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   Company Hudson Soft ESRB Rating E for Everyone Release Date US - February 26, 2007 Controllers Wii Remote Classic Controller Gamecube Controller Wii Points 600  Review by: Corbie Dillard ©2008 Virtual-Turbo |
Okay let's get this out of
the way right off the bat. Chew Man Fu is not the type of game that's
going to appeal to just anyone. There, I said it. I mean the title of
the game alone should have told you that, but I just wanted to make
sure that it was understood before I went any further. I didn't want
anyone to skip the review and run to download the game Monday and then
shoot me nasty emails about how "stupid" the game was and how they
wasted that whole six bucks that could have went towards getting their
teeth whitened or something to that effect. So now that we got that out
of the way, let's get started.
Chew Man Fu is one of those supremely odd game ideas that just seems to work for some strange reason. Let me set it up for you. You play the role of two children and your goal is to run around a maze kicking various-colored balls around in order to destroy enemies and finally land these balls on their matching-colored squares. If you're like me, you look at the screenshots and think to yourself, "that sounds really easy!" Don't feel bad, I did the same thing. Then I played the game. You have a very basic set of gameplay moves for the game which include the ability to push, pull, and kick the colored balls around the maze. You can kick the balls in order to defeat the enemies, because simply pushing or pulling them into enemies isn't enough to take them out. You can, however, push the balls into a place that will trap an enemy and give you more time and room to work with the other balls. Along the way there will be fruit to collect, but your ultimate goal is to get all of the colored balls into their matching squares. The trick is, that you'll have to maneauver them around the maze while avoiding the various enemies, which inevitably get stronger, faster, and more intelligent as the game progresses. You won't understand how addictive and fun this is until you actually play the game. Because on paper it just sounds rediculous and tedious. And with over 50 levels, you'll have plenty to keep you busy. As if the main game, which can be played with one or two players simultaneously, isn't enough fun, the game also has a 2-player "kickball mode" to choose from as well. Kickball mode is very similar to soccer in that both players have a goal on one side of the playing field and it's up to the other player to try and get the ball into your goal and vice-versa. It's an extremely simple idea but actually a lot of fun. It doesn't have quite the strategy or lure of the main game, but it's a nice change of pace if you've got another player around and are feeling a little competetive. As an added bonus, the game even offers a level designer that allows you to create your own twisted levels. It takes a little practice to get the hang of it, but once you do, it can be a lot of fun trying to come up with levels that dwarf even the main game's many insane levels. Chew Man Fu may not be the flashiest Turbografx-16 game, but what it lacks in flash, it more than makes up for in charm and personality. It's basically a very cute and colorful game that has a really captivating Japanese look and feel to it. Not a lot of detail, but the game has a very colorful and vibrant look to it that really fits in with the overall theme. It is a maze game, after all, so it doesn't have to rely on flashy visuals to offer up an enjoyable experience. The music also has a very oriental sound to it, and the sound effects are similar in style. The music in the game could use a little more variety, but the tracks that are present do a decent job of keeping with the Japanese theme of the game. Much like the visuals, Chew Man Fu doesn't have to rely on the fancy stuff, as it has enough gameplay to more than make up for any shortcomings in the audio/visual department. Chew Man Fu is an outstanding game that proves that a game can be quirky and fun at the same time. If you're looking for a great game that's got a unique feel to it, then give Chew Man Fu a try. It's not the deepest video game you'll ever play, but it certainly is hard to put down. Sometimes it's a nice change of pace to play an extremely simple game that doesn't have to rely on fancy gimmicks to be fun. That being said, you will have to put on your thinking cap every now and again to get through this wonderfully unique puzzler. |
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