October 05, 2004 - As Nintendo has pointed out, the Nintendo DS system and its unique capabilities is made primarily to encourage creative game design. Developers are free to their hands at utilizing new elements, like a touch screen, microphone, and second display in their products, and it's clear that, after playing Sega's launch title, these game designers are having a blast trying new things in their project.
Sega's first Nintendo DS game, previously known as Project Rub and revealed as Kimi no Tame Nara Shineru ("I Would Die for You") is coming to the US as Feel the Magic: XY-XX. And yes, the game is as quirky as the title. Sega recently invited me down to their offices to wrap my hands around this unique collection of challenges. Whether the game is a success remains to be seen, but at the very least, I had a goofy smile on my face nearly the entire time I played the game. That should say something right there.
Feel the Magic: XY-XX follows the game's protagonist: you. You're out to score the affection of a particular beauty, and to really get in with her you'll partner up with a group of celebrity super performers in bunny ears: the Rub Rabbits. To really impress the girl of your dreams, you must partake in a series of absolutely whacked out challenges that will really get her attention.
The game is created in a very cool and unique art style that's reminiscent of the iPod commercials...something that hasn't really been seen in a videogame before. This style puts the DS' 2D and 3D capabilities to use...in many places, those silhouette characters are actually realtime 3D models. The story's told in comicbook fashion, where each panel unfolds to show what's going on in the game.
It's clear that Sega's not exactly taking the game or its situations seriously. I mean, right when the game boots up, you're faced with a warning screen:
"Do not attempt to recreate any of the situations in this game."
And when you're faced with some of the situations in the game, you'll wonder, just as I did, just how it would be at all possible to actually recreate them. Is it a joke, or are they serious? After playing through some of the challenges in Feel the Magic: XY-XX, I'm willing to wager it's the second of the two.
The US version is still being finalized for its launch this November, but Sega let me get my hands on several of the game's thirty mini-game challenges. Get ready for the weird:
Challenge one: Through a ridiculous circumstance, you must rescue an assortment of marine animals that have been accidentally swallowed by one of the characters. By using the touch screen of the DS, you must push the fish around the stomach and try to force them up the esophagus before they escape down the "other end." The lower screen shows the quivering stomach, while the upper screen shows the creatures escaping out of the character's mouth when he "gags."
Challenge two: Wash the girl. The girl of your affection gets dirt all over her, and, being the gentleman that you are, you must wipe her clean of the crud. By using the touch screen, you'll wash the dirt spots off her arms and face...but don't rub too forcefully or she'll get irritated in more ways than one. She coos and grunts at you as you clean her off, which should get you some glances if you play this game in public.
Challenge three: Show your lung power in this unique challenge where you must blow out a series of candles. Blow onto the system...your breath power and duration will be registered by the Nintendo DS' microphone, and represented on the screen as you watch the candles extinguish by the wind. Don't blow too long or your on-screen persona will get lightheaded and dizzy, wasting precious candle-blowing time.
Challenge four: Scorpions! Your girl is suddenly covered in creepy crawly, dangerous bugs, and you'll need to pick 'em off one by one. Since she doesn't trust you, she'll get extremely upset at you if you touch her instead of the scorpions. So it has to be a careful but quick task of tapping the stylus on the scorpions and ONLY the scorpions. Don't let her get mad!
Challenge five: Treasure hunting! Your "girlfriend" has tripped on the beach and lost a lot of her possessions. It's you to the rescue again, as you'll need to dig through the sand to get each of the items she's looking for. On the upper screen, she'll call out the exact item in mind...and on the lower screen, you'll need to scratch at the sand to reveal several hidden items. Uncover the right item and she'll love you for it. Uncover the wrong item, and she'll get mad. It's key to look at the details of the item, because several object look the same when covered by sand.
Challenge six: It's the running of the bulls! In this boss "battle", a stampede is taking place and you'll need to eliminate charging bulls as they're running towards you. Tapping them will remove them from play, but some bulls are stronger than others and require much more tapping to get rid of them. You'll be penalized if you tap on a human that happens to get in the way...so make sure your aim is true.
This was just a taste of what's to come out of Feel the Magic: XY-XX. According to Sega, the game will use the touch screen and microphone controls exclusively in all of these challenges...the D-pad and action buttons will not be utilized at all. Deeper into the game, the storyline unfolds a rivalry between you and another character who's also after the girl of your dreams. It will be interesting to see how all of these minigame challenges tie together into a cohesive adventure game design...but at the very least, Sega's created one of the most unique and pleasantly whacked-out game concepts since Nintendo's Wario Ware series.
