Eduardo the Samurai Toaster Review for Nintendo Wii

System: Wii (WiiWare)	Review Rating Legend
Dev: Semnat Studio	1.0 - 1.9 = Avoid	4.0 - 4.4 = Great
Pub: Semnat Studio	2.0 - 2.4 = Poor	4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
Release: Jun. 15, 2009	2.5 - 2.9 = Average	5.0 = The Best
Players: 1-4	3.0 - 3.4 = Fair
ESRB Rating: Everyone	3.5 - 3.9 = Good

One saving grace for the game is that up to four players can play cooperatively (local only), with players jumping in and out at any time throughout the adventure; it definitely helps, too. The gameplay remains the same, but it's certainly a good deal more fun to have a handful of buddies to act silly with. There's also a friendly fire option, and though it doesn't actually allow you to shoot your friends, you can toss them and things tossed at them do damage.

Eduardo the Samurai Toaster screenshot

On the production front, Samurai Toaster is one heck of a great-looking game. It features a very unique and playful art style that uses hand-drawn, 2D sprites and backgrounds alongside various 3D elements and a host of interesting visual effects. To be honest, some of it can be a true strain on the eyes, and one particular level should come with a seizure warning, but on the whole, it's a wonderful game to look at. The variety (sans enemies) is robust, but we did have occasional issues with seeing platforms within some of the more active backgrounds.

The music is decent, but it's also unremarkable. Most of the tunes sound like stock themes, and they do little to add excitement to the gameplay. The music never ramps up or cues you when you're fighting a boss, and the trance-like loops only add another layer of blandness to the game. The sound effects are equally flat, though; considering you'll be doing little more than shooting nonstop for an hour, that's perhaps for the best. Enemies make almost no sound when they're defeated, and for a shooter, the overall experience is a bit too relaxed.

Eduardo the Samurai Toaster gets high marks for originality in style and visual appeal, but in the end it's a mostly uninteresting and repetitive shooter. There are some bright spots to be found in the level design, and the controls and game construction are spot on. However, it just has so little to offer, especially for an $8 WiiWare title. It will take you little more than an hour to run through the entire game, and once you're done, that's it - no editing features, no extras, and certainly little reason to go back. There are some great raw materials here, but the developer doesn't really go anywhere with them.

By Tony Capri
CCC Freelance Writer

RATING OUT OF 5

RATING DESCRIPTION

4.0

Graphics
A really fun, stylized look and presentation fitting for the WiiWare platform.

3.9

Control
The simple and straightforward control set-up works very well, though tossing enemies with the B button feels a tad clumsy.

3.4

Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
There's a decent variety of music, and to some extent it works fine. However, the soundtrack does little to accent changes in levels or to introduce bosses.

2.5

Play Value
There are some enjoyable basics to be found here. The game construction is sound and polished; it just isn't interesting for more than a few minutes. The subtle change-ups from level to level are the only minor star of this package.

3.0

Overall Rating - Fair
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

Drop in co-op play for up to four players.

Use 5 different pastry pickups to upgrade your firepower.

Battle enemies through 13 unique levels.