We live in a world plagued by
serious problems.
Global temperatures are rising, our
polar ice caps are melting, rainforests are being cleared … and every day,
countless thousands of pinatas are beaten to death.
I was like you once. I didn’t know
enough about them to care. After spending a few days in a pinata garden,
however, things have changed. We’ve been through too much, the pinatas and I,
and we’ve developed a bond. Raising dozens from tiny newborns to colorful
adults ready to put their lives on the line to entertain you at parties – they
are alive, and they are fooling you – has forever changed my attitude toward
pinatas.
Play Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise
for just an hour, and you’ll feel compelled to join the fight against the
senseless slaughter of pinatas worldwide, too.
The product of legendary British
developer Rare Ltd., Pocket Paradise is a repackaging of the 2006 Xbox 360 game
Viva Pinata. It is essentially the same game as the original, but the
surprising benefits provided by the move to the Nintendo DS make it feel unique
enough to warrant the interest of Viva Pinata veterans and newcomers alike.
It’s one of those great games that
would be cheapened by the application of the term “port,” as Rare has actually
enhanced the game for Nintendo’s handheld hardware.
The premise behind Viva Pinata was
simple, and Pocket Paradise doesn’t change its proven formula. Essentially a
pinata overlord, you’re in charge of maintaining a garden and attracting wild
pinatas to migrate to your property and breed. You’re given a barren, unsightly
plot of land to start with, so your garden is a bit of an eye sore at first. Aside from clearing rubble and planting grass, you won’t be able to do much
about it early on. Beautifying your garden is a process, however, and you’ll
eventually be able to create a bustling, vibrant utopia brimming with thick
trees, exotic flowers and colorful pinatas.
This type of gameplay isn’t exactly
new, and drawing heavily from games like Animal Crossing, Harvest Moon and The
Sims, Viva Pinata certainly hasn’t reinvented any wheels. Pocket Paradise is a
very unique product, but ultimately, if you’re not a fan of management and
simulation, you might not get what is so special about the series.
However, gamers with a penchant for
creating and sustaining life in simulation games will not only immediately see
the appeal of Pocket Paradise, but they’ll also find Rare has created a
spectacular title that manages to feel distinguished among its peers.
Pocket Paradise utilizes a top-down
camera angle similar to that of Nintendo’s Phantom Hourglass, allowing for a
beautiful overhead view of your garden on the touch screen. The top screen
shows statistics, garden alerts, a terrain profile and a clock that tracks the
passing of time in your garden. Because players interact with the game using
the stylus entirely, the majority of the game’s action takes place on the bottom
screen.
Everything from clearing debris with
your shovel to planting the games’ countless seed varieties is handled with
touch controls, and it is done beautifully. Simply tap various icons to perform
virtually any gardening function you’d need to, from digging to watering to
purchasing new seeds. Once you delve deeper into the game and unlock more
abilities, you’ll never feel restricted; the game lets you interface with your
garden in about every way you’d need to. Best of all, the icon system collapses
when you’re finished using it to free as much space as possible on the tiny DS
touch screen.
Interacting with the game through
touch adds a level of immersion that simply cannot be matched by the 360
version. You’ll feel like you’re tending to your plants and you’ll care more
about your pinatas because you’re physically interacting with these things, as
opposed to being relegated to the outside view provided by a console controller.
As much fun as it is to play Pocket
Paradise, it is just as enjoyable to look at. Rare broke ground 14 years ago
with the gorgeous and innovative visuals of the Super NES classic Donkey Kong
Country, and it has employed a very similar 2D/3D hybrid art style in Viva
Pinata. It looks absolutely gorgeous on the DS, and it happens to be more
colorful than a box of crayons. From the pinatas to the plant life, everything
in the game has bright colors that are always appealing and never overwhelming.
Rare spared no expense for visual
details, either. Pond water ripples in the rain, thick morning mist blankets
the garden at dawn…even the grass looks pretty. It is great to see a
developer exert such effort to create a beautiful game on underpowered
hardware. Viva Pinata may have lost HD in the move to the DS, but as proof that
a terrific art style can transcend technology, it has lost very little of its
beauty.
Touch-based gameplay and beautiful
graphics play a large role in Pocket Paradise’s immersive nature, but the sound
is really the icing on this delicious cake. Viva Pinata veterans should
recognize some of the game’s typically upbeat music, as much of it has come
directly from the 360 original, but the game’s sound shines in terms of its
effects. Crickets chirping at night may seem a minute detail, but factor in
countless other details, and Pocket Paradise becomes an even more immersive and
engaging experience.
Rare was a household name a decade
ago because it created fun games that oozed personality and polish. Although
Rare has faltered in recent years, Viva Pinata continues that tradition, and it
is great to see the studio back in such ferocious form.
Pocket Paradise is the best game
Rare has made since splitting from Nintendo in 2002.
I simply cannot say enough good
things about the DS version of Viva Pinata. It has been polished to a gleam,
with higher production values than many Wii games of nearly twice the cost. For
that alone, Rare deserves commendation. Perhaps the highest praise due to Viva
Pinata, however, is also the simplest; there’s something to be said for a game
that can keep you glued to your tiny DS screens for hours on end without so much
as taking a bathroom break. Pocket Paradise is one of those games.
Make sure you go before you
start playing. Viva Pinata!
Review Scoring Details for Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise |
Gameplay: 8.0
Touch-based controls will make you
wonder how you ever played Viva Pinata without them. Interacting with your
pinatas is an immersive and enjoyable breeze.
Graphics: 9.0
Remember when Rare floored you with
the graphics in Donkey Kong Country? You get a similar 2D/3D visual hybrid in
Viva Pinata, and it looks beautiful on the DS.
Sound: 8.0
Great immersive sound effects and a
fitting musical score. Viva Pinata fans should recognize some of the music, as
much of it comes from its 360 predecessor.
Difficulty: Medium/Hard
Bright colors and friendly
characters may give the impression Viva Pinata was designed for children, but
this game can become challenging in a hurry.
Concept: 8.5
When the industry produces charming,
original IP, gamers have cause for celebration. Raising pinatas in the wild
before shipping them to parties is a priceless and endearing concept, the type
of idea that made Rare a household name a decade ago.
Overall: 8.5
There’s something to be said for a
game that can keep you glued to your tiny DS screens for hours on end without so
much as taking a bathroom break. Incredibly addictive and fun to play, Viva
Pinata: Pocket Paradise is one of those games.
