Elebits
Platform: Wii
Players who want addicting gameplay will find it in spades in Elebits.
Review by Sirus

Elebits is a strange kind of game that utilizes the Wii controls in the closest thing fans of Katamari Damacy are going to get to a longer, better sequel. That means that most people who loved Katamari Damacy are going to have a blast here, and while the game is moderately similar, in no means am I saying that you get to roll a ball around levels with the Wii Remote.

What Namco decided to make in Elebits is sort of an evolution from the ideas in Katamari and works a lot better than Katamari did. We still have off-the-wall characters and low-poly graphics that need to be so simple to keep the framerate high while you make total and utter mayhem both inside and outside the house.

The story in Elebits is very simple. You are a little boy whose parents research Elebits. One day all the Elebits go crazy and your parents leave you home alone to fend for yourself. Being a resourceful young lad, you find your dad’s Elebits capture gun and do your part to capture the Elebits that are scattered around your house. The story isn’t all that deep or interesting, but the people who play Elebits for the story are probably going to be few and far between. There are very few story sequences and they are told through still drawings and horrible voice acting. These scenes are totally skippable- even the first time through- if you don’t want to ever hear those voices again after the first scene.

Elebits could have been completely devoid of story sequences and just have a story in the manual for all I care and I would still have been hopelessly addicted. Gameplay in Elebits is simple and effective. Basically your capture gun works in two ways. First, you can use your gun to zap Elebits. Second, you can use your gun to lift up objects that are in your way or activate appliances you have powered up. There are two kinds of Elebits. One type increases the wattage of the area allowing you to power up larger appliances. The other increases the power of your gun letting you pick up bigger stuff. The former are generally found scattered throughout the stage while the latter only emerge when you turn on an appliance.

In early levels, you have a time limit and a wattage requirement. If you don’t get the required wattage in the time limit then you have to start over. Later levels add other limits. Some levels put a limit on how many things you can break (usually set at around 10 items), so if you break 10 items in that stage you get a game over. Other levels have noise restrictions (usually from 5-10) where if you make loud noises more times than the limit, you will get a game over. Other stages include things that can damage your gun. Your gun only has five health so you have to be careful not to get hit.

Elebits uses controls that work perfectly with the Wii Remote and Nunchuk attachment. You move around using the analog stick on the Nunchuk and can duck and stretch with the two buttons on the Nunchuk allowing you to see under or above objects. Aiming your gun and turning the camera are both done by pointing the Wii Remote. The aiming is very accurate and you can change the sensitivity to your liking. You can shoot either with the A or the B Button on the Wii Remote, with the former being easier on your wrist for long play sessions. You can also pull items towards you or push them away with movements of the Wii Remote, either pushing it towards or away from the TV. Elebits also lets you open doors with a twist of the Wii Remote. You first press and hold the A Button on a doorknob and then twist clockwise and either pull or push the door depending on which way it opens.

The music in the game was boring slow techno so I found myself wishing the game included a custom soundtracks option. The graphics in the game are simplistic but in no way hard on the eyes. It takes about 15 hours to complete the game’s 29 missions and there are a lot of extra things to do after that. Each mission has unlockable challenges and extra modes to play through and getting a high enough rank in a level unlocks sets of items for the level editor.

You can also play any level with up to four players with the first player controlling movement and everyone else just shooting. You can also take your edited levels and share them with friends if you know their Wii system friend code. Elebits succeeds at giving players an in-depth game with a lot of options and unlockables that is totally worth the price of admission. Players looking for a profound story should look elsewhere but players who want addicting gameplay will find it in spades.



Graphics: 8/10
Sound: 7/10
Gameplay: 10/10
Lasting Appeal: 8/10
Story: 5/10
Playtime: 15 hours
Final Score: 7.6/10