The Munchables - Bandai/Namco
While I wait for the Club Nintendo award to be announced, I tried my luck at playing another unusual game. At first glance it looks like just another cutesy shovelware title for which the Wii system is over saturated with. A surprise, The Munchables is developed by Bandai/Namco, the same team that brought the Katamari series for the PS2. The music is quirky just like Katamari.
Game PlayChoose a game character either Chomper or Munchy who resembles Kirby. Both could pass for Pokemon characters. Use the Nunchuck stick to move around the screen eating enemies who are not bigger then you. Larger enemies can be knocked down to smaller clones by crashing into them with a charge attack. The smaller clones can be eaten if they are smaller then Munchy but be careful, the duplicates merge to become the larger enemy again. So its a charge, eat and dodge strategy.
Similar in Katamari, as enemies are eaten the game character grows larger. This allows Munchy to travel to new locations in the screen by either jumping a fence or eating a powerup on top of a cannon or fountain. The cannon can literally throw you off, sometimes getting shot to a far away section of the landscape.
Collecting StuffEverything you collect goes to a Tabemon Encyclopedia which gives a picture and description of what you ate. This puts a bit of Pokemon gotta catch them all into the mix. A reference trophy case of what still needs to be collected.
Munch ButtonI hate how the Munch command button has to be continually tapped to eat the enemies. This really puts a damper on the game, imagine playing Pacman and continually having to hit a fire button to eat the pellets. The Wii Remote or Nunchuck do not have Auto Fire built in. Not even third party Wii controllers, unless one imports from the UK. Fortunately there is an easy work around to gain the continual munch.
ControlsThe Munchables game has a selection of controls to pick from. Unlike most Wii games that only support the Remote and Nunchuck, the Classic and now getting rare to see in a Wii game; the Gamecube controller can be selected. The additional control capability offer a couple huge advantages.
1. Some Third Party Gamecube controllers have Auto Fire.
2. With a Playstation controller adapter, certain PS1/PS2 Arcade Sticks can be used. Most Arcade Sticks have an Auto Fire mode, great for enabling the munch command. The trick is finding a combo adapter Arcade Stick setup that allows the arcade stick to emulate the analog stick. An older PS1 Blaze Twin Arcade Stick works but not a PS2 Thrustmaster Arcade Stick for example.
3. Certain PSX adapters such as the Mayflash Classic Controller have an Auto Fire button built right in the adapter. A Sony Dual Shock works perfect and gains with the auto fire.
ItemsCollect certain items to temporarily gain a powerup, I found two so far. A vacuum to suck in enemies similar to Kirby, but not just in front but all the way around Munchy. The other item is a Quake power which continually drops like a giant hammer knocking down the enemies. Perhaps one of the unlock characters later on the game might have an auto munch capability?
BossesThere are boss levels each requiring a different approach to beat. Some need to be hit from behind with a charge attack, the grape boss was confusing at first. Ricocheting the thrown grapes back was the key.
Adam Glasgow wrote:http://nerdmentality.com/article/4764/review-the-munchables/Upon completing a level your character bends over and pushes out what looks to be those plastic capsules that cheap vending machine toys come inside of. Even worse, your mentor is covered in these anal projectiles as they fly from your rear-end. Even worse, the more he's covered, the more thrilled he seems to be. They look like, you guessed it, big steamy piles of crazy colored dookie. I can only imagine how they got away with an "E" rating.
StickersEach game includes a bonus sticker inside the case. These are usually hard to come by when buying the game used. I was lucky to get two different stickers from two different gamestop locations. I have the Broccoli and Mushroom Bosses, not sure which one is more rare. A search of Google images only popped up these two, I wonder if there are others? This is as bad as trying to get the complete toy collection out of cereal boxes.
WebsiteThe original website is gone. A shame it had extras that could be downloaded.
If anyone can find an archive, please post!ConclusionThe Munchables is aimed at the younger crowd. However, older gamers can enjoy it due to the unique quirkiness of the game. The munch button can be tiring, so be sure to find an auto fire method as described above. The game itself is a concoction mix of Pacman, Cubivore and Katamari. Its not as satisfying as Katamari but still a good bite of a game.
References
Artwork Images: http://spong.com/game/11045576/mode/asset/type/12
Review: http://www.411mania.com/games/reviews/1 ... ables-(Wii)-Review.htm
Review: http://www.armchairempire.com/Reviews/w ... hables.htm
Review: http://nerdmentality.com/article/4764/r ... unchables/
Munchables PDF Manual: http://support.namcobandaigames.com/ind ... aditemid=8
Similar Games
Cubivore review: viewtopic.php?f=2&p=529160#p529160
Katamari Review: viewtopic.php?f=32&t=25806&p=326982#p326982
