Post by Fryguy64 on Apr 4, 2006 8:14:31 GMT -5
This is the first review I've done in a while, but then Odama is the first game to be released in Europe before the US (and in this case, even Japan) for a long time.
And so... here begins my review of...
Odama
2006
Developer: Vivarium
Published by Nintendo
If you have been following the progress of this game's development for the last year or so, then you'll know it's a military strategy title mixed with the age-old classic genre of pinball. If you are approaching it thinking the game will be weird, then you're underestimating it. This game is VERY weird...
You play as the assembled armies of the Yamanouchi clan, who, while small, have in their possession the two keys to victory. One is the Odama - a giant ball with ultimate destructive power. The other is the Ninten Bell, a large bell that can aid you in battle, as well as end it when carried through enemy gates. The army believes in the prophecy of Ninten-do... three kanji that start each line of an ancient poem.
In the game, you are given a battlefield filled with enemy troops. At the bottom of the map you will find your flippers, guarded by the general (you) and operated by giants. More giants arrive on the battlefield carrying the Nintenbell slowly towards the enemy base. You control the left and right flippers using the L and R Buttons, and you dispatch your troops with the Z Button.
The first stage is a lot more like a straightforward pinball table. It isn't until you collect the scrolls (all of which seem to be available on the first three stages) that you learn commands. This is where the controller-mounted microphone comes in handy. Call your commands to your troops and they will follow them. They include things such as "move right", "press forward", "charge" and so forth. The main use of these at first is to make sure your troops are not harmed by the Odama as it rolls towards them.
Your goal is to get the Nintenbell from the south end of the table to the north end, where the enemy gate can be found. Obstacles litter your path, as do enemy troops. The Odama can be sent to destroy pretty much everything. Your troops are simply a levelling-out device - if you have more troops than the enemy, then they will press on towards the goal, but if you're outnumbered, then the Ninten Bell will be pushed back towards you.
Which leads to your all-important content management system. How can you increase your troops? The key is to turn the Odama green, either by rolling over one of the small green orbs hidden inside huts, or by collecting hearts and ringing the Ninten Bell when it glows white. With the temporarily green Odama, your troops will not be harmed, and enemy troops crushed by its weight will become your reserve troops.
But it gets harder than that. The morale of your men is viewed as a power bar. If you crush too many of them, give them the wrong orders, or take too much time, then their morale will sink. Sink too low, and when you want them to make the final "Charge" through the gate, they will not listen to you.
Worse still... you only get to keep troops in your reserve, and who follow the Ninten Bell through the gate at the end of a level. If you lose too many troops, but still win the map, then the next level will be considerably harder. Then there is the timer. You have to get the Ninten Bell through the enemy gates by sundown (around 250-300 seconds on the clock) or you lose.
Enemies are relentless in their attack, waiting for you to draw near to their posts before the charge out and attack. Caves down the sides of the stages may be filled with enemies, the final push through the gate is always met by strong resistance, and specialist enemies (such as the archer towers) can burn your army away. Take too long, and the enemy's horsemen will charge straight out of their gates towards yours with one purpose - to freeze your flippers temporarily. You have to work fast to crush them all, and if you do then you can dispatch your own horsemen to charge through the enemy ranks!
There is no doubt that it is a hard game. It's not too long, but it takes a lot of time to work out what to do on each stage. Luckily, it is filled with little touches that make it easier to keep coming back to. The first one you'll notice is that the game is Japanese, but with English subtitles. It has not been redubbed (aside from the shouting you do yourself), and Japanese text can be found throughout... but you're always given the translation as well. Then there is the narrator. As well as telling the story and giving you the rundown of each battlefield, he will also be on hand to shout at you when you lose, and to express surprise when you retry a level (the best of these "retry" options I got, after my sixth time retrying a stage was "Wow, Nintendo gamers are a stubborn bunch!") Finally there are the comments of the soldiers themselves. Whether being shot or crushed by the Odama, or whether following your orders, they will call out with speech bubbles what it is they are thinking - some of which are amusing. If these turn red, you know they have stopped listening to you.
It's a very pretty game, with rolling green hills and ancient Japanese architecture - but the characters have been rendered less carefully than, say, a Pikmin. This is only really noticable during the early sweeps of the stage when the narrator is telling you what to do, but some of these character models would have looked bad on the N64.
But style over substance seems to be the rule. Even the manual is a delightful departure from the often clinical instruction books you tend to get - with an introduction by the head of Vivarium, a fold out map with information on all of the stages, and it's generally very well designed. It even tucks away all of the boring stuff usually found at the front of the manual at the back.
As with all pinball games, especially ones set to timers, this is a very hard game. If you don't run out of troops, you will probably run out of time. Trying to keep the Odama from crushing your own men slows you down when you're trying to smash up everything, and sending men to pick up a much-needed item is a laborous process... no galloping across the plains in high speed here... they march there... slowly... and carry it back... slowly. So you have to be on your toes at all times.
It's hard and stylish... but thankfully, it's also very solid. The gameplay has been well polished, and you do want to keep going back for more, especially when that crazy narrator keeps telling you to give it up!
And so... here begins my review of...
Odama
2006
Developer: Vivarium
Published by Nintendo
If you have been following the progress of this game's development for the last year or so, then you'll know it's a military strategy title mixed with the age-old classic genre of pinball. If you are approaching it thinking the game will be weird, then you're underestimating it. This game is VERY weird...
You play as the assembled armies of the Yamanouchi clan, who, while small, have in their possession the two keys to victory. One is the Odama - a giant ball with ultimate destructive power. The other is the Ninten Bell, a large bell that can aid you in battle, as well as end it when carried through enemy gates. The army believes in the prophecy of Ninten-do... three kanji that start each line of an ancient poem.
In the game, you are given a battlefield filled with enemy troops. At the bottom of the map you will find your flippers, guarded by the general (you) and operated by giants. More giants arrive on the battlefield carrying the Nintenbell slowly towards the enemy base. You control the left and right flippers using the L and R Buttons, and you dispatch your troops with the Z Button.
The first stage is a lot more like a straightforward pinball table. It isn't until you collect the scrolls (all of which seem to be available on the first three stages) that you learn commands. This is where the controller-mounted microphone comes in handy. Call your commands to your troops and they will follow them. They include things such as "move right", "press forward", "charge" and so forth. The main use of these at first is to make sure your troops are not harmed by the Odama as it rolls towards them.
Your goal is to get the Nintenbell from the south end of the table to the north end, where the enemy gate can be found. Obstacles litter your path, as do enemy troops. The Odama can be sent to destroy pretty much everything. Your troops are simply a levelling-out device - if you have more troops than the enemy, then they will press on towards the goal, but if you're outnumbered, then the Ninten Bell will be pushed back towards you.
Which leads to your all-important content management system. How can you increase your troops? The key is to turn the Odama green, either by rolling over one of the small green orbs hidden inside huts, or by collecting hearts and ringing the Ninten Bell when it glows white. With the temporarily green Odama, your troops will not be harmed, and enemy troops crushed by its weight will become your reserve troops.
But it gets harder than that. The morale of your men is viewed as a power bar. If you crush too many of them, give them the wrong orders, or take too much time, then their morale will sink. Sink too low, and when you want them to make the final "Charge" through the gate, they will not listen to you.
Worse still... you only get to keep troops in your reserve, and who follow the Ninten Bell through the gate at the end of a level. If you lose too many troops, but still win the map, then the next level will be considerably harder. Then there is the timer. You have to get the Ninten Bell through the enemy gates by sundown (around 250-300 seconds on the clock) or you lose.
Enemies are relentless in their attack, waiting for you to draw near to their posts before the charge out and attack. Caves down the sides of the stages may be filled with enemies, the final push through the gate is always met by strong resistance, and specialist enemies (such as the archer towers) can burn your army away. Take too long, and the enemy's horsemen will charge straight out of their gates towards yours with one purpose - to freeze your flippers temporarily. You have to work fast to crush them all, and if you do then you can dispatch your own horsemen to charge through the enemy ranks!
There is no doubt that it is a hard game. It's not too long, but it takes a lot of time to work out what to do on each stage. Luckily, it is filled with little touches that make it easier to keep coming back to. The first one you'll notice is that the game is Japanese, but with English subtitles. It has not been redubbed (aside from the shouting you do yourself), and Japanese text can be found throughout... but you're always given the translation as well. Then there is the narrator. As well as telling the story and giving you the rundown of each battlefield, he will also be on hand to shout at you when you lose, and to express surprise when you retry a level (the best of these "retry" options I got, after my sixth time retrying a stage was "Wow, Nintendo gamers are a stubborn bunch!") Finally there are the comments of the soldiers themselves. Whether being shot or crushed by the Odama, or whether following your orders, they will call out with speech bubbles what it is they are thinking - some of which are amusing. If these turn red, you know they have stopped listening to you.
It's a very pretty game, with rolling green hills and ancient Japanese architecture - but the characters have been rendered less carefully than, say, a Pikmin. This is only really noticable during the early sweeps of the stage when the narrator is telling you what to do, but some of these character models would have looked bad on the N64.
But style over substance seems to be the rule. Even the manual is a delightful departure from the often clinical instruction books you tend to get - with an introduction by the head of Vivarium, a fold out map with information on all of the stages, and it's generally very well designed. It even tucks away all of the boring stuff usually found at the front of the manual at the back.
As with all pinball games, especially ones set to timers, this is a very hard game. If you don't run out of troops, you will probably run out of time. Trying to keep the Odama from crushing your own men slows you down when you're trying to smash up everything, and sending men to pick up a much-needed item is a laborous process... no galloping across the plains in high speed here... they march there... slowly... and carry it back... slowly. So you have to be on your toes at all times.
It's hard and stylish... but thankfully, it's also very solid. The gameplay has been well polished, and you do want to keep going back for more, especially when that crazy narrator keeps telling you to give it up!