DS PREVIEW
E3 2008: Hands on with Zubo on DS
Cute games abound on DS, but few actually have substance to back up their loveable appearance. Zubo hopes to buck the trend, pairing a downright sickening brand of cutesy characters that come together for some of the most original gameplay we've seen yet on the handheld. Despite being geared for kids, our hands-on with with the game has us looking forward to what could be one of the most important new games of the year.
No, we've never really grown up.
Zubo casts you into a bizarre world populated by miniature creatures called zubos. These blocky beings come in 55 varieties, each themed respective to their living space. Squads of five zubos live in every locale ranging from the freaks in Horror House to the cowboys in the Wild West. There's even a hilarious squad of swashbucklers inhabiting a Pirate Cove. Each zubo takes on a particular personality, such as the Horror House squad's Drakool whose pallid skin, fangs, and black clothing give him a vampiric vibe. There's also Quasimodo's long lost cousin Hunchy, as well as Dombie, Boltz, and the mummified Ragz.
After befriending the zubos, you take it upon yourself to save them from obliteration at the hands of zombified zubos aptly called zombos. This involves engaging zombo enemies in turn-based combat using a party of three interchangeable zubos. Attacks are issued via rhythmic mini-games. Depending on the type of attack or ability, you're asked to time taps of the touchscreen in line with a collapsing circle. Nail the timing with a 'sweet' attack and you're rewarded with bonus damage. Succeed with perfect timing to get a 'super sweet' attack and disrupt the turn order to hasten your next turn.
Outside of battles, you'll work with your zubo friends to conquer all kinds of simple platforming puzzles. In the Horror House, for instance, the zombos have hidden portraits that you need to recover. Exploring the mansion and opening treasure chest located in odd areas completes the mission. Getting to the chests, however, isn't as straightforward as that. You need to overcome a number of obstacles including spiderwebs and ghosts.
Zubo makes clever use of the touchscreen and microphone with regard to both of these obstacles. Blowing into the microphone does away with pesky webbing. Scaring away ghosts takes a bit more effort, though, requiring you to light the tip of your stylus with fire and then scribbling on the screen to shoot the ghastly griefers out of sight. Other uses of the stylus and microphone include positioning TNT in a quarry in the Wild West and then blowing on the fuse to speed up detonation.
Despite the simple nature of its gameplay, Zubo boasts such a variety of activities and an absolutely likeable style that makes it irresistible. Visually, it's absolutely gorgeous and the sound is equally as impressive. What has us pleased is how serious Electronic Arts is in its approach. Rather than a half-hearted attempt at an original handheld game, it's gone all in and the results are immensely promising. We'll have more as the game's winter release approaches.
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