Dear lord…talk about the day that wouldn’t end. Non-stop work today, and I’m ending the night with a headache. I just have to keep in mind that it’s all relative. There are plenty of people out there in much worse situations that me tonight. A headache and a heavy work load shouldn’t even be complaints! Always helps to put things in perspective. With that said, I hope you all had a fantastic day, and I’ll keep my fingers crossed for a great week as well. See you all in a few, short hours. - RMC
Well, sorry to say that GameFly has yet to send me either No More Heroes 2 or Tatsunoku vs Capcom. I guess a lot of you guys must be renting it yourselves, eh? I’m sure both games will be good…it’s just a matter of how good, isn’t it? Since I have yet to get my hands on either game, stay tuned for a review of Blaster Master: Overdrive next week. Quite a surprise, eh? Nintendo just keeps cutting it close with these startling WiiWare launches! Lastly, some people seemed upset that I didn’t complete Crystal Bearers before reviewing it. I think my opinion on the matter was explained well enough. If you really don’t like it, just pay attention to the blurb at the start of each review and look at it as an “extended preview” or some such. The important thing is that I try to be upfront and honest with you guys. I hope that’s appreciated because I could always just review games like everyone else without you knowing how much time I put into it…It’s up to you.
Lastly, this review brings up an issue that I have always taken into account with DLC titles: price. If a DLC game (or any game in general, really) has a lower price I will have lower expectations from it. That just makes sense to me. That said, enjoy the review. Later days~
The Magic Obelisk
-Wii Little Sprout-
Time played: About 3 Hours
Obtained: Purchased on Shop Channel [500 Points]
Completion: Completed the game and an extra level
-Small Spirit on a Small Adventure-
The Magic Obelisk, from the get-go, is clearly a cheaply developed WiiWare title designed for a young audience. This much is pretty obvious just by watching a trailer for it. That said, this is precisely the kind of platform that games like this can now thrive in. Games with low budgets and low price tags have totally changed the gaming landscape, and Magic Obselisk, while not superb, is a nice little diversion for Wii owners with a few bucks to burn.
The game’s plot is simple but original: Lukkus is a young tree spirit in the form of a little boy. In this world, tree spirits venture out in the land to find a good place to take root and sprout into a proper tree. The problem? Direct sunlight is what triggers their transformation. If you’re familiar with the WiiWare title “LIT” then think in reverse here: Magic Obelisk is a puzzle game about navigating environments by moving through shadows. It’s tackled in a different manner, of course — a more flexible one, thankfully. Puzzles don’t necessarily have an A, B, C approach. Granted, most of the time there is a formula that needs to be followed, but it’s not always exact and I found myself working through areas in slightly different ways than the obvious solution. Speaking of obvious, did I mention this game skewed young?
Granted, by the end there are definitely some that require a little more brain matter than you might expect, but I managed to get through the game with minimal difficulty — I didn’t even need to resort to a guide, which, for me, is kind of telling for this type of game. This isn’t to say I didn’t enjoy the game, but it is extremely cutesy, with a simple theme of serving others that concludes with an adorable ending. The narrative actually takes dominance in a handful of levels, which makes the game feel longer than it actually is. Of the 33 levels (plus one extra I unlocked) about five or so are extremely short and present little actual gameplay. This game has easily be played through in a single sitting if you’re up for it. And that’s not a bad thing, given its audience. Frankly speaking, many games are too long and involved for a general audience to complete. Magic Obelisk presents an endearing if brief tale with simple gameplay, a good learning curve, and is just the right length for a budding gamer to complete.
The presentation is probably what will be an issue for some, as it can’t be understated how childlike everything is presented. This game has an audience it’s going for. But the gameplay has some fun ideas. Players control a fairy (who thankfully never utters a word) that can create light against Magic Obelisks (see what they did there?) to make shadows appear. These shadows can be rotated by spinning around the column, and different Obelisks can produce different results: red ones produce heat, blue ice, and yellow wind. Each of these elements aren’t quite used to their peak of puzzle design, but they certainly add a nice little touch to the shadowplay navigation. It’s short, it’s fun, and I imagine younger gamers will be challenged but certainly capable of completing it with a little assistance if needed.
There are a few issues that hold the game back from being a solid recommendation for the platform, however. For starters, camera control is nonexistent, which can be an issue from time to time. Also, there were a few points (the last level in particular) where it was really difficult to guage exactly where a shadow was. Considering that at these points the shadows are being cast vertically over surfaces like water or a PIT — don’t ask me how that works) and there is no top-down perspective, this might be why. Lastly, you have no control over Lukkus directly. Which means that if you leave him idle to wait for you set up shadows for him, he may end up wandering himself into a spot of shadow that might disappear or rapidly change, leaving him high and dry. I was also periodically frustrated with his innate ability to automatically detect the paths I laid out for him. Earlier on, this was a convenience. Later on, as things ramped up in complexity, he seemed to get confused and end up running along an unfinished path only to turn around and go backwards rather than wait for me to finish creating a shadow for him. They’re manageable issues since you can press the 2 button to call him in a direction but even then he would occasionally ignore my command.
-Growing Some Courage Leaves-
The Magic Obelisk is a small game for a small price. You can certainly find better games on the Virtual Console and WiiWare service for 500 points but it’s a good game for its asking price. I was left with a smile on a face and felt my $5 had been spent with just enough reward to warrant them. With some more content to explore and some technical tweaks to the formula, this could become a worthwhile franchise. The cheap price for a budget game isn’t so bad here. If you want something for a younger gamer to give a spin or just have a few Wii points in your pocket and want something a little bit different, The Magic Obelisk is a decent buy.
-High Score-
7/10
