I love a game demo where the developers can be heard saying things like, "We work on the projection that 20% of DS owners lose their styluses. You'll find lots of 'em lying around." Don't worry, they aren't talking about your long lost pointing pal. They're talking about a key item pick-up in Mushroom Men for Wii & DS. The brilliant minds at Red Fly Studios exhibited the new title at Gamecock Media's EIEIO event in Austin, TX last week.
It's a fungal adventure of tiny-sized proportions, and it looks fantastic. Just looking at the amazing concept artwork sucks you into the miniature universe created within the game. While a good bit of the storyline details are yet to be unearthed, we do know that it all starts when an alien meteorite strikes our planet, creating an incredible microcosm of life right under the noses of the oblivious humans in the existing populace.
The Red Fly guys made a show-and-tell presentation of the DS version first. Sadly, no one got to dig in to the mushroom madness hands-on at the time. Although brief, the DS demo focused on the gameplay in one of the earlier levels. The gill-capped protagonist started off at the bottom of a maze-like tool shed. Saddled with the task of finding a way up to the top, he set out to conquer the shelves, wooden boards, jugs of chemicals and other miscellany one might find in a tool shed. It's a 2D side-view platformer with a 3D feel, gleefully referred to as "2.5-D" by the Red Fly team. Environmental obstacles and platforming challenges create unique puzzles in the "how do I get up there" style.
The action plays out on the bottom screen, with varied control schemes available to the player. On the top screen, you'll have a stunningly detailed map of the entire area, complete with objective points and hints. The clever level design and innovative platforming elements are promising, but my applause is dedicated to Mushroom Men's item collection and weapon systems. You won't pick up an axe to wield against ravenous mutated spiders... but you might pick up a DS stylus and a razor blade to make into an axe. Actually, the DS stylus is a pretty common pick-up (hence the quote earlier in the article). A large part of the weaponry dynamic in the game requires the collecting of common items dropped inexplicably from human hands above into the rapidly evolving alien mini-world below. As you add these trinkets to your inventory, more combinations (or "recipes") become available. There aren't many better ways to describe this one other than "just plain cool." You know... more or less.
But then there's the Wii version.
I'm glad the guys booted up the Wii version last, because it turned out to be a tough enough act to follow for their studio, much less for any of the games at EIEIO. It's simply amazing, especially considering its current build and development stage. We were again shown the gameplay inside the early Tool Shed level, but with a totally new perspective apart from the DS version. Pushing the graphics to the limit and the gameplay to the sky, Mushroom Men for Wii has the potential to become one of the most endearing and entertaining adventure titles of the year.
The game plays out in full 3D rather than 2D, but the plotline, characters, weapon/item systems and objectives are similar to the DS version. However, because of the 3D environment, level design and gameplay mechanics are altered greatly (in a good way). It also just seems like there's more to do, more to explore and simply more going on in the game. For instance, rather than reaching a pinnacle point in the tool shed as in the DS version, Mushroom Men for Wii plunks you down in the "Kudzu Shed" where an overgrown kudzu vine is being maliciously devoured by several mutant rabbits. It's your job to spare the poor plant's life by ridding the shed of those ravenous bunnies.
Red Fly Lead Programmer Kain Shin manned the controls and played through roughly the whole level, showcasing the fungi's new moves. One new additive not shown before was "Spore power". Akin to magic - or technique - based moves, the Spore Powers enable the main character to perform various special actions such as telekeneisis. Judging from what was shown in the demo, you can expect that the obstacles and puzzles in the game will coax players into relying as heavily on the Spore Powers as conventional combat and platforming elements.
Gaining entry to the Kudzu Shed required a quick burst of Spore Power to move an Antifreeze jug from the door, but the coolest expo unfolded inside. With the help of some solid motion-sensing remote/nunchuck controls, Kain had that little mushroom guy racing around the room, hopping, flipping, jumping and floating up and down and even up a secret path through a derelict refrigerator. The small insect-type enemies were usually dispatched with rapid-fire spearing combos of the deadly DS stylus. Others were taken out with matchboxes, flung at high speeds using Spore Power telekinetics. But don't expect such an easy conquest over those mutant bunny rabbits. Being kicked pretty much all the way across the entire room is the likely result of tangling with a rabbit head-on. Although it's possible to defeat these more formidable foes by conventional means, the creators have designed more effective, albeit puzzling, ways of slaying the vermin.
It's the fun of the romp to figure out the creative methods... and to enjoy the ensuing hilarious reward of watching it play out to the enemies' demise. Equally remarkable is the similar dynamic placed upon the methods by which players actually traverse a level or explore new areas. Multiple solutions, varying paths and open-ended exploration are key themes that will exist throughout the entire game.
So there you have it, kids. Who knew a few little mushrooms could be so much fun? Wait...nevermind - you know what I mean!
Mushroom Men for DS and Wii offer some great experiences in the action/adventure genre, yet remain different enough to entice us to play them both. I'm still waiting to see if storylines connect between the two titles as well. But who can resist the idea of collecting a bobblehead, aspirator, whistle, rubber band and matchstick to make into a mini-flamethrower? It seems we'll just have to resist a little longer - Red Fly is aiming for a release of both games in the last quarter of 2008.
