New Zealand Story Revolution
Score: 60% ESRB: Everyone 10+ Publisher: Ignition Entertainment USA Developer: Rising Star Games Media: Cartridge/1 Players: 1- 4 Genre: Platformer
Graphics & Sound: New Zealand Story Revolution is a remake of the 80's arcade game of the same name (only minus the Revolution part). Like most good remakes, Revolution keeps the original's core mechanics largely intact while transplanting a few new DS specific features to go along with a shiny new exterior. Unfortunately, the core mechanics don't get along with the new features that well and end up rejecting them. New Zealand Story Revolution is a cute game. Everything about the game is big, bright and full of cavity-inducing sweetness. Even the most fearsome of enemies look cuddly and make you wonder why everyone is fighting in the first place. Okay, so it doesn't go that far, but it gets pretty close to it. Despite the overwhelming cuteness, New Zealand Story Revolution still looks good and develops a nice style that is reminiscent of a time when games were a little more upbeat and knew what things like blue sky and colors looked like rather than multiple shades of grey and war-torn angst. Sounds follow suit. Nothing about the soundtrack is particularly memorable, but it has just enough pep to fit into the mood the game is trying to project and keep you happy even after playing the same enemy-ridden area for the fourth or fifth time.
Gameplay: New Zealand Story Revolution is remarkably faithful to the original. You play as a bow-wielding Kiwi bird whose friends have all been kidnapped by a leopard seal that plans on making a meal out of them. It's up to you to navigate the labyrinthine levels that make up the New Zealand landscape and rescue your friends. Levels are fairly straightforward and stick to the core principles found in older platform games. You'll have to jump, double jump and shoot your way through endlessly regenerating enemies and levels that, although simple, can become pretty frantic and feature that strange addictive quality that keeps you coming back for some sadistic reason. Although the game is predominately a platformer, you'll also spend a lot of time jumping into vehicles. Most enemies come with some sort of vehicle and, if you can knock them off, will happily let you fly, float or drive away with them. Every mode of transportation you come across has its own feel, though most of the time they aren't all that useful. There are a few times where they make sense, though some just feel like they were thrown in to give you yet another thing to do.
Difficulty: Even though New Zealand Story Revolution is probably aimed more at the twenty-something audience that likely remembers the original, the cartoon graphics will probably be a sure signal to parents that it is meant for a much younger audience. One level into the game and parents will probably find a very frustrated kid spewing a few choice words picked up from dad while watching a football game. In other words, New Zealand Story Revolution is incredibly difficult for even the most seasoned of players. Enemies spawn so fast that you rarely get even half a breath between kills. Not only does this remove any sense of accomplishment, but it also takes your attention off the three or four other things you're asked to do at any one time. Even though most levels are linear, it is still entirely possible to miss keys or cages, adding needlessly painful backtracking into the equation.
Game Mechanics: Most, if not all, of New Zealand Story Revolution's shortcomings are directly related to the whole "revolution" aspect of the game. Nearly every added feature makes use of the touch screen in some way. One of the more successful features places mirror images of the level on each screen; the catch is that one screen features one key difference that you need to spot. For instance, a cat sitting in the window may only be visible on one screen. After finding the corresponding window on the bottom screen, you need to touch it, opening a door to the next section of the level. Other mini-games include a kiwi tight-rope walking area or turning cranks to open doors. While an inventive use of the DS's features, none integrate with the core gameplay all that well. Getting back to the "spot the difference" example, the constant stream of enemies makes it hard to locate the area and touch it while also avoiding and attacking enemies. It's also a little too much to ask players to find a way to balance the stylus in their hands while also using the D-Pad and face buttons. Not only is it uncomfortable, but the controls aren't that tight to begin with, so you end up losing even more control. If you're a New Zealand Story fan from way back, you'll dig the remake. Everything that made you a fan of the original is kept largely intact. However, if you don't count yourself among this elite group of fans, New Zealand Story Revolution will only fuel your argument that old games weren't that great.
-Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker
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