Despite being one of the oldest genres of gaming, platformers can still surprise consumers with a little developer innovation and some quirky charm. In the case of Atari’s latest platform offering, The Munchables, this has been achieved by combining various genres and concepts together.
Drawing inspiration from the likes of Namco’s own Pac-Man and the Katamari games, as well as the more traditional conventions of the platforming genre, The Munchables delivers an experience that Wii owners are certain to find enjoyable.
Munchables are hungry creatures who survive by munching on the local wildlife. When the evil Don Onion and his faithful space pirates attempt to take over the Munchables’ home planet, the ravenous critters must fight back in the only way they know how – by chewing and swallowing.
Fortunately, this won’t be as challenging as it might sound. As his name suggests, Don Onion is an onion, and his seemingly vicious space pirates turn out to be a mix of vegetables, fruits and chocolates. With this in mind, it’s clear that The Munchables has the light-hearted atmosphere and cheeky sense of humour that make many Wii games so popular.
“The Munchables is definitely the cutest game we’re releasing this year,” says Atari’s product manager Lauren Bradley. “It’s a really quirky and fun platform puzzler that is super addictive.
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“Kids will be our focus but adults and fans of games like Katamari are going to like this one too. The cartoon graphics which make up the colourful Munchables world look great on Wii.”
EAT ME
The object of the game is to eat as much as you possibly can to make your Munchable big and strong – more than a subtle nod towards the time-honoured parenting issue of getting children to eat their vegetables. The more they eat, the larger the character grows, allowing them to take on larger enemies and the eight bosses, before finally confronting Don Onion himself.
There are over 150 enemies to consume in the game, each of which are modelled on something edible, with bizarre characters such as Eggplanter, Space Shroom and Rice Baller. Even the bosses are twists on commonplace foodstuff, from the hard-hitting Brocco-lee to the towering Big Choco.
The weaker enemies can be gobbled up in a single bit, but the larger ones need to be tackled more strategically. Players can either focus on devouring smaller foes until they grow to be big enough for these larger villains, or they can attempt to break them down into more manageable chunks.
There are a variety of challenging modes that are certain to draw players back for more. Aside from the standard single-player campaign, a Time Attack mode allows gamers to hone their skills by mastering each level within a strict time limit. There’s even a co-operative mode if they wish to enlist a friend to help them take on the forces of Don Onion.
The addictive nature of the gameplay makes The Munchables perfect for fans of the genre, with the Katamari-like challenge enticing the more competitive completionists within the Wii demographic. However, the game’s cutesy style makes it more appealing to children and Atari will be targeting this audience with its marketing efforts.
“Marketing-wise, we’ve focused efforts on PR with a campaign heavily weighted towards the kids press with coverage due to appear in all premium eight to 12 year-old print publications and some children’s TV channels,” says Bradley. “We also showed the game at the MCM Expo to anime fans.”
