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IGN Review of Ivy the Kiwi?
When I first heard about Ivy the Kiwi, it was in the context of being the new game from Yuji Naka, the creator of Sonic the Hedgehog. And while that's a notable fact that may help sales (and is printed right there on the back of the game box), I think Ivy the Kiwi is a game that's fun enough to stand on its own, without comparisons to any spiny mammals that have fallen from grace.
In Ivy the Kiwi, players don't control the titular character. The baby bird just runs willy nilly through the levels, and it's up to players to keep her from dying. They do this by drawing vines across the screen that can act as platforms, walls, ramps, and slingshots. It's a simple concept, but as the game progresses and Ivy makes her way through more than 100 levels, the difficulty ramps up. I'm impressed with how subtle the difficulty progression was. I didn't even really notice until I let my roommate play the game at around level 60. He thought the game was impossible. But new concepts are introduced so gradually that they're barely noticeable while actually playing the game.
The entire game takes place in a storybook, and everything looks like it was printed on old parchment. If you were living in the world of Professor Layton, this is what the videogames would look like. The graphics are simple, but the style is great. The music is light, but catchy, and Ivy has her very own invincibility song.
Both the Wii and DS versions are the same game, at least in terms of the story mode. And the controls for both of them work very well, though I personally preferred the stylus controls on the DS. Drawing lines with my stylus feels more natural than drawing it with the Wii remote. Players can draw up to three vines at a time (the oldest one disappears automatically when a new vine is drawn). Grabbing a vine allows players to use it as a slingshot, shooting Ivy through breakable walls and enemies. You use these mechanics to pull off some really cool things, and it's rewarding to do the more complicated procedures in the later levels.
While 100 levels is a lot, most of them are easily completed in a minute or so (sometimes as short as 15 seconds). Still, there's a difference between just passing the level and completing it by earning the 10 feathers scattered throughout each. Getting all 10 feathers is a test of skill that quickly turns the game from a fun casual platformer to a dangerous practice in precise movement and death-defying acrobatics. I imagine the appeal of getting the feathers will likely wear off early on for many gamers. The game doesn't do a lot to reward the player, so there's not that drive to finish levels fast or completely. Even the story takes something like 50 levels to continue after the initial cutscene.
The Wii version also includes multiple multiplayer modes, both competitive and cooperative. Competitive allows players to not only draw vines in their window, but also on the other player's window, sabotaging their progress. It's fun, in that way where you want to punch everyone in the face when they vine-block you from winning. Co-op allows multiple players to draw vines, which is useful for making some of the later levels easier. It's more of a girlfriend/parent mode than anything, but it's a nice addition. The DS version has the competitive mode, but it's a straightforward race, and you can't sabotage each other like you can on the Wii.
©2010-09-01, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved
In Ivy the Kiwi, players don't control the titular character. The baby bird just runs willy nilly through the levels, and it's up to players to keep her from dying. They do this by drawing vines across the screen that can act as platforms, walls, ramps, and slingshots. It's a simple concept, but as the game progresses and Ivy makes her way through more than 100 levels, the difficulty ramps up. I'm impressed with how subtle the difficulty progression was. I didn't even really notice until I let my roommate play the game at around level 60. He thought the game was impossible. But new concepts are introduced so gradually that they're barely noticeable while actually playing the game.
The entire game takes place in a storybook, and everything looks like it was printed on old parchment. If you were living in the world of Professor Layton, this is what the videogames would look like. The graphics are simple, but the style is great. The music is light, but catchy, and Ivy has her very own invincibility song.
Both the Wii and DS versions are the same game, at least in terms of the story mode. And the controls for both of them work very well, though I personally preferred the stylus controls on the DS. Drawing lines with my stylus feels more natural than drawing it with the Wii remote. Players can draw up to three vines at a time (the oldest one disappears automatically when a new vine is drawn). Grabbing a vine allows players to use it as a slingshot, shooting Ivy through breakable walls and enemies. You use these mechanics to pull off some really cool things, and it's rewarding to do the more complicated procedures in the later levels.
While 100 levels is a lot, most of them are easily completed in a minute or so (sometimes as short as 15 seconds). Still, there's a difference between just passing the level and completing it by earning the 10 feathers scattered throughout each. Getting all 10 feathers is a test of skill that quickly turns the game from a fun casual platformer to a dangerous practice in precise movement and death-defying acrobatics. I imagine the appeal of getting the feathers will likely wear off early on for many gamers. The game doesn't do a lot to reward the player, so there's not that drive to finish levels fast or completely. Even the story takes something like 50 levels to continue after the initial cutscene.
The Wii version also includes multiple multiplayer modes, both competitive and cooperative. Competitive allows players to not only draw vines in their window, but also on the other player's window, sabotaging their progress. It's fun, in that way where you want to punch everyone in the face when they vine-block you from winning. Co-op allows multiple players to draw vines, which is useful for making some of the later levels easier. It's more of a girlfriend/parent mode than anything, but it's a nice addition. The DS version has the competitive mode, but it's a straightforward race, and you can't sabotage each other like you can on the Wii.
©2010-09-01, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved