Smiley World Island Challenge (Nintendo DS) - Review by Chris

Introduction

If you're someone who keeps an eye on store shelves to see what's available, you'll no doubt be aware of the abundance of puzzle titles on the DS. While not taking up much of a prominent place on the other consoles, the DS has seen vast numbers of these games flock to the console covering a wide variety of game types. Many have been new intellectual properties but some have attempted to make a decent puzzle game based upon a license and it is in this latter category that we fall today with developer Frame Studios Interactive bringing Smiley World Island Challenge to the DS. Is this good enough to leave a smile on your face or will it simply leave you frowning?

Gameplay

Smiley World Island Challenge is a puzzle game made up of a variety of simplistic puzzles carrying the Smiley franchise moniker. Each of the various puzzle types becomes progressively available to you as you play through the game's main single player adventure mode, with this mode unlocking the puzzles for play in Free Play. The single player adventure mode, titled Island Challenge, sees you spinning a wheel to land on a number and then moving around a game board in the shape of the island by a number of steps which corresponds to what you landed on on the wheel. For each node on the game board, there is a corresponding puzzle which has to be completed before you can progress on to your next turn. Successful completion of the puzzles unlocked them for play in Free Play and allows you to continue your endeavours around the rest of the island. This mode by itself will last a considerable amount of time because the game board is vast and has plenty of puzzle nodes to be completed and single runs of the board won't net you every puzzle.

The puzzles themselves take the form of some very simplistic games, many of which have been included in various other puzzle games already available. The likes of pairs, where you need to find two cards showing the same symbols, a variation on Simon Says and find the token make up a selection of what is on offer and while they are simple, they do manage to entertain and the added incentive of medals and trophies which can be gained for beating the in game high scores and completing blocks of challenges adds a level of competition to the proceedings and does make them that little bit more enjoyable and with the ability to aim for these in the Free Play, the game adds replayability on that front should you be unable to gain the top honours the first time round in the Island Challenge.

Running alongside these single player modes are some decent multiplayer offerings. The game offers the ability for 2 players, who both own the game, to play using local wireless through either a duel mode or a stripped back version of the Island Challenge, which is a very nice touch even if it isn't quite as fleshed out as the main offering. But if none of your friends have the game, the developers have included a work around so that you can play multiplayer with up to 4 players. Going into the multiplayer options, you can choose to play the stripped down version of the Island Challenge mode on one console and can add up to 4 players to play, and all you need to do is hand the DS to the next player when it is their turn. It's a great inclusion and something which should be included in games more often than it is and certainly allows the playtime for the game to increase significantly.

Controls

Everything in the game, from the menu interface to the actual gameplay itself, is controlled by way of the touch screen. Some slight button presses will get you through the first few menu options but from then onwards, you'll have to make use of the touch screen, which is by no means a bad thing as the touch screen controls are well implemented, being very responsive to any and all inputs. You'll rarely use anything other than some simple taps for the games but even when the rare occasion asks for something else, it works very well.

Graphics

The game employs a bright and colourful visual style that is in keeping with the Smiley aesthetic which gamers will no doubt be familiar with. And while it doesn't do anything particularly special with the visuals, what it does is create a fun atmosphere through the use of vibrant colours and being faithful to the brand name. Most of the puzzles are compartmentalised and use a very simple look to convey the gameplay content. For the style of puzzle games that are included in the package, the developers have done a good job in making them look good for what they are but ultimately, they are still rather basic looking.

The most work that has gone into the visuals can be seen in the single player Island Challenge mode where you move a character around a board. The board itself takes the form of an island that is well designed and filled with little details and although you won't see much more than a certain section at once because of the camera, it looks great with all the little details having gone into creating it.

Sound

Audio is a very simple affair, comprising of some very simple music and sound effects. They aren't of any particular high quality but what they do manage to do is create and complement the game's atmosphere and visuals to continue and further the fun. It would have perhaps been nice to hear something a little more prominent and lively to pick up some of the puzzles which drag slightly but as it is, it does a good job.

Dual screen

Everything is housed on the touch screen while the top screen is more often than not relegated to showing statistics or a zoomed out look at the island. It does de-clutter the interface on the touch screen and makes for a much more manageable setup which does make decent use of the screens but it's a typical setup for this style of game.

Final comments

You could be forgiven for dismissing the game based purely on the fact that it's licensed to the Smiley franchise but doing so would mean you would miss out on a surprisingly fun game. It by no means competes with any of the upper echelon of puzzle games on the DS but for a budget title, it has enough single and multiplayer content to sustain anyone for some time, although younger gamers will perhaps be better suited for the game's simplicity. It doesn't reinvent the genre but what it does is provide some brief and enjoyable fun which can be taken in small doses.

Pro: Plenty of content, puzzles are simplistic yet enjoyable, visuals are bright and nicely presented
Con: Doesn't provide anything here that isn't available in other puzzle titles, simplicity of the games will definitely turn some players off
Final score: 5.7

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