Opoona – WII – Review

While the Wii has thus far excelled
in certain areas (party games, first-party Nintendo games), there are definitely
certain genres that haven’t had such a strong showing on the system — case in
point, RPGs. In fact, outside of action-RPGs (Super Paper Mario), strategy-RPGs
(Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn) and the occasional RPG-descended wagglefest (Dragon
Quest Swords), the Wii has seen an utter lack of the genre.

Koei has decided to put an end to
that, and has brought out Opoona, the Wii’s first true RPG, developed by
ArtePiazza (known primarily for handling ports of Enix’s Dragon Quest series).
And while it certainly has its share of problems, ultimately it’s an interesting
RPG that’s different enough to warrant some attention.

Opoona follows a young boy named
(wait for it) Opoona, who belongs to a warrior race known as the Tizians. Opoona
and his family are en route to their vacation destination, the planet Landroll,
when disaster strikes their ship and the children (Opoona, brother Copoona, and
sister Poleena) are forced to make use of the escape pods. Landing separated
from his siblings but safe, Opoona must integrate himself into Landroll’s way of
life (i.e. get a job) if he ever wants to see his parents again. The story is
cute and straightforward, but the English translation leaves something to be
desired. Genre fans will be reminded of the 32-bit era, when translations were
only starting to be paid adequate attention, and typos and grammar errors were
still commonplace. Still, despite touching on some pretty serious topics — the
main theme of the game seems to be the inevitable transition to adulthood that
every child must make — the story manages to remain lighthearted and fun.

While Opoona and his siblings are the
story’s main focus, the world is full of NPCs to interact with.

The bulk of the gameplay revolves
around the different jobs Opoona can take on. Throughout the course of the game,
Opoona can take jobs as everything from your basic monster fighter to chef to
shop clerk. While this can be interesting, getting jobs also introduces some
real-world tedium into the game, as Opoona must make repeated trips to the local
government office to obtain and update his various work licenses. Opoona is also
encouraged to make friends on Landroll, and while the game does track your
friends and how close you’ve become with them, there’s never really any benefit
to it.

The game’s controls deserve a
mention here. Far too many Wii games ruin the game in an attempt to shoehorn
some sort of motion controls onto a game that doesn’t really need them; Opoona
is the opposite of that. Not only are motion controls nowhere to be seen, you
don’t even have to use the remote to play. The game is designed to be played
entirely with the nunchuck, and this control style works remarkably well. As
with most traditional RPGs, you don’t really need a large number of buttons —
between the analog stick, C button, and Z button, you can do everything the game
throws at you. One minor sticking point is camera control, which is slightly
more difficult than usual, but if it really bothers you, you can just use the
D-pad on the remote.

The game’s battle system is
ambitiously dubbed the “Active Bon-Bon Battle System,” in reference to energy
bon-bons, the floating energy spheres that are used by Tizians as weapons.
Pulling back the analog stick charges your attack, then releasing it launches
the bon-bon at the enemy of your choice. Much of the strategy of battle comes
from your ability to throw the bon-bon overhand, underhand, curveball-style, or
with varying amounts of speed and power. Battles are fast (in fact, every battle
has a timer, usually two minutes or less, and failing to finish the battle
before the timer runs out results in a loss for you) and fun; while the bon-bon
throwing system takes a little while to get the hang of, once I did the battles
became my favorite part of the game. Still, the random battles occur a little
too often, which can hinder exploration.

Battles might seem chaotic at first, but
with a little practice you’ll become adept in no time.

The game’s visual style is bright
and colorful. While some might not like the cutesy character design (Tizians
seem to be inspired by Fisher-Price’s Little People toy line), the cel-shaded
design makes good use of the Wii’s limited graphical power. Environments are a
mixed bag; indoor areas suffer from a too-similar industrial/futuristic look
(expect to get lost and turned around in just about every building in the game,
as they all look pretty much the same), but outdoor areas are beautiful.
Forests, beaches, and even empty plains all look gorgeous, thanks to
painting-like textures and subtle environmental animations that make you feel
like you’re really exploring a living world. Also impressive is the game’s
soundtrack, composed by Hitoshi Sakimoto, known for his Final Fantasy Tactics
and FFXII scores. The songs are futuristic and fantastical, while still feeling
like traditional RPG music.

The game’s environments are pretty and
colorful, perfectly capturing the feel of a living natural world.

Opoona’s far from perfect. Its story
is full of typos, errors, and confusing bits. It’s far too easy to get lost in
the city, and random battles occur too frequently. Still, despite all these
problems, the game manages to have a fun, cute, engaging style that’s refreshing
in the modern gaming scene, where most games are trying to be the darkest and
most serious. Sure, not everybody will like the game. But if you’re an RPG fan
with a Wii, and you’re looking for something a little different, you could sure
do a whole lot worse than to accompany little Opoona on his quest to find his
family.

Gameplay: 7.5
Navigating the city can get frustrating and repetitive, but the story is unique
and interesting, and battles are fast, fun, and engaging. If you’re a genre fan
there won’t be too many surprises here, but it’s a well-crafted RPG.

Graphics: 8.5
While the visuals don’t have the next-gen appeal of, say, Blue Dragon, they have
got a unique style and charm. The game’s many outdoor environments are beautiful
and colorful, and the characters and enemies are distinctive.

Sound: 8.4
Hitoshi Sakimoto’s score manages to be simultaneously cute, fantastical, and
epic. It’s classic RPG music that sounds both fresh and familiar. The game’s
sound effects aren’t quite as memorable, but they get the job done without
annoying you.

Difficulty: Medium
It might take you a while to get the hang of the timing-based battle system, and
like most RPGs you’ll encounter some fights that require a bit of level grinding
to best, but for the most part this is an accessible RPG that could be enjoyed
by genre veterans and newcomers alike.

Concept: 8.3
Mixing life-sim elements into a traditional RPG is a good idea, and works well
with the game’s visual style and storyline. The game’s unique battle system
takes a little practice, but much like games like Paper Mario and Shadow Hearts,
mixing real-time, timing-based elements into a turn-based battle system keeps
every battle fresh and engaging.

Overall: 8.0
Without much competition on the system, Opoona is easy to recommend for Wii-owning
RPG fans. Still, its unique style and lighthearted charm set it apart in a genre
increasingly filled with dark, somber epics. Anyone looking for a cute, fun
adventure (and certainly fans of Harvest Moon or Animal Crossing) should give
Opoona a try. While it may not be flawless, it’s got so much going for it that
it definitely deserves some attention.