ESRB RATING: E
DEVELOPER: Capcom
PUBLISHER: Capcom
REVIEWER: A.D. Olson
DATE: 2007-11-14
GAMEPLAY REVIEW
Let me just start by saying that if you are about to click your browser's Back button because you saw a cartoony boxart, then please, don't. It's true, Zack & Wiki doesn't have a lot of guns and blood and brutal killings in it, and none of the zombies that we've all come to know and love from Capcom. But that doesn't automatically make this one a pass-over, and it's certainly not a kiddy game. Besides, who needs zombies when you've got Wiki hovering around?
"But, but, but look at that boxart! Look at that title!" I hear you say... Yes, sadly, Capcom went the wacky route with this one. I don't know anybody who read the name and thought, "gee, that sounds like an awesome game, I think I'll buy that." Further, the boxart makes even me shudder. In fact, the cute cartoony style of the entire game might be off-putting, but trust me - if you can put up with Nintendo's Windwaker for GameCube, or if you are in love with Mario, then you've got nothing to fear. This isn't Dewy's Adventure here; playing Zack and Wiki won't berate your manliness (assuming you're male). Zack's little grunts and shouts are cute, but not sickeningly cute. They are bearable, likeable even (unlike Dewy's vomit-inducing babyish noises). Wiki is another story, and that thing actually kinda scares me. I know that the ESRB rated this game E for Everyone, but if I were much younger, I'd probably be having nightmares about that yellow flying freak of a monkey (that isn't to say that I don't already have terrifying dreams about that thing - I'm just old enough to deal with it well when I wake up kicking and screaming).
So if this cel-shaded, weird-ass game isn't terrible, and it's not just for the little kids who are happy playing EA Playground and whatever garbage Konami is cooking up next for the Wii, then what exactly is it all about, and why should you care?
Well, first of all, in much of your life, you recognize brands and companies. If you want the classic macaroni and cheese taste, you buy Kraft Dinner. If you want game systems that are built to stand the test of time, you buy Nintendo. If you want paperweights, you buy a brick (or a 360). If you want a quality third-party Wii game, you buy Capcom. I'm not saying they can do no wrong, but I am saying that they have yet to. They were the first company to price a last-gen port appropriately, and it just so happened to be a really, really good game. With Zack and Wiki, the quality didn't change, but everything else did. Instead of a port, this is a ground-up Wii game. Instead of graphics and gameplay going for realism, this one is cartoonish and lovable by all ages. Instead of parasite-infested people, you've got a golden monkey floating behind you continually.
Another thing that you should care about is the fact that there are no other games on the Wii like this. In fact, there are no other games released like this that I can remember in recent years on any console. The most comparable I can think of would be the old point-and-click style games, such as King's Quest, Discworld, Police Quest, Monkey Island, maybe even Loom to a degree. Yup, that's right, it's the return of the point-and-click adventure game, with a ton of puzzles thrown in for good measure. And they aren't just fun, they're tough. They're addicting.
Okay, so let me break it down for you. You play as a pirate, and your task is to retrieve treasure, which happens to be body parts of a fabled pirate named Barbaros. You put these pieces of treasure into a coffin, where Barbaros is waiting to be reassambled. That is your main task. To get these pieces of treasure, you have to play through missions - a wide assortment of puzzles - and complete them without dying. Oh sure, you can purchase items which will give you hints if you get stuck (and you will get stuck at times), or revive you if you die. However, nobody uses these, since they lower your score, and you don't want that! Plus they cost you money.
Puzzles are very interactive, thanks to the Wii remote controls. You will be doing all sorts of things, like cranking handles, pulling levers, pushing buttons, sawing trees, you name it and it's probably in there. You do the actual motion you would expect to do, which is something that seems mostly foreign so far in Wii games. But, this is what I thought Wii was supposed to be all about, and that's why it's so sad that so many people are ignorant of this game.
The different puzzles are very involved, and while they start off simple, by the end they are pretty tough, complex, and smart. Each level has at least one right way to complete it, sometimes more, and probably an unlimited number of wrong ways. Figuring out what to do is the challenge, and fun, of the game. However, instead of rating Zack and Wiki with an E, I think it should've had a minimum IQ requirement on the box, because there are some people who just won't be able to do this game no matter how hard they try, and no matter how many dolls they sacrifice to the oracle. And if you ask me, that negates the Everyone rating, and the kiddy label.
Really, this is a breath of fresh air, and the first real third party game that truly is unique, can't be done on any other console or PC, and made specifically for Wii. Please realize that Capcom is pouring their love into their Wii efforts, and it's only fair that they are rewarded for it. We want that love to keep flowing. Capcom and Wii is a good marriage in it's infancy, and it must be nurtured.
Crave Factor: 9
GRAPHICS & ANIMATION
Cel-shaded, just like Windwaker on GameCube, amongst others. It feels like you're playing a cartoon, which might not be your fancy. However, it is pleasing to the eyes, and everything pops out virbantly at you. The artists did a great job keeping things simple, yet recognizable. You can almost always tell what is what on the screen, and that's something that Nintendo struggled with, at times, in their first GameCube Zelda game.
Framerate issues should be non-existent, but unfortunately they rear their ugly head, from time to time. Especially in the hide-out, if you press the A button down and move the pointer, you'll see some nasty slowdown. It doesn't really make any difference to the gameplay though, since this isn't a twitch game based on reflexes. For the most part, you won't notice much choppiness throughout the game.
If you leave the controller alone for a minute, Zack starts to chomp on chocolate bars. I don't know why, but it's funny, and it never gets old to me. Try it for yourself and see.
Crave Factor: 7
MUSIC & SOUND
Zack's voice is not used much, so it never really gets annoying. You're not going to forget his "Y-y-y-y-y-yeah!!" shout though, good or bad, I can't decide. Wiki is downright disturbing, but in a good way. Wait, good isn't the right word... Let's just say that I can't tell if Wiki is a boy or a girl flying monkey thing, at least not based on the voice. You think you know, but like, you're never really sure.
Other sound effects and voices remind me a lot of Zelda's - no full voice acting, just occasional grunts and exclamations, along with decent sound effects that feel very familiar. Nothing here really stands out as great, and nothing really stands out as terrible.
The music, on the other hand, is epic. I swear, some of this was picked up from Nintendo directly, stolen out of a yet-to-be-released Zelda game. Yes, I'm mentioning Zelda a lot here, but for some reason, it can't be avoided. When you've got a great score, you're bound to run into comparisons with other games having a similar quality in the music department. I haven't run into a single track that felt out of place yet. It definitely makes up for what is lacking in the sounds and voices.
Crave Factor: 8
CONTROLS
You point and press the A button to move Zack. Wiki kinda trails you. If you run into an enemy, chances are good that you can turn it into an item by shaking the Wii remote like you've never shaken it before (actually, you have, probably in 98% of other Wii games). This waggle turns Wiki into a bell - a magical bell - which turns your enemy into something useful (usually).
At other instances in the game, you use the Wii controller much more creatively. For example, you pick up an object that can hold water, and you're near a water source. So you walk over to the water, and make the motions that you think you should, and voila, water in the jar. Now you see some fire, so you click on that, and now you can dump the water out onto the fire by turning your hand over. If you were holding a beer in your hand instead of a Wii remote when you did that motion, you'd spill your beer. Do you understand what I'm saying here? Zack and Wiki uses life-like actions in the game. WarioWare tried (and failed, in my opinion), but Capcom nailed it. The only complaint I have is that you're constantly told how to hold the controller, and I saw no option to turn it off. I'd rather figure it all out on my own. Maybe these diagrams do warrant the Everyone rating, after all.
Crave Factor: 9
EXTRA VALUE-ADDED FEATURES
You can dust off and put your three extra Wii remotes to use in a game outside of Wii Sports Tennis, finally. Although the multiplayer is limited to drawing on the screen temporarily and pointing out places to go and things to see, it does let other people get in on the action. There really isn't a much better way to implement multiplayer in a game like this. Grab some friends and sit down to take turns, and help each other out. It'll be a blast.
The entire game is worth the sticker price, but on top of that, you can send out one of your buddies to dig up treasures, there is a book case full of books with various things such as the items you've found, there are hidden items in the levels, treasure maps to find, and really, tons of content in this game. However, I don't want to ruin it for you, because you're going to go to the store and buy it now and find our for yourself. Right?
Crave Factor: 7
CONCLUSION
When I first heard about the game, when it was still called something less isolating, I wasn't too interested. IGN started a Buy campaign for Zack and Wiki, and other sites like GoNintendo jumped on it. I couldn't do it, having had no exposure to the game, aside from other media and impressions. I can't tell someone to buy a game without having played it myself. Well, I have now, and so I can say, with confidence: get your wallet out and pay the nice man.
Really, I can't recommend this game enough. Yes, there are lots of other games out now that deserve your money equally, but at the very least, put this one on your Christmas list. Unless you're one of those people who doesn't like to think at all, in which case, can I interest you in an Xbox 360? Oh I'm sorry, this one has red all over it.
It's unfortunate that Capcom chose such a dreaded name for this game. I can only assume they hoped that it'd catch on like Nintendo's brilliant "Wii" did. And maybe it would have, had the title been more available to buyers. Luckily, I got my copy the day it came out, and our local stores have been stocking it well.
I hope the sales are higher than anticipated. If they aren't, my advice to Capcom is to choose a better name next time. Although, if there is a next time (and I hope there is), it might be best to leave the main title as "Zack and Wiki" now that you've already committed to it. Or maybe you should just re-release this game under a different name. Put some guns and splattered brains on the boxart, and let's get this game into the hands of the stubborn and unwilling.
Overall Crave Factor: 8.5 out of 10
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