Finding hidden treasure in the Wii#'s newest swashbuckling adventure is such a beautiful thrill, you'll want to set out for the high seas on your own after beating the game.
In “Zack and Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure,” your titular would-be pirate of an adolescent protagonist must wit his way through a series of puzzles. The reward for each is a golden fragment of Barbaros, a disembodied pirate head who beckons Zack and Wiki, the boy#'s sea rabbit companion, to piece him back together.
As the game progresses, the puzzles grow in complexity. In one level, Zack must illuminate the inside of a cave. Doing so requires him to saw a wooden pole in two and wave the stick in a fire to fashion his own torch.
But if he walks through the cave entrance, torch in hand, the head of a nearby totem pole will extinguish it with a gust of wind. So Zack must also find a large pot at another nearby point in the level and toss it over the pole to prevent it from blowing out the flame.
These puzzles require a resourceful eye toward Zack and Wiki#'s environments. Some useful items must be uncovered by tossing a rock aside. Others are made from snakes (Slither Gripper) or centipedes (Centi-Saw) by ringing Wiki like a bell right before them. This transformative “attack” is triggered by a wave of the Wiimote.
The actions you take to solve the puzzles in “Zack and Wiki” are accomplished with Wiimote motions, some of which are made in a first-person perspective. You saw a tree by rapidly pushing and pulling the controller. You drop a sleeping mushroom into a stew by simply turning it over with your hand. And you push a wooden tram along a cable by waving the Wiimote in a circular motion.
Zack himself is moved through his environments by pointing the Wiimote at a particular spot on the terrain and sending him there by pressing the #+A#, button. Along with the game#'s other motion-based actions, this control is perfectly intuitive and almost no trouble to pick up.
The difficulty of the puzzles may translate into some trial-and-error, but each level is not complex enough to cost you a frustrating amount of time with each failed attempt. Most ask for five to 10 minutes of completion time.
Lingering in any of “Zack and Wiki#'s” levels is no punishment in light of the game#'s gorgeous look. Cel-shaded graphics vivify a warm, cartoon-looking world rife with visual detail, both natural and architectural, in its tropical locales and treasure-bearing tombs.
The end of each level is punctuated by a graphic treat for the eyes when Zack must use Wiki to expel a phantom from the treasure chest holding Barbaros#' golden body part. Waving Wiki produces a beautiful explosion of musical notes that melds with the ghosts#' disintegration to create a spectacle of color and form.
Serving the game#'s cartoon look and carefree spirit of exploration are charming and quirky characters. Wiki#'s high-pitched accents and affectionate loyalty to Zack make him a winsome companion. Meanwhile, your pirate hero pauses at several moments in the game to munch on a chocolate bar and stare blankly into space. Their suave pilot, Johnny Style, has a soft spot for foie gras (!?) and heads a quirky cast of supporting players in Zack and Wiki#'s pirate caravan.
The brilliance of “Zack and Wiki” bodes well for the Wii. Capcom has seamlessly integrated Wii controls into a compelling, original game at a time when many players doubt the ability of third-party developers to do so. Playing this pirate “Quest” should persuade them that more treasure is on the way.
Staff writer David Wilcox reviews video games for The Citizen. He can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 245 or david.wilcox@lee.net.
If you play
Game: “Zack and Wiki: Quest for Barbaros#' Treasure”
Score: 90 out of 100
Parental rating: E for everyone
Publisher: Capcom
Platform: Wii
Price: $39.99
Features: 1 player
Life span: 10 hours
The final boss: The dazzling “Zack and Wiki” takes players through a pleasant adventure with several well-designed puzzle levels and an array of fun Wii controls to solve them.
As the game progresses, the puzzles grow in complexity. In one level, Zack must illuminate the inside of a cave. Doing so requires him to saw a wooden pole in two and wave the stick in a fire to fashion his own torch.
But if he walks through the cave entrance, torch in hand, the head of a nearby totem pole will extinguish it with a gust of wind. So Zack must also find a large pot at another nearby point in the level and toss it over the pole to prevent it from blowing out the flame.
These puzzles require a resourceful eye toward Zack and Wiki#'s environments. Some useful items must be uncovered by tossing a rock aside. Others are made from snakes (Slither Gripper) or centipedes (Centi-Saw) by ringing Wiki like a bell right before them. This transformative “attack” is triggered by a wave of the Wiimote.
The actions you take to solve the puzzles in “Zack and Wiki” are accomplished with Wiimote motions, some of which are made in a first-person perspective. You saw a tree by rapidly pushing and pulling the controller. You drop a sleeping mushroom into a stew by simply turning it over with your hand. And you push a wooden tram along a cable by waving the Wiimote in a circular motion.
Zack himself is moved through his environments by pointing the Wiimote at a particular spot on the terrain and sending him there by pressing the #+A#, button. Along with the game#'s other motion-based actions, this control is perfectly intuitive and almost no trouble to pick up.
The difficulty of the puzzles may translate into some trial-and-error, but each level is not complex enough to cost you a frustrating amount of time with each failed attempt. Most ask for five to 10 minutes of completion time.
Lingering in any of “Zack and Wiki#'s” levels is no punishment in light of the game#'s gorgeous look. Cel-shaded graphics vivify a warm, cartoon-looking world rife with visual detail, both natural and architectural, in its tropical locales and treasure-bearing tombs.
The end of each level is punctuated by a graphic treat for the eyes when Zack must use Wiki to expel a phantom from the treasure chest holding Barbaros#' golden body part. Waving Wiki produces a beautiful explosion of musical notes that melds with the ghosts#' disintegration to create a spectacle of color and form.
Serving the game#'s cartoon look and carefree spirit of exploration are charming and quirky characters. Wiki#'s high-pitched accents and affectionate loyalty to Zack make him a winsome companion. Meanwhile, your pirate hero pauses at several moments in the game to munch on a chocolate bar and stare blankly into space. Their suave pilot, Johnny Style, has a soft spot for foie gras (!?) and heads a quirky cast of supporting players in Zack and Wiki#'s pirate caravan.
The brilliance of “Zack and Wiki” bodes well for the Wii. Capcom has seamlessly integrated Wii controls into a compelling, original game at a time when many players doubt the ability of third-party developers to do so. Playing this pirate “Quest” should persuade them that more treasure is on the way.
Staff writer David Wilcox reviews video games for The Citizen. He can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 245 or david.wilcox@lee.net.
If you play
Game: “Zack and Wiki: Quest for Barbaros#' Treasure”
Score: 90 out of 100
Parental rating: E for everyone
Publisher: Capcom
Platform: Wii
Price: $39.99
Features: 1 player
Life span: 10 hours
The final boss: The dazzling “Zack and Wiki” takes players through a pleasant adventure with several well-designed puzzle levels and an array of fun Wii controls to solve them.
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