Official Website

Platform: Nintendo Wii

Genre: Action

Number of Players: 1 - 4
 

Usually, a new gaming console means new games without much in the way of a learning curve, but the Wii has given us a whole new way to play games. Every developer I’m sure is looking for an innovative way to make best use of the Wii’s unique motion sensitive controller, and so far, I’ve seen some rather creative uses. Leave it to Konami to come up with a game that isn’t just clever, it’s also fun, and that game is one of their first from Nintendo’s new system, Elebits.

Elebits refers to the creatures found in the game; small being which generate electricity. Kai (your character in the game) is a bit distressed over the existence of these creatures because his parents have been doing a great deal of research on them and once again they have left to examine this strange phenomenon. During an electrical storm, Kai soon finds himself alone and in the dark, but then he realizes that he has a solution. With his father’s capture gun, Kai sets out to find the Elebits and bring power back to his home.

The idea behind the game is quite simple, but the gameplay is what really makes the game fun and entertaining to play. Elebits is somewhat like a first-person shooter, though without any emphasis on killing. Instead, you could think of the game as a digital version of hide-n-seek. Each stage finds you in a different part of the house trying to locate the Elebits, and they certain aren’t going to be right out in the open. Even if they are, and they realize you're there, the little guys are going to try and hide making your task of collecting them a bit more difficult.

The baton portion of the Wii controller acts as your “gun” where you can look high and low for the Elebits. The nunchaku attachment is used to move as well as crotch or “stretch,” a means to see those higher areas. Sometimes these small creatures will be right in the open and easy to spot, but not always. When you spot one, simply press B to zap him and the power of the Elebit will be added into your watts, but this also will depend on their emotional state. Scared Elebits will give less wattage than those that are in a happy state or sleeping. When you’ve successfully captured enough of the creatures, different electronic devices will become activated and turning them on will bring out Power Elebits which can be used to charge your capture gun even further.

Is charging the gun necessary though? Absolutely, and you will find that your initial gun can only pick up so much. You see, you will need to move objects with the gun, and by moving in any desired direction, you can toss the items aside or even shake it to get those Elebits loose that are trying to hide. Objects that appear with a blue highlight can be readily picked up, but those that are heavier will show red and tell you how strong the gun needs to be in order to move the object. The capture gun can also be used to open doors or drawers by simply “pulling” them with the controller, and doorknobs can be “turned” in the same fashion.

Catching the Elebits can be made easier if you utilize some of the many power-ups that are found in the stages. To use these, you simply need to pick them up with the catch gun, and then smash them on the floor or against a wall. The homing laser for example will lock on to multiple targets, making collection these little guys a breeze. The noise canceller will make it easier to sneak up on the Elebits or if you’d rather, grab a pulse ball to knock out all of them within range. There are other power-ups as well, but using the ones on hand can make catching the Elebits much simpler and also assist with finding those elusive Pink Elebits that will unlock other features in the game. Also, there are boss battles featured in the game which will have you battling some of the nastiest Elebits that you’ve ever tangled with.

Each of the games stages have a number of conditions that you must meet in order to pass. There are time limits that the goals much be completed in as well, and at the beginning, the rules are quite simple; just get the necessary amount of wattage to pass to the next phase. Eventually though, you will find stages where you have to keep the noise level to a minimum and others that limit the amount of items that can be broken. Once the objectives are completed, you can keep playing until time runs out whereupon you’ll be given your ranking.

Finishing the missions and getting a good rating will award you with a variety of things. The games Edit mode will allow you to go back into the stage and redesign it to your liking. You can save these creations and, most important of all. Via the WiiConnect 24, you can send your new stage to a friend or you can save and play the ones that they have created. The game also will give you different modes once a stage is completed such as Score Attack and Challenge Mission. There is also an Extras menu where you can see the different objects you’ve grabbed during the game, replay the movies from the story mode or even get hints on how to find those precious Pink Elebits.

If you want a little more Elebits gameplay action though, you can also take on the multiplayer mode. Here, you can play with up to four players and the goal is simply to reach the objective before your friends, and you can agree upon what these will be prior to playing. However, remember not to cross the streams. Try to imagine all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light. We’re talking total protonic reversal here folks. Oh, wait, that was in Ghostbusteres, wasn’t it? Sorry, that light stream that the capture gun emits just makes me feel every now and again like I’m carrying an unlicensed nuclear accelerator on my back.

The Wii graphically is a slight set up from the GameCube, but the system doesn’t quite have the same power as what its competitors do. Regardless of that fact though, Elebits really doe look quite good and works on a more simple scale as far as the graphics go. The items remind me a bit of what you may have seen in the Katamari Damacy series, though with a bit more complexity. Elebits certainly isn’t trying to imitate what is arguably one of the most addictive and unique puzzle games around, so while there is a a bit simplicity, the game is a bit more striking in its presentation. The cutscenes though are interesting and are comprised of still images with a great amount of detail and life worked into each of them. While this may not be one of the most advance games visually, it’s the fun factor that really is going to speak to the player, and Elebits has a lot of that going for it.

At first, the idea behind Elebits might seem as though it’s just another kids game, and we all know that really is the market that Nintendo caters to, but after spending a few hours straight playing Elebits, it became obvious; this game was addictive. What has worried me with the Wii is that companies might use the same limited usage of the systems features as what has happened with the Nintendo DS, but that’s simply not the case. Konami has given Wii owners a game that isn’t quite like anything else you’ve ever seen and one that I doubt will be seen on other systems do to the issue with the controls, something that only the Wii is capable of. There’s no use in hiding it,Elebits is a title that is going to provide all audiences with some fun and this is hide-n-seek like you’ve never played it before.

-mike-