When Nintendo first launched their
latest handheld, the DS, in late 2004, support was a little scarce. Everyone
knew the system had loads of potential – that was evident from the numerous tech
demos shown with the system’s unveiling at E3. But besides a port of Mario 64
and a spattering of other minor titles, few games seemed to actually show off
the system’s power. Sega, however, took it upon themselves to demonstrate just
what the little system could do. With their game XXYY: Feel the Magic’s numerous
mini games, players use the dual screens, the touch screen and microphone in a
variety of fun and interesting ways.
The Rub Rabbits is something of a
successor to that game. Sporting a similar graphical style and a familiar
structure, and actually, a lot of very similar mini games, one might say The Rub
Rabbits has a little too much in common with that game.
The game’s story is told through
short, comic-book-panel-style cutscenes. It is outrageous and sometimes amusing,
but basically is only there to provide some context for the bizarre set of mini
games. Your character sees a beautiful girl going up the opposite elevator – and
immediately sets out on a chase to catch her attention. Along the way, you spark
the interest of a girl who becomes quite attached to you, and does
whatever she can to eliminate the love of your life.
The first mini game on the escalator
sets the stage for the type of gameplay seen throughout the adventure. You use
the stylus to rub upwards quickly to keep your character running up an escalator
(as he’s running up it the wrong way) or from side to side to avoid various
people, including a peculiar number of sumo wrestlers.
Other missions include a Simon Says-esque
game where your girlfriend pokes you a certain way and you must repeat her moves
exactly. Another has you playing “Rock, Paper, Scissors” with a band of the
“Evil Girl’s” minions. You’ll battle with a giant crab, play the piano, play a
game sort of reminiscent of air hockey, row down a vicious river, and much more
– all in all there are 30 or so different games to partake in. Nearly all of
them make use of the DS’s functionality, always taking advantage of the dual
screens and stylus, occasionally the microphone (blow-gun mini game!) and the
game even asks you to flip the DS around in different ways to provide a certain
view of the action.
The main problem is that many of the
games, while initially intriguing and charming, quickly become repetitive,
boring, and either entirely too easy or frustratingly difficult – and the level
of difficulty seems to be nearly random. Usually each mini game consists of up
to a half-dozen rounds, gradually getting harder, but the overall challenge of
the mini game, in comparison to others, may seem completely out of place. There
are some hard missions scattered about in the beginning and some extremely easy
missions towards the end. There’s just no real rhyme or reason to it. That said,
with a little diligence, even the toughest missions won’t stand in your way for
long. The whole game can be completed in a few hours.
There have been a number of things
implemented in hopes of increasing replay value. Throughout the game you will
collect hair styles, clothing, shoes and accessories that you can use to
customize your girlfriend. (Sadly, the customized girlfriend doesn’t really show
up in the main mode at all – she is always in her default clothes.) There are a
couple of multiplayer modes, and two players can even get together and “make a
baby:” after answering some quick questions and cutting a cake, a baby magically
appears. This can then be, uh, traded around.
Graphically, the game is rich. What
it may lack in gameplay it makes up for in style. The characters are all solid
black silhouettes with striking, vibrant clothes that contrast with their
bodies. They animate extremely fluidly. The environments in the game don’t look
quite as impressive, but are still fine, well-modeled and with decent texturing
– about average quality as far as Nintendo DS games go. But the entire affair
runs at a silky smooth framerate, the cutscenes are well drawn, and the menus
are actually fun to navigate.
The sound in the game is cheery and
happy, and catchy – but it can get a little nerve-grating after a while. There’s
also a rather annoying “Break Time” sequence in the middle of every single mini
game, where you watch one of about three possible scenes of your girl cooking,
reading, or playing guitar, with the exact same sound clip; it’s pretty
pointless and a little ridiculous. Besides that, all of the sound effects are
well-done, including the array of giggles and other noises that the characters
make.
The Rub Rabbits is essentially a
straight-up sequel to Feel the Magic; it’s an extra helping of more of the same
stuff. Fans of that game would do well to play it, but anyone expecting a
riveting experience will be disappointed. To be sure, it makes good use of the
DS’s cool hardware, but because of the nature of the mini games, it feels
shallow and simplistic. It’s too easy to blaze through, and the extras probably
won’t hold your attention for very long – so if at all possible, give the game a
rent, or pick it up at less than full price. It’s a fun ride, but it’s an
extremely short-lived one!
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Review Scoring Details for The Rub Rabbits |
Gameplay: 6.5
The game makes good use of the DS’s dual screens, touch-screen, and
microphone in a multitude of unique mini games. However, most of them are very
simple and aren’t much fun on a second play-through.
Graphics: 8.0
The Rub Rabbits actual graphics are about on par with most other DS games,
but the extremely stylish characters and fluid animation gives the game a nice,
mellifluous feel.
Sound: 7.0
Well-done, but potentially very bothersome; the music garners mixed
feelings. The sound effects, however, are very good.
Concept: 8.0
The Rub Rabbits has a smattering of good ideas across the board to use the
DS hardware. It’s just too bad that it never really fleshes out any of those
ideas – we’re treated to a quick fling with all of them.
Multiplayer: 7.0
There are a few different multiplayer games to play with those who have the
game, as well as the interesting baby-making feature.
Difficulty: Easy
There are definitely some tough spots, but on the whole, it’s easy to blow
through the game.
Overall: 7.0
The Rub Rabbits is a solid sequel to Feel the Magic, but the DS has been out
a while, and using the system to play a variety of quirky mini games is not
exactly foreign territory anymore. In any case, the game is pretty enjoyable on
first play – but you’ll find yourself not really wanting to go back and play any
of the games, and the extra stuff isn’t all that attention-grabbing. It’s a good
rental, but perhaps not the best of purchases.
