Unfortunately for the developer, the entire concept of the game seems to have been built around an idea that is unworkable on the DS using exclusively the stylus and touch capabilities. Everything about the gameplay is inadequate in some way, and in particular cases (read: walking, jumping, running) the “quirks” are so egregious that you can barely play through the challenges.
For example, every story level requires the pickup of a star-shaped object that then allows you to complete the level. In one particular case, a piece of wood needs to be lifted up so that the string connected to it that’s then in turn connected to the star object.
After 20 successive tries, I finally had to put the game down out of frustration and pick it back up later. The main problem is that the stylus isn’t precise enough to move object around on the screen without making the main character move around and fall into the most precariously placed holes and ditches. In that particular level, I managed to lift the piece of wood every time, but whenever I went to retrieve the star, the main character would fall into the hole with piranhas in it.
Further compounding the problem of lack of precision is the fact that some objects work much better than others, stifling the creativity the game wants you to display so much. For instance, it’s often times much easier to kill something in a level with a sword or axe than it is with a gun thanks to the horrible accuracy on the guns. The main character wasn’t able to hit a bear with a sniper rifle unless he moved right up next to it. Also, some objects are just pure nonsense included in the game just for kicks and giggles – case in point, there are Robot Zombies in the game, which are just zombies with a robotic look to them. Atomic bombs can be detonated in the level, but I have tried every way possible to defend against them and the deaths just keep on coming.
The most inspired points in the game are when you try writing “Teleporter” or “Time Machine” and the whole level changes based on that. You’ll be transported to a whole new level that just exists for the fun of it.
