There’s just
something enduringly cute about the popular Sanrio characters, Hello Kitty and
friends. My girls and I have always liked them, and I tend to pick up various
Hello Kitty items at yard sales and Goodwill stores for myself and for them. I
was pleased to see that Namco was publishing Hello Kitty Roller Derby
for the GameCube, and was happy for the chance to review the game.
The story
behind the game is pretty lame, but most videogame plots are short on logic.
Such as it is, here it is: Block-O has left his planet to conquer the
universe, and lands on
Earth. Here,
he sees people throwing away boxes after giving each other gifts, and grows
angry at the treatment he supposes is being accorded to fellow block-shaped
items. He dispatches an army of blocks to take over Earth and help the
downtrodden boxes. It’s up to Hello Kitty and her friends to “block” the
Blockheads.
Hello
Kitty Roller Derby
features Hello Kitty on roller skates, which is an unusual mode of
transportation. It works fairly well and is a good match for the 3D
environment in terms of fluidity and the look of the skating, but tends to be
a slow kind of movement. At times, it feels like Hello Kitty is moving around
in molasses. Hitting a button will give her a boost of speed, but it is very
short-lived.
Other than
the unusual method of movement, this is a typical platform game for children.
Hello Kitty spends her time whacking the bad guys, which garners stars that
power up special fighting moves, collecting coins, and either finding special
items around the levels, or accomplishing certain tasks to win special items.
Taking out bad guys is the primary task at hand, with most other things being
secondary. There are a lot of different Blocks to fight and most of them
require quite a few hits to take them out, but there are lots of lifepoint
items around for Hello Kitty to pick up, so finishing a level successfully is
hardly ever a problem. However, the boss levels are quite a bit harder than
the regular levels, and will often require replaying again and again to
conquer.
At the end
of each level, Hello Kitty is rewarded with either new outfits or weapons, and
can change these items in her room. This room also has game options such as
saving current games, choosing unlocked music, and picking a character to help
Hello Kitty in later levels. Movie clips can also be viewed after being
unlocked.
The gameplay
for the most part is easy, with the exception of the boss levels. Hello Kitty
has to rescue her friends in each level, and will need to solve some easy
puzzles in order to do so. These puzzles are super easy, as the in-game hints
are very plain as to what is needed for each task. Simple levers, bridges,
movable boxes and unlockable doors are the main type of puzzle encountered.
Action is the main focus of the game, but after about the fourth level, Hello
Kitty has help in the form of a friend, who will aid her automatically in
fighting. These friends can be leveled up, by Hello Kitty finding special
items for them.
This game is
3D, and it looks great. Everything is vividly colored, and the Hello Kitty
characters look just as bright and cheerful as always. However, the camera
movement is distracting, as it’s just a little too “close-up” to the action to
be comfortable, especially for those prone to motion sickness, like myself.
Also, the camera tended to get stuck at points, and too many times Hello Kitty
will be battling away in front of a tree or other obstacle, sight unseen.
As befitting
a children’s game, the button actions are simple and easy to use, with the B
button for fighting, the A button for jumping, combos of both A and B for
hitting and jumping together and double-jumping, and the Y button for general
interaction. The B and A buttons work just as they ought (how nice to have a
double jump that actually happens!), but the design of the Y button actions
leaves a bit to be desired, as the “hot-spot” for most of these Y actions is
very small. This can be frustrating, especially in the boss levels, when Hello
Kitty won’t pick up bombs or other weapons, because she has moved a bit to the
side and the Y button then disappears.
Hello Kitty
Roller Rescue is a good children’s platformer, with an attractive combination
of pleasing looks, easy tasks and collectibles. A few things hold it back from
being a better game, such as the lack of mini-games, more interesting
challenges and the awkward camera viewpoints. However, the presentation is
nicely done and the ability to add clothes and weapons as they are unlocked is
fun. This game is most likely to appeal to young girls under the age of 12.
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Gameplay: 7.5
The action is fun
and easy, with just enough variety to keep things interesting. However, the
game is fairly short, and some mini-games would have helped liven things up a
bit.
Graphics: 8.0
Very nice
visuals!
Sound: 7.0
The background
music is innocuous and not annoying.
Difficulty: Easy
Very easy for the
most part, except for the boss levels.
Concept: 7.0
A good
presentation of action and puzzles.
Overall: 7.5
A good children’s
game that will provide some amusement for young girls. With more content and
variety, it could have been a great game, but it still compares well to other
similar games.
