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Simpleness over complexity, Timing over Action, Reflex over Skill, and Hand Eye Coordination over Button Smashing. That is what you will see in Nintendo's odd game Kuru Kuru Kururin. For some reason the game was only released in Japan, which was obviously a bad choice by Nintendo of America. Kuru Kuru Kuruin would have made the GBA US Launch much better. At first, Kuru Kuru will seem like any other puzzle game. So simple, easy, and no sweat right? Well the first few levels start out easy, but later on you'll have to be seriously skilled to beat the adventure mode. There are 4 different files on this cartridge and a "Guest" game. So you and 3 other buddies and a Guest can have their own games. Graphics aren't astounding and aren't really anything to marvel at. Cute little characters and backgrounds are what you'll mainly be looking at for the first few hours. In some levels, animals will do some nice animations. But the graphics won't even be noticed once you really get into the game. Sound wise, the game has some pretty "addicting songs" that will get in your head even when you're not playing. The music goes really well with the game, and fits each scenario you play in. For example, if you play on the beach, there will be Jamacan type music. There aren't many sound effects availble. Basically if you run in to the wall you'll here a crash, and when you hit a spring a boing. Really simple again, but nonetheless effective. During gameplay you can make 6, yes 6 different honking noises. Not that these will make a difference, but it doesn't make it less fun to honk at your friends when you pass them. :D You start out with the option of selecting 3 different modes, and later on you can select all 5. The first mode is the adventure mode. You'll be spending lots of time here, as it is the main game. The story starts out as you being the older brother of 10 other cybllings. One day, the mother is taking your ten younger brothers and sisters for a walk, when they suddenly run off. Your mom realizes to late, and calls upon you "The hero" to look for them and save them. You then get in your helicopter and fly through different areas looking for them. Since it is from a bird's eye view you can only see the propeller spinning around. Basically, your objective is to reach the final goal point without bumping into any walls. If you do, you will lose one heart of your total 3. It also adds 3 seconds to your total time, which may not seem like much, but it is. Once all 3 are gone, you will explode. Luckilly for you, there are heart stations which replenish your health to full life. Along your way, you may also find moving objects, cannons shooting objects at you, and springs. Since the game will really get hard after the first 20 levels, Nintendo has added a feature that allows you to shrink your stick to beat certain levels. However, once this is done your score will not be saved, since this makes the game incredibly easier. Once you select adventure mode, you can either choose from the easy or normal mode. In easy mode you will have a shorter stick, and will make the game incredibly easier. After that is chosen you will be asked whether you want to play training mode or skip it. If you skip it, you can always go back to it later. From there on you start the adventure mode! Starting at a very easy pace, every level starts to get harder and harder. Soon enough you'll be finding yourself trying 15-30x before beating the later levels. After you beat one level, another one is unlocked until you beat the 35th level, in which the game ends. Don't think this will be an easy task though, as there are steep turns and tons of moving objects getting in your way. In Adventure mode, there are different backgrounds or scenarios. Each scenario has 3 to 4 levels, and different backgrounds. For example, in Jungle you will see apes, while in Tundra, penguins. This adds some variety into the gameplay. Also, there are 2 scores for each level you can try to beat. You can try to get the fastest time which is really hard for the later levels. Since, going at the normal pace of your stick won't allow you to this, Nintendo has added two simple manuvers. You can press A or B to use a boost which will simply make you move faster, or press A and B together which will make you go at maximumn speed. Also, if you beat a level without getting hit you will get a star, instead of just passing. This really adds incredible depth and replay value. There is also a training mode in Kuru Kuru, that will definetely be used by everyone. In training mode, you can practice the level you are on, and previous levels without worrying about dying, since you will replinish life over time. Therefore, you can practice until you have a level perfectly practiced. You can also watch the computer play which is a really cool feature. The computer will show you how to beat the game without being hit, but he won't get you any time records. This mode is not available from the start, you must start a game in Adventure mode first. Stage Select mode gives you 50 brand new levels to try and beat. This is a very good sidequest from those really hard levels in Adventure mode, and a great challenge for when you're bored. Again, there are 3 times you can beat, and you can even see the records in other people's files on the game pack! This is a great way to see who is better when you let your friends borrow the game. The levels are much shorter than the ones in Adventure mode, but are just as challenging. In Adventure mode, you will find different items stored in circles. Some may be your lost cyblings, while the majority of other's will change the appearance of your helicopter. Once you collect the item, you can use them on your ship in Edit Mode. This isn't much, but there are some cool changes you can make to your shape that make it look "nicer". You can change color, and the shape of it. For example you can have a snake shape, or a straight line, etc. The last mode is the multiplayer mode, where you and 3 friends can link up to go into head to head compitition. There are 50 brand new levels, so the person who owns the game will not have any advantage board wise. Player race to the finish to see who gets the best time. If you hit the wall 3 times you start from the beginning. The person who has the best time wins. Also, there is no interaction between you and other players. You can still see them, but cannot touch them. Kuru Kuru would have definetely sold well in the US. It is a very fun and skillful puzzle game alone, or with friends. You also only need one cartridge to play with 3 other friends. This is very good since I doubt you will have 3 friends importing the same game. Such a simple system makes it easy to pick up, while really hard levels makes it last for a long time. However, I really wish there was a create board/helicopter mode which would've even added more replay value. This game should be #1 on your import list. Overall Score: 8.3 -Third Yao Strike- |