With all of the intricate, expensively produced games on the market, it’s very refreshing to see some titles that attempt to simplify gaming while still providing a highly robust experience. Many of the newest downloadable titles on Xbox Live, PSN,and WiiWare have been throw backs in gaming to a time when gaming didn’t need to thrive as much on cutting edge graphics and lengthy stories but rather onthe core gameplay elements (at many times simplistic but always fitting). Games such as Mega Man 9, Braid, and Bionic Commando: Rearmed are just a few of the aforementioned downloadable titles that have seen high success for their deviation from the usual gaming trends.
Another set of systems where throwback games have thrived are the spectrum of handhelds. Systems such as the GBA have seen ports, remakes, and even add-ons to some of the older titles and we’ve even seen a few sequels to these classics. The PSP has seen a few classic throwbacks such as Ultimate Ghosts n’ Goblins and Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles which always delight old school fans. The DS is currently at the forefront of old-school gaming with recent ports such as Kirby Superstar Ultra, remakes such as Final Fantasy III-VI, and Dragon Quest IV-VI, and newer titles such as The New Super Mario Bros and Tetris DS. Again, it’s very refreshing that gaming is moving somewhat full circle and taking us back to the days of old and it seems to be paying dividends for companies at the moment.
Prey the Stars is another title that seems bent towards using gameplay to make an experience while putting other features such as graphics or story on the backburner (atrend we’ve seen from many puzzle games, though this is more of anaction/arcade style of gameplay). Everything from the aesthetics to the purposefully cheesy story scream this style of development but is the core gameplay strong enough to catch the hardcore gamer’s interest?
Clever Complexity?
The best way to describe Prey the Stars is to imagine a mix between Bomberman and Katamari Damaci with a touch of ChuChu Rocket for good measure. You compete on a grid against up to 3 opponents in a frantic race to eat items and hinder your opponents while you attempt to achieve the highest score. As you eat certain items, your belly will achieve a new level and your monster will grow and beable to eat larger items on the grid. Of course there are much more detailed gameplay mechanics but this is the gist of the gameplay in a few sentences.
As you begin the game, you’ll be informed of a story that is not intended to be taken seriously, and is purposefully bad enough to be able to skip any story scene at any time during the game (similar to any other puzzle game that isn’t looking to wow you with its story). You begin by choosing, Gabu, the only available monster out of a list of 4, who is about average in all three individual stats of Bite, Suck, and Lick.
In story mode, you play through a series of 11 different levels as you try to best your competition in an eating contest. The rundown of abilities/moves are as follows: you move around on the grid using the directional pad. Items can beeaten by pressing A for normal items (Bite), Y for elemental items (Lick), and X to suck up spirits (Suck). B spits out an item but I didn’t see much use for this. In order to slow down your opponents, you can attack them by pressing A next to them, use abilities you’ve obtained on the grid by pressing R, or blow into the microphone to push them back. Each item you eat is worth anywhere from 2-10 points and during a special “GABUGABU time,” you earn double points for any item you eat. As stated before, power-up items can be eaten to fill up your belly and if you eat enough, you can increase your size. This can be done up to twice, with a different size of items for each size of your monster (3 in all).
Abilities are earned by eating 3 items of the same kind in a row. There are 11 items in all, each of which ranges from minor to devastating effects to your enemy (some lower their score, reduce their current size, and even drain points from them). Also, there is a timing micro game that occurs during your consumption of each item that allows you to build up your power meter to trigger GABUGABU time for each well timed bite you perform. An oscillating meter shows up for each bite and if you press A or Y while the meter is in the green zone, you’ll receive a “good” and will obtain some extra points to your meter.
Also, in order to spice up the experience from time to time, each level has somewhat different mechanics from the others. For instance, stage 2 has ghosts that patrol the level and freeze you/take away points if they touch you. Stage 7, the water stage, has a mechanic where you have to grab onto an item when the tide comes in or you’ll be flung off the level to lose points and the current size of your stomach. Players progress from level to level by earning enough total points ona certain stage (points accumulate after each time you play the level) and by finishing a specific challenge on the level.
Other features that attempt to deviate the gameplay from time to time are the differences in stats for each character, a set of optional challenges that can be finished for eachlevel, as well as “skins” that can be earned by winning levels or beating high scores. These skins can be worn once obtained to change the overall attributes and inherent stats of your monster ranging from increases/decreases of the Bite, Suck, and Lick skills to increases in speed, longer GABUGABU times, and even elemental affinities. Thus, it’s clear that there are a whole slew ofmoves, abilities, skins, and options to attempt to keep the experience fresh…
Mundane Mechanics
…However, though the game does provide a lot of options for variation in battle, it still seems to lack in its core gameplay. The problem is that it’s just not very fun playing through each level attempting to do nothing more than eat a bunch of items(with very little change in the actual motive from level to level). If they could think of some very unique levels or missions, I could see the game’s mechanics pulled off a little better. However, in its current form of eat, eat, eat, the game can become quite boring.
Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s quite admirable to approach the game through this level of simplicity and we’ve seen it work for many games but the key is that most of these games relied on either strong variation from level to level or a multitude of options of levels even greater than those in this game. Take Meteos for example: this puzzle game has quite simplistic gameplay but remains fresh from the difference in gravity and strategies from level to level (larger differences than just a few small changes as with Prey the Stars) as well as a multitude of options and even purchasable content with the points you earn. In Prey the Stars, unlockable content can only be obtained by finishing levels and all of the points you earn don’t carry on from level to level.
Another example of simplistic yet effective gameplay is ChuChu Rocket. In this game, gameplay is nothing more than placing down tiles to guide your ChuChus (mice) to rockets.However, there are multiple modes of play in this game as well and the amount of levels is in the upwards 2500 range. Options like these and a near endless amount of levels makes for tons of replay value and variability.
Thus, despite my will to finish through the game, Prey the Stars quickly became a rather dull experience. It seems that this game lacks the impeccable core gameplay required to pull off an experience as repetitive as this one. It is a shame because again, I admire the developers for sticking to the plan and I do think that simpler games are extremely healthy for the gaming industry.
The one key redemption that breathes life into this game is its multiplayer options. Because the entirety of the game is based upon competition, multiplayer is a particularly fun experience (and actually the best mode of gameplay in the game). In the same way that Bomberman thrives off of its unparalleled multiplayer experience, battles in Prey the Stars are equally enjoyable. Multiplayer can be played in three different modes, using multi-card, download, and even Nintendo Wi-Fi connection to battle against your friends. Gameplay is exactly the same from story mode but the interesting catch is that you can also earn skins from playing multiplayer (and you have a better chance of obtaining rare ones from doing so). Thus, the simplistic gameplay, though lacking at times in one-player mode, is highly enjoyable when playing with your friends either locally or over the internet, and this is the key redeeming factor of this game.
Petty Presentation
As for the presentation elements of the game, they neither help nor hurt the overall experience of Prey the Stars. Fitting to the overall experience, the silly presentation allows players to take their focus off aesthetics and delve into the gameplay. Sure, the 3D graphics look about par or even above average in terms of DS games but this isn’t the main focus of the game. The graphics neither wow you or hurt your eyes but merely allow you to experience the game for what it is
The sound is also a mixed bag as many of the songs are catchy but their short length can make them sound quite repetitious at times. Also, a few of the sound effects can tend to get on your nerves from time to time. As for the game’s overall story and presentation, there really isn’t much too it (and deservedly not much reason to mark up or down because of it). And though the overall presentation isn’t particularly impressive, it’s fitting enough to get the job done.
As for the game’s overall value, $29.99 is a little pricy considering the bulk of DS games range from $29.99-$34.99 (with a smaller group at the $19.99 price point). However,if you’re into hectic, action packed multiplayer experiences and you have some friends who you could share the experience with, $29.99 is not bad for one ofthe better multiplayer experiences on the DS. Like I said, the main game quickly became a drag but the multiplayer never got boring in my experience.