Roogoo: Twisted Towers Wii

Roogoo: Twisted Towers Product Details

Released on 2010

• Roogoo: Twisted Towers Review

  Get Into Shapes

  Have you ever watched a baby chewing a plastic toy and thought it might make a brilliant videogame? No, of course you haven't. You've also probably never been inspired to take up game design on the strength of seeing a toddler bash the family dog repeatedly over the head with a rattle.

  That's because it's only really clever designers who can witness a boring everyday event and turn it into a completely addictive game like Roogoo.

  Tetris With Toys

  Roogoo is clearly inspired by those childrens' toys that involve the dribbling youngster placing shapes into the corresponding holes. A cube goes through the square hole, a star goes through a star-shaped hole. It's pretty basic stuff except the difference is that rather than testing a two year old's shape-matching ability, Roogoo is made much more complex by a Tetris-like play mechanic.

  things are complicated by butterflies constantly trying to steal your shapes

  It works like this. Each level features a series of floating platforms with each platform containing holes of various shapes. As objects fall from the sky the player has to rotate the platforms to allow the shape to fall through the corresponding hole. It sounds easy enough but things are complicated by butterflies constantly trying to steal your shapes (proving you can never trust a butterfly... just as we thought), and irksome little creatures called Meemoos blocking up the holes. It's a simple but highly enjoyable experience, which is why the original Roogoo was such a hit when it first appeared on Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade service.

  Wii Want More

  The great news for Wii gamers is that the game - now going under the name of Roogoo: Twisted Towers - has been given a bit of an overhaul, and while the basic gameplay in this Wii version remains the same, there are now a few added bells and whistles.

  while the basic gameplay in this Wii version remains the same, there are now a few added bells and whistles

  It's impossible to make a game for the Wii without using the console's motion-sensing controllers in some way. In the case of Twisted Towers, this is achieved by the introduction of some additional creature-based interference. Butterflies and Meemoos aside, you are also required to deal with fish and bats, which you catch using a net that you move around the screen using a Wii remote. The trouble is you have to do this while also trying to spin the platforms around. It's an inventive additional challenge but fans of the original game might find it a little distracting.

  Who's Da Boss?

  There's more to this Wii release than just a bit of added fishing, though. There are Boss battles, each featuring a different style of play and each having a different theme including vampires and pirates. And there are odd, but fun, skydiving challenges in which the player has to skirt the play area collecting shapes and shooting attackers.

  Then there are the multi-player modes. For a nice simple, direct challenge there's a split-screen head-to-head mode in which two players compete to be the first to get all their shapes to the final platform. More frantic is the four-player event in which four nets appear on screen at once and players take turns to rotate the platforms, which is kinda jolly, but also kinda bewildering.

  Despite a few frustrations, Roogoo: Twisted Towers is tremendously enjoyable. And on the basis of this, we're off to develop our own game that involves hitting a dog over the head with a baby's rattle.

  GAME's Verdict

  

  • Great gameplay.
  • Multi-player modes.
  • Boss battles.

  

  • Motion controlled additions might not be welcome.

  Review by: Simon 'Out of Shape' Kirrane
  Version Tested: Nintendo Wii
  Review Published: 26.08.09

  Published: 26/08/2009

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