Tornado (Nintendo DS) - Review by Andrew

Introduction

We've all seen tornados on the Discovery Channel and the awesome power of this natural phenomenon has been a constant source of fascination for humankind. There's even been a hit Hollywood movie tracking the lives of a bunch of tornado chasers and although it was thin on plot, it was certainly packed with action and memorable scenes. What would it be like to actually control a tornado though? To guide its path and decide what it picks up and discards and what it leaves alone. Developers Success were clearly intrigued by this question and set about producing the world's first Tornado sim. Any guesses to what they called it then?

Gameplay

There is a plot to Tornado revolving around some rather cute characters but, as with your average First Person Shooter, no one really cares about the story and most gamers will simply want to get down to some mindless destruction. That may sound somewhat simplified but it is actually the main aim of the game. The Story Mode challenges you to locate a number of different characters for each of the levels that, for the purpose of this game, are cities. The only problem here is that these characters are too small to see and the intended target moves around every time you play the game so it's difficult even to cheat. This makes for some frustrating 'trial and error' gameplay as well as repetition of levels. Once you've completed the Story Mode though, you can head over to the more rewarding Arcade section. The challenge here is to clear 60% of the landscape within the incredibly tight time limits and as with the Story Mode, you are likely to have to attempt this a few times before succeeding. Multiplayer fans can also access the Versus Mode but given that this is only for two players and is simply a set of races, it's hardly going to win any awards for originality.

Controls

Well you can use the d-pad to move your Tornado, but we found that it's much easier actually using the stylus.

Graphics

The isometric reworking of the various World cities look wonderful even on the DS' tiny screens but we weren't too keen on the various cartoon characters who help to push the story along. The Tornado itself is pretty good too and as it builds up speed it does actually look like it has the power to uproot everything from small cars to skyscrapers.

Sound

The music that plays during the intro and actual levels is awful and does nothing to enhance the gameplay however the sound effects are inspired, with many directly linked to what you are sucking up from the floor. Telephone boxes ring, for example, while sirens go off in emergency vehicles and best of all, finding a shark in the sea with rewards you with a short snippet from the Jaws soundtrack.

Dual screen

Your stylus is your main method of control and you not only have to continually draw circles on the touch screen (to power your Tornado) but you'll also be required to actually guide it around the playing field. In addition you can 'power up' your Tornado by locating and then using one of the many Bonus Blocks. These are scattered around the landscape and can be a great help once activated, producing twin and even multiple Tornados although only for a few seconds. The developers have even included a Microphone function and blowing into it allows you dash across the screen but again, only for a short distance. The biggest problem, of course, is that even though this is a unique and entertaining manner in which to control a game, the constant building up of speed, in order to increase your Tornados strength, does actually hurt your hands and fingers after playing for any length of time.

Final comments

There's no question that the idea behind Tornado is one of the few original game concepts that we've encountered for some time and the whole experience could have been an enjoyable and rewarding one. It looks great, it's very easy to pick up and play with a perfectly pitched learning curve and the use of the stylus and Microphone is certainly original. Unfortunately there are real flaws in the whole experience like the short time limits and the impossible to find characters. This is likely to end your session with Tornado very abruptly indeed, which is a shame for a game that demonstrates so much potential.

Pro: Original Concept, Great Environments.
Con: Trial and Error Gameplay, Terrible Soundtrack.
Final score: 4.7

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