Well, it's finally here everyone! The first review in my
"ROBOCOMANDER2's Wii view" series! Now for any of you who may have
forgotten already, let me quickly explain just what this is before we
get started. Back when the Wii first came out and the Nintendo Nsider
forums were still running, I started a mini review series called "Wii
View." In these Wii Views I reviewed every Wii game I owned, and I even
had some of my friends write some reviews for their games as well;
however that didn't last long. A few months later Nsider shut down, and
my review series died with them. Now jump ahead 6 years, and here I am
to finally bring them back!
Although I do still in fact have my original reviews saved on my
computer, as well as my review format, I will NOT be reusing them. All
of these "Wii Views" will be completely reworked for the Game Room with
my newer "improved" reviewing style. (Besides, I'm pretty sure no one
here wants to see what my old ones looked like.)
Well now, with that being said, let's get to the review!
Back
when the Nintendo Wii was first launched, there was only a handful of
titles out thee, and only a handful of titles that were on their way.
During this time most people simply bought whatever hit the shelves to
hold them over till the next big game came out, and because of that a
lot of the lesser known games actually became pretty well known. Elebits
is a prime example of this, and truthfully it was one of the better
games out there.
When
Elebits was first shown off at E3, many people were mesmerized by it's
use of the Wii remote and unique gameplay, and it quickly went on a lot
of people's "must buy" list. From the very start it was quite clear that
Elebits wasn't going to be a standard game, and it was also pretty
clear that it was the type of game that would ONLY work on the Wii;
however after the Wii finally launched, gamers wouldn't be able to get
their hands Elebits until about a month later. So, when that time
finally came, was it wroth the wait? Or was Elebits just a game Konami
released just to make a quick 50 bucks?
The Story of Elebits:
The
very first time you turn on Elebits you will be greeted with a little
kid's voice with him asking his father to read him another story. At
this moment it becomes very clear that the story of this game was in
fact aimed at kids, and that older players shouldn't be taking it
seriously. Soon after that, the father then goes on to read his son a
story about these little creates called Elebits, and a young boy named
Kai.
In
Kai's world everything is powered by these strange little creatures
called Elebits. Elebits are basically forms of energy which has taken on
the form of these little creatures, and because of that they can be
found EVERYWHERE! After the power goes out, Kai decides to sneak into
his dad's office to use his special capture gun to capture the Elebits,
and return power to his house; however soon things begin to change. It
turns out the entire world has lost power, and it is now up to Kai and
his capture gun to capture the Elebits and return the world to normal.
Yep, that's it.
Really
Elebit's story is NOT the main focus of the game, and for the most part
you can simply forget it is even there. Each "cutscene" is a still
image with voice overs talking, which really don't sound that great
might I add, and it just really isn't something you'll get into. The
story is in fact aimed at kids, so unless you are a young kind, you will
find it uninteresting. Even so, don't let this turn you off! Elebits is
about 98% gameplay, and only 2% story; so once again, you can just
forget all about it!
Taking full advantage of the Wii Remote:
While
early Nintendo Wii games simply scratched the surface of what the Wii
remote would allow, Elebits decided to use it to its fullest, and
because of that it even lead to some future disappointment. The truth
is, not many Wii games actually used the Wii Remote like Elebits did,
and because of that a lot of people might have been lead to believe the
Wii was something it wasn't, or rather, was something it could have
became, but didn't.
Elebits
plays from a first person point of view, and controls with the Wii
Remote and Nunchuk. While you use the Nunchuk to actually move around,
everything else (including camera angle) is controlled with the pointer
on screen. It is a control system which just works very well, it is
responsive, and most people will be able to easily jump in and play! In
short, this is how a Wii game should feel, and everyone who has played
Elebit knows it!
The
basic gameplay of Elebits is actually quite simple, but the way the
game plays out makes it VERY addictive! As you walk around different
rooms of your house, and even as you walk through the town, you will
notice a lot of different Elebits that are just scattered around. Some
are walking, others are sleeping, and some might even just be playing;
however it is your job to capture these cute little creates, and then
use them for your own personal gain! By pointing the Wii Remote at them,
you can zap the Elebits with your ray gun like "Capture Gun," and then
convert them into raw energy. Each Elebit you capture has its own
wattage rating, and the more you capture, the stronger your capture gun
becomes! This is when the true game starts.
The
main idea in Elebits is to capture as many Elebits as you can within
the time limit, and it is up to you to figure out just how you're going
to do it! At the start of each level your gun will be extremely weak and
only be able to capture visible Elebits, open doors, and move light
objects, but as your capture gun grows in power, you can then use it to
move larger objects and even solve puzzles! The thing that really makes
Elebits so unique is that the entire area you are in is a huge sand box,
and EVERYTHING can actually be moved. Papers on desks can be moved,
plates can be moved, you can open closet doors and drag everything
inside out, and you can even throw beds! Just about everything you will
find in your own house is in Elebits, and all of it can be interacted
with, and that becomes a key feature!
While
the starting Elebits are in fact out in the open for you to capture,
others will require you to solve puzzles to discover, and some are even
hidden electric devices which you will need to power with the Elebits
you have already captured! From putting paper in a paper shredder, to
turning on a radio, to even picking up glass figurines and smashing them
against the ground; there are a lot of different ways to uncover hidden
Elebits, and you will NEED to search every inch of the world to find
them.
Although
Elebits really isn't anything more than a glorified version of hide and
go seek (where you are always it); the way the game presents itself
really makes it a lot funner than one might think. Being able to open
doors, and throw TV sets across the room becomes pretty addicting, and
the game basically lets you do anything you want without there being
consequences. I mean, think about it. What would you do if someone
walked up to you and told you to go into their house and completely
trash it? Chances are, a lot of people would do it, and have as much fun
possible while doing so! That's exactly what Elebits allows you to do,
and it really doesn't limit you either. Although capturing Elebits is
the main objective of the game, chances are the only reason you'll want
to do so is so you can move heavier objects, and that is a reward of its
own. Later on in the game, things do get a bit crazier. The areas you
explore become larger, different Elebit types begin to show up,
including enemies, and the time limit does start to become a bit more
strict.
At
the end of each level in the story mode you will be given a ranking
based on how well you did. The game tracks not only just how much energy
you collected in the level, but it also tracks how many times you made
too much nose, as well as how many objects got broken during your
rampage through the house. Although, I'm pretty sure most people won't
care unless they're going back to master every level.
Custom Levels, Multiplayer and Challenges:
Another
feature in Elebits comes in the form of a level editor, as well as a
challenge mode! While the challenge mode will challenge you to complete
different puzzles with set conditions/extra missions to complete (such
as finding all of the rare pink Elebits, or completing the level within a
set time), the level editor allows you to create your OWN challenges!
In this mode you can open up any map you have unlocked during the story
mode, you can place any Elebit/object you want around the stage, and you
can also create your own puzzles; however the fun doesn't stop there!
Not
only was Elebits one of the first Wii games to take full advantage of
the Wii Remote, it was also one of the first games to make use of it's
online abilities, and it allows you to actually share your custom levels
(as well as any screenshots you might have taken) with friends! This
greatly adds onto the replay value of the game, and it allows you to
create challenges for yourself as well (or you can simply just use it to
play around, really the choice is yours)!
Even
after the main game is over, the Custom Levels and Challenge modes are
sure to last you for quite awhile, and they will give you a reason to
keep coming back to it.
The
final option in Elebits is actually a multiplayer mode, where one
player controls the camera, and the others try to capture as many
Elebits as possible before the time runs out. Although it really isn't a
huge addition to the game, it is a lot of fun, and well worth checking
out at least once.
The Good and Bad:
Elebits
is actually a really good game, and it was one of the few early Wii
games that actually showed off what the Wii could do! It made full use
of the Wii Remote, it had a nice physics engine, it had nice music, and
it was a completely original concept! While most other games coming out
on the Wii were simply more of the same, just with some motion controls
slapped on, Elebits bravely took a giant step forward, and did
everything different. Really it's too bad that during the Wii's life
cycle more games didn't do the same, but here we are in 2013 and there
are only a handful of games that did it right.
Although
Elebits is a great game, it really isn't a perfect game by any means.
While some people were expecting Elebits to be the next Pikmin, they
soon found out that it was not. It was an original game all right, but
it was still lacking in a few areas. It's graphics weren't really
anything impressive, and it looked like a GCN game, the childish story
really wasn't needed, and the level design did start to fall apart near
the end of the game. Still these are only some minor complaints, and the
good definitely out weighs the bad.
Addictive
gameplay, unique motion control, and fun physics help make this one of
the best games on the Wii, and a game that really should be a part of
your collection. Because of this, I give Elebits for the Nintendo Wii a
solid 8/10! Not perfect, but a great game non the less!
