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Maboshi’s Arcade Review for Nintendo Wii

Maboshi’s Arcade Review for Nintendo Wii

The term “arcade” tends to evoke images of a dimly-lit room filled with noisy machines, flashing lights, and kids lining up in front of their favorite game cabinets, anxious to feed it full of quarters and test their mettle in twitchy, hi-tech challenges. While the earliest of such establishments featured simplistic 8-bit games with basic shapes and incredibly simple-to-grasp play mechanics, things have come a long way in the last few decades. However, it might come as a surprise to some players that a trio of present-day, WiiWare arcade games based on three primitive shapes has the potential to offer more enjoyment than a fully hashed out retail release.

Maboshi's Arcade screenshot

So far, WiiWare has been a great platform for fostering some unusual gaming ideas without posing as big of a risk for developers that are brave enough to venture out on a limb. Maboshi’s Arcade takes three simple shapes – a circle, a stick, and a square – and turns them each into challenging games that possess a Tetris-like level of addictiveness. On their own, the arcade games are highly entertaining in short bursts, but things get a bit zany when you combine the three together.

Regardless of which mode you choose to play, the game screen always contains three vertically-oriented, rectangular windows arranged side-by-side. The game automatically loads up any Mii avatars you have saved on your system into a menu bar on the top of the screen. Dragging a Mii avatar onto any of the windows lets you play one of the three game modes in the available slot you’ve picked. Up to three people can play any of the games they choose at the same time, independently of one another, but the beauty of this arcade trio is certain events that happen within a particular game window cause elements to bleed into adjacent windows and have an effect on the gameplay of other opponents. The game is best enjoyed with two other human players, though you can get the same experience when playing solo. If you play by yourself, the A.I. will eventually kick in and start playing other games in the available windows.

Maboshi's Arcade screenshot

The goal in all of the arcade games is to rack up a million points – an objective that’s not easily met. While all of the three games utilize simple controls and straightforward gameplay, each is very different and possesses its own unique challenges. In the Circle game mode, you’ll control a rotating ball that continually spins in one direction or the other within a spherical arena. Small enemies will appear towards the center of the arena and slowly work their way towards the outside. By changing direction with a simple press of the A button, you’ll move back and forth, gaining momentum as you go, in order to launch the ball into each foe before it escapes. If even a single foe makes it to freedom, the game ends. This is the most frenetic of the three games, and new bumper elements and enemy behaviors are introduced as you progress to higher levels.

In the Stick mode, you’ll control what appears to be a matchstick that rotates on an axis anchored to its round head. Slightly tapping the A button once you gain enough swing momentum will send your matchstick flying in the direction of its swinging tail. The goal is to move upward through an obstacle course of enemies and other dangerous elements without the head of your stick coming into contact with them. The swinging end will send enemies flying when it hits them and earn you points in the process. Moving a long distance will slow your swing momentum, forcing you to remain stationary while it builds up again. This can be tricky, when enemies are wandering precariously near. Power ups and score multipliers can be picked up to give you a boost along your way.

Maboshi's Arcade screenshot

While the other two modes are action-oriented, Square mode provides a slower-paced puzzle game that’s possibly the most enjoyable of the bunch. Moving in single steps along a grid field using the D-Pad, you’ll inch your square upward through a maze of shapes. As you proceed, you’ll leave a snake-like trail behind you that eventually sparks a flame and follows you on your winding path. Any adjacent squares touched by your flaming tail will ignite and eventually burn out over the course of several steps.

Maboshi's Arcade screenshot

The game ends if you block yourself into a corner and can’t move or if any squares that haven’t been burnt touch the bottom of the screen (which advances upward with each step). You’ll encounter bombs that ignite large sections of blocks and other goodies on your travels.

Each game mode in itself is quite engaging. They’re easy to play, tough to master, and tend to draw you back for more. Playing individually is highly enjoyable, but the fun quickly amplifies with a crowd. Like Voltron, the three games in Maboshi’s Arcade are way more badass when formed together into a single entity. Different game modes interact with each other in unusual ways when played next to one another. Whacking enemies in Circle mode will send them flying across the screen into the other games. They’ll cause blocks they hit in the Square game to catch fire. Enemies hit in the Stick game will take out foes in the Circle game. Also, swinging your stick off the edge of the screen when the Square game is being played adjacently will take out any blocks it hits. This unpredictable interactive relationship makes each of the games far more interesting when played as a group and provides a big incentive to play with friends.

Maboshi’s Arcade sports a pleasant-yet-basic graphical presentation and good audio. The Mii support is a nice touch, and the multiplayer component is very well implemented. As an added bonus, you can download the whole package directly to your DS. The portable versions of all three games sport more simplistic retro-style visuals but otherwise contain the same audio and spot-on, addictive gameplay.

Though it might initially appear to be yet another crummy puzzler collection for WiiWare, Maboshi’s Arcade is actually a pleasant surprise. The three distinct arcade games offer some very fun and difficult casual gameplay, and the interactive element of playing all three on the same screen is simply brilliant. Puzzle addicts, arcade enthusiasts, and players seeking a solid and inexpensive multiplayer experience will find this WiiWare title fits the bill nicely.

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 3.6 Graphics
Simple visuals do the job just fine. The presentation can get a bit cluttered, but it’s quite ingenious. 3.7 Control
Single-button control presses make each game effortless to handle. 3.9 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Catchy music and good sound effects. 4.2

Play Value
Playing each game alone can be an addictive endeavor, but playing all three with pals greatly extends the fun.

4.0 Overall Rating – Great
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

  • Three uniquely addictive arcade games meant to be played by three people simultaneously.
  • Your actions impact gameplay for other players enjoying other games on the same screen.
  • Support for Miis and direct to DS download.

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