Once upon a
time there was a world where creatures provided our electricity. They were
tiny creatures – short, chubby little things that conjured memories of Pikmin,
the ant-like plant people dancing in Shigeru Miyamoto’s head (and in our
GameCubes).
Referred to
as "Elebits," the electrically charged creatures are not eager to power our
daily needs. They’re in no hurry to fuel our televisions, traffic lights, or
vacuum cleaners. Elebits are greedy critters who want to take their energy and
leave!
Fortunately
for you, Elebits do not live in Perfect (the world Walgreens commercials speak
of). They are trapped in a game named after their species, and can be hunted
down and zapped up for use in a variety of household appliances. If there’s an
object, big or small, be prepared to lift and carefully examine its every
crevice. No drawer is too narrow, no building is too big, no toaster is
too … toasty. Elebits will find a way to use objects to their advantage. Even
crystal glasses can shield your vision from their existence.
If this
sounds like a bunch of boring gobbledygook, you’re not alone. I suppose I’d
have agreed – prior to playing the game – had the Wii been out a while and I
had already gotten my second or third dose of innovation. But I’ll try
anything, especially when consoles are new. Having no clue as to what Elebits
was about, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it at this year’s E3. My first
impressions were no doubt memorable, but the demo wasn’t more than a bit of
things to come.
First-Person World Manipulation
It isn’t
hard to mistake Elebits for a first-person shooter. The game uses the
tried-and-true Wolfenstein view, as well as the Wii remote for zapping
(technically capturing) Elebits. If that was all there was to it, the game
wouldn’t be that entertaining. This is a slower-paced adventure that doesn’t
stand up to the top-tier shooters, let alone the smaller guys like Criterion’s
Black. And it isn’t supposed to.
Elebits
draws its fun from the game world and the Wii remote. Think back: what are the
two things I say are most important in a game’s success? (1) Controls and (2)
world design. In addition to zapping, the Wii remote also acts as your world
conductor. Every object you see – relevant to the mission or just there for
visual purposes – is interactive. Pick it up and toss it aside. I mean that
literally – point the remote over the object, press the A button to grab it,
then flick the remote away from the screen and release the A button to throw
the object.
I know what
you’re thinking – Wii games involve a lot of "flicking." I only used that word
for lack of something better. But that is one of many ways you can deal with
an object. They were not designed specifically for flicking – you may lift an
object quickly and gradually bring the remote down to release it without
destruction. Objects and your zapper are directly tied to the amount of speed
you use with your motions. This is a crucial and wonderful element that gives
you an unbelievable amount of control over what you’re doing – and allowed the
developers to create some very daring missions.
Breaking
The Ice
You can
break the ice. But please don’t break the glass. Though the game was built to
give you complete control over everything, the developers thought it would be
fun to test our ability to be quiet and careful by adding restrictions to some
of the missions. They were right – it is fun. But if you’re the impatient
type, it could drive you insane.
Missions
that have a break limit demand that you do not destroy a certain number of
objects. What this typically means is: do whatever it takes to keep the dishes
from shattering. However, objects are not limited to things you’ll find in a
kitchen. They start out small: books, frozen turkeys, large blocks of ice,
etc.
Things start
to get crazy as soon as you leave the building. You’ll quickly notice that
everything you see can be grabbed with your zapper. Try to lift a heavy
object, like a car or small structure, and you’ll start to see your strength
limitations. Zapper strength is increased by zapping special Elebits. They’re
usually yellow, and pop out of appliances and other objects as their power is
rejuvenated. You rejuvenate their power by collecting enough Elebits to meet
the appliances’ wattage rating (example: a TV needs 10,000 watts. Reach that
amount, then shoot the TV’s power button to turn it on and release more
Elebits).
That’s
great, and is certainly necessary to your survival in the game. But that can’t
compare to the super strength power-up, which gives you the power to lift
almost everything you see. There are some buildings that are too big to lift
and toss away. Everything else – cars, street lights, statues, steel beams,
amusement park displays, etc. – is yours to manipulate.
A Bit of
Repetition
As you can
probably imagine, Elebits is not free of what plagues most video games:
repetition. It’s extremely fun and creative in what it does. But it’s also
very quirky, and tends to do the same thing – or same group of things –
repeatedly throughout each mission. Even if that bothers you, as it likely
will to any sane person, I encourage everyone with a Wii to give this game a
few hours of your time. At the very least you’ll get to experience one of the
year’s most original and creative titles, and have a great time using the
remote in ways that could not be efficiently replicated with last generation’s
analog stick.
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Gameplay: 8.0
Elebits brings an
unprecedented level of world manipulation to Nintendo Wii. Despite its slow
pace, the game is intense and unnerving as you struggle to unearth Elebits
without breaking too many objects (restriction #1, for certain missions) or
making too much noise (restriction #2). The controls are awesome, accurate,
and reliable, and the world design is clever, involved, and full of secrets to
uncover.
Graphics: 7.0
This game has
several creative, intricately designed worlds, but the paint covering that
detail isn’t overly impressive. Visually this is a low-end GameCube game with
a few minor tweaks.
Sound: 8.0
A quirky and
enjoyable soundtrack for a quirky and enjoyable game. Elebits’s graphics
aren’t the only things that appear to have drawn inspiration from Pikmin.
While the music doesn’t sound like Shigeru Miyamoto’s RTS, it has the same
gentle and peaceful qualities that could annoy us to death in the wrong game,
but is perfect in this zap, grab, and throw adventure.
Difficulty: Easy
With slight
bits of “medium” every now and then.
Concept: 9.0
An entirely new
kind of game. It’s not a first-person shooter, but it uses the ideas behind
that genre to create a fun and unique adventure that is exquisite and specific
to the Wii control style. You’ve never had this much fun grabbing and throwing
stuff! Just remember to hold on to the Wii remote while you’re doing
it.
Multiplayer: 7.8
Interesting but
chaotic, and not designed with all players in mind. Elebits lets you and three
friends play simultaneously. The catch is that it’s single-screen – every
player shoots from the same perspective. The first player controls the camera
and location of the level. It’s very unusual and works a lot better than it
sounds, but is limited and will annoy some gamers (mainly those not in
control of the camera).
Overall: 8.0
A must-play, but
not necessarily a must-buy. Elebits is wonderful in its execution of an
original idea. But like most original ideas in the gaming world, it is not
free of repetition. This isn’t the kind of game you’ll want to finish all in
one sitting. It’s short enough to do so, but you’ll enjoy it a lot more if you
spread it out over several days (or a couple weeks).
