges happen to be surrounded by handrails to prevent monsters from falling down.
Family Crisis	A secluded area littered with toys, electronics, and furniture. When the room goes dark, a ghost will suddenly appear to harass nearby players. Touching the ghost will knock the victim down and reduce 5 points off their total score. Players may protect themselves by grabbing the only flashlight on the map.
Mega Center	This stage takes place at a shopping mall full of manufactured products. Once the security system goes off, the sprinklers above will cause the floor to be wet and slippery while security lasers will block certain parts of the board. Passing through the lasers will stun the player's monster and deduct 5 points off their score.
Treasure Mine	An underground area where mining tools, rocks, and ruins can only be seen. Sudden earthquakes may occur during the stage, causing melted rocks to fall down. When the map begins turning red, large pools of lava will cover every panel momentarily with small eruptions occurring on random intersections along the way. Coming in contact with them will stun players and take off points.
Rush Hour	An urban landscape filled with buildings, roads, and vehicles. The area is also abundant with parks, trees, and suburban structures. When the traffic light turns green, vehicles on the map will be highlighted in red and move at a faster pace. During this state, they become thrice as valuable in terms of points scored.
Adventure Park	This board takes place within an amusement park surrounded by numerous rides and attractions. At times, an alarm will cause blue panels to rise up on different parts of the stage. By stepping on them, players may either be attacked by a trail of lighting bolts or have their GABUGABU meter filled up completely, adding an element of risk for all competitors.
Water Slider	Taking place on the ocean floor, this underwater stage is full of sunken objects and aquatic rocks. The gimmick of this stage is the occasional appearance of a strong current which knocks all monsters out of the board. Players are highly advised to grab unto any item they can find to avoid being swept away completely.
Over The Sky	An aerial zone where clouds can be seen and walked upon. When the wind starts blowing, a large number of spirits will gather around certain squares on the board resulting in additional points for players sucking an object within them. These are indicated by a light blue flash on the map.
Sand Horizon	A desert environment surrounded by Egyptian structures and army vehicles. Most of the objects in this area are fire elemental. After a few minutes or so, sandstorms may suddenly appear and travel around the map back and forth. Getting hit by a sandstorm will obscure the player's map momentarily, hindering their ability to navigate safely.
Small Small World	The stage consists of several continents decked with numerous buildings and famous landmarks. Meteors will constantly target any monster standing on one spot for too long, thus forcing players to be on the move at all times. A single impact from them is enough to remove 10 points off a victim's score.
Cosmic Garden	The final area of the game, it takes place in the vast corners of space where stars and planets are small enough to be swallowed whole. Players can gain abilities more easily by devouring white holes scattered throughout the stage. Also, the whole map itself has a wrap-around effect which allows monsters to travel from one end to another with ease.