Product Features
- Genre
- Adventure
- Publisher
- Capcom
- Release Date
- January 18, 2008
- Available Platforms
- Nintendo Wii
Related Items
Zack and Wiki Quest for Barbaros Treasure
An old fashioned LucasArts style graphic adventure, as seen through the eyes of Capcom's Japanese developers, this is one of the Wii's very best games. Zack the pirate is able to use objects around him, as well as employ Wiki the flying monkey to turn ani
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Ross McIndoe September 07, 2010 WII
As you all no doubt are aware, Nintendo's latest console has been quite the commercial success. In fact, its done so well they could probably start their own space programme, no doubt involving a moustachioed Italian plumber. They might even be able to genetically engineer a real life Yoshi.
However, since this success was largely due to marketing it towards a more casual, family orientated audience, many games aimed towards core gamers get lost amongst the piles of party games endorsed by A-listers like the Ant & Dec and the Redknapp family. ( I don't know where all that dough is being re-invested but I'd suggest they spend more on hiring less punchable celebrities)
Zack & Wiki is a perfect example of a great game getting great reviews but still selling like out of date hotcakes (see what I did there?) which Capcom must be getting mighty sick off after seeing Okami go the same way. At a certain point all the 5 star reviews in the world cant make up for the fact that no-one is buying your game.
Which is a great shame as its one of the most charming and innovative games to be released in some time and really does deserve more love.
It plays like a classic point & click puzzle game following the story of trainee pirate Zack's quest to become famous by tracking down the fabled Treasure Island where he is told he'll find the legendary ship of the famous pirate Barbados.
After this goal is established in the first level of the game, nothing else really happens story-wise until the very finale which is a shame as the game features a cast of incredibly likeable, funny characters who are left underused by the game's lack of a real plot.
However, this is a minor complaint as the Gameplay more than makes up for it as it uses the Wii-mote better than just about any game on the system. Puzzles are solve by using the remote as a variety of tools from saws to fishing rods to bombs all of which require the player to work out not only what tool to use but how. When using an item , the game switches to first person and essentially acts like a mini-game, with the player using the Wii-mote as if they were actually holding the tool. Where does Zack get all these items? You ask, well that involves explaining the craziest element of this game, the title's other character-Wiki.
Wiki is a flying golden monkey who doubles as a magic bell that turns other animals into useful tools. If that makes any sense to you whatsoever, I suggest you calmly make your way to the nearest mental hospital and check yourself in indefinitely.
This ability, however strange, keeps the Gameplay fresh throughout and it controls like a dream, making such clever use of the Wii-more that it really couldn't have been done on any other console, a refreshing change from the tacked on waggle controls of many wii games. Obviously Sony's Wii-too motion controller will make a port possible, something I'm fully in favour of as if there is one thing Playstation lacks, its magical, shape-shifting simians.
The icing on this crazy cake of a game is the charming graphical style that looks like a children's cartoon and really makes the most of the Wii's lack of graphical power by going for a super stylised look.
In many ways, Zack &Wiki is responsible for its own failure as it seems unsure if who its aimed at, it has the cartoony visuals and charm of the child-friendly games traditionally found on Nintendo's consoles but is actually a pretty tricky puzzle game, that'll leave even experienced players scratching their heads at some points. On top of that, it can be incredibly unforgiving as dying at the wrong time can require you to play the entire level again which is more than a little annoying, especially in some of the late levels which can be pretty long. Not only is this at odds with the game's family friendly appearance but it also discourages trial and error which sucks some of the fun out of the game as you'll miss out on many chances for experimenting for fear of dying which, while often hilarious, such as seeing Zack eaten by strange ewok creatures or roasted by a giant dragon, results in having to trek through the entire level again.
Its also one of the only point & click games released on this generation of consoles and, to my knowledge, the only one charging full retail price rather than appearing as a cheaper downloadable title.
So yeah, a game without a clear audience, of what is practically a dead genre on a console on which party games regularly outsell those aimed at core gamers. And Capcom are surprised that this didn't sell?
To conclude, the game oozes charm and is filled with puzzles that are as clever as they are bonkers, making it one of the best games on Wii, one of the most inventive games this generation and well worth picking up, especially as you can now find it for a tenner, a bargain as it comes with the added benefit of knowing that by buying it you're supporting the development of innovative games and encouraging developers to continue to take risks and think outside the box. Also, to include more magic monkeys.