Rub it!... again.Feel the Magic: XX/YY (or as it’s known as in Japan, I Would Die for You) launched with the DS in both Japan and America, and is easily one of the oddest, most original games released in recent memory. It should be no surprise that the game’s sequel, The Rub Rabbits! (a.k.a. Where Do Babies Come From? in Japan) lives up to its predecessor in every way shape and form, and even manages to surpass it in most aspects.
Sonic Team has taken the winning formula of fun touch screen mini-games, unique graphics, and a zany love story and refined it even further. The Rub Rabbits! features 37 separate scenes, each with its own unique mini-game (only a scant two games are repeated). A few favorites from the game’s predecessor, including the unicycle and charging bulls game, return, but most of them are brand new.
The story once again involves a young man who happens upon a very pretty girl. To woo her, he’ll have to complete a series of mini-games. The twist this time around is that after a few mini-games, he’ll accidentally attract the attention of another young girl, who then develops a very large crush him. He’ll have to fight off her advances while at the same time trying to capture the heart of his love.
The new mini-games are an improvement over the selection available in the first game. As in Feel the Magic, all of the games use the touch screen almost exclusively. None of the DS’s buttons or the D-pad are used (though a few games use the microphone). The actions involved in them are more varied, and they’re at least as fun as those in the original. The mini-games start out simple, such as chasing your love through a mall and up a series of escalators, and they get progressively more complex (and eccentric) as the story progresses. Later games will have you fighting off giant crab-robots and dodging heart-shaped cannon fire. Like the original, some of the games don’t involve perils but instead focus solely on the girl. You’ll do nice things for her such as clean a wound (you’ll have to alternate between applying hydrogen peroxide and blowing on the wound to soothe the pain), and sometimes even flirt with her. There are also some mini-games that require you to hold the DS on its side or upside-down, which offers a different perspective on the action.
Most of the mini-games will require a tiny bit of practice to beat. Early on, you might breeze through them, but as you go through the game, there is a good chance you’ll fail lots of the games on your first attempt with a new mini-game. This isn’t a strike against the game. It would be quite bad if it were too easy. However, there are one or two games, such as one where you must bury people in the snow to save them from a bear, where the time limits are very tight, which can be quite frustrating.
Style wise, little has changed with the game. The story is still presented mostly through comic panels, though there are more video segments this time around. The graphics are slightly sharper. The music is also improved. It’s more complicated and the overall audio quality is better.
The Rub Rabbits! is out now in Japan and can be imported through our affiliate Lik-Sang. However, unlike Feel the Magic, the Japanese version does not feature an English option. It’s not a big deal, as the mini-games are pretty simple to figure out. If you can't stand the wait, this game is totally worth picking up. Fans of the original won’t be disappointed.
Pros:
Same zany style and similarly cute story as Feel the Magic Fun new mini-games Makes good use of DS’s various features
Cons:
A few overly difficult mini-games Still not very long
Graphics: 9.0
Improved over the original, with slightly better looking models and textures and smoother animations.
Sound: 7.5
Also improved over Feel the Magic. Bonus points for use of the Sonic the Hedgehog “ring grab" sound effect.
Control: 9.0
A few mini-games require very precise movements, but overall the game controls very nicely.
Lastability: 6.0
The story mode is slightly longer, and there’s also a multiplayer feature included to sweeten the deal.
Gameplay: 9.0
Touch screen games are fun! Everything comes together to make The Rub Rabbits! a game you will laugh out loud at.
Final: 9.0
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The Rub Rabbits! takes everything we liked about Feel the Magic and expands on it. A couple of the best mini-games from the original make a return and feel right at home with the new ones.
Topic: REVIEWS: The Rub Rabbits! (Read 1951 times)
