Zubo is another original DS title by EA that fell a little bit under my games radar until this year’s CES. Taking a similar strategy to that of Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure (by appealing to casual and hardcore gamers alike), Zubo looks equally polished in its presentation. However if Henry Hatsworth is the hardcore game that appeals to casual gamers then Zubo is the Yin to its Yang (in that it is a casual game that has some appeal to hardcores).
The game’s layout is an entirely 3D RPG/Adventure world where players must rescue different Zubo along the way in order to progress the story (and to gain different party members). Zubo are silly creatures that join your party and they fight the battles you encounter. Each Zubo has a move set of 4 moves and its own personality and if you’re thinking this sounds a little familiar, try Pokémon. In fact, the game is really more like Pokémon meets Mario RPG meets Ouendan with its unique battle system.
After choosing a move in battle, players can tap to the beat (as indicated by a converging ring) in order to increase the damage of his/her Zubo’s attacks. Though it isn’t necessary to tap to the beat to win battles, it does make the game easier for the more hardcore fans out there. Battles looked quite interesting but there was disappointing points about the game’s setup that the developers mentioned such as the fact that each Zubo has a preset level and does not gain levels (like in most RPGs). Also, the preset moves that each Zubo has cannot be changed thus taking away a lot of potential depth.
Outside of battles, players must interact with their environments to solve miniature puzzles and progress further through the game. One of the puzzles that was shown in the CES demo involved drawing a line of gunpowder from a keg to a wall to clear the path. Intuitive use of the touch screen should improve the game’s appeal with the more hardcore crowd but the previously mentioned lack of potential depth may counter the effect. Still, the game is another creative attempt by EA and I love to see the added effort in bringing quality titles to the platform. Zubo hits the U.S. on 3/10/2009 so keep posted for more information on the title.
