Gamertell

Title: Roogoo: Twisted Towers
Price: $29.99
System(s): Wii
Release Date: June 30, 2009
Publisher (Developer): SouthPeak Games (SpiderMonk)
ESRB Rating: “Everyone” for Mild Cartoon Violence
Pros: Interesting puzzle aspect. Lots of multiplayer options. Can connect to the DS. Colorful and bright.
Cons: Can get old pretty quick. Not all that much variety. Not very challenging. Can be difficult to catch butterflies/bats/etc while also rotating the floors. Multiplayer isn’t always fun.
Overall Score: Two thumbs sideways, 70/100, C-, * * out of 5

Roogoo originally began as an affordable puzzle game available for Xbox Live Arcade and Windows PCs. For $10, you could go through falling block puzzles that would gradually get more and more challenging and frustrating, despite the incredibly simple controls and premise. It was bright, colorful and beloved by all.

Roogoo: Twisted Towers isn’t a port of the original game. A port would likely be much better. It’s definitely Roogoo, but a far more simplified version that doesn’t seem to possess the same addictive properties or challenge of the original.

One of the few cases where meteors save, rather than hurt, the planet.

The first thing you need to know is that Magical Meteors are good. They’re bright, colorful and, magically enough, come in a variety of fun shapes. They drop to the planet Roo, where the Roogoo live, and provide energy for the Roogoo.

Some Roogoos, known as Meemoos, decided to use the Magical Meteors for undesireable endeavors. Their actions and hoarding of the meteors caused the entire planet Roo to fall apart and head on a downwards spiral. It’s up to a young Roogoo named Roogoo to guide the Magical Meteors down to Roo and keep the Meemoos from stealing them.

Easy to control with a simple goal.

You know those peg puzzle children’s toys? They’re the ones where little kids have blocks that are different colors and shapes and a board, and they’re expected to put the blocks into the spots they fit into to help them learn about shapes and such. That’s what Roogoo: Twisted Towers is like. You’ve got lots of brightly colored blocks in different shapes falling from the top of the screen to the bottom, and you’ve got to shift boards with holes in them so the correct block goes through the corresponding hole. Over and over again. Occasionally there’ll be Meemoos, little black creatures, blocking the holes. Then you have to press down to make the meteor drop down faster and crush it. But even they aren’t a major challenge.

Then there’s the net function. While you’re playing through the puzzles and shifting the floors around so the cube/meteors can fall through to the bottom and planet, there are occasionally creatures fluttering on screen. Butterflies, bats and such. You’re expected to also be waving your Wii remote around to catch these random critters while also keeping an eye on the blocks falling. It isn’t impossible, but it is both frustrating and annoying. You’re supposed to be able to use the creatures you catch to help save you if you start to lose, but its much easier to just focus on the falling blocks.

Roogoo: Twisted Towers feels a bit like My First Roogoo. I’ve played the PC version, and this can’t compare. While it has over twice as many levels, they’re nowhere near as much fun. Plus, there’s more of a focus to make it accessible. There are mini-games tossed in, for example, one where Roogoo plummets down to planet Roo while shooting Meemoos that are flying up, and one of the multiplayer modes focuses on mini-games rather than the actual puzzle. There’s even a way to play the story mode in co-op, as if it weren’t easy enough already.

Okay to play a few times, but eventually gets old.

Roogoo: Twisted Towers has its moments, but it doesn’t have much staying power. It doesn’t offer sufficient challenge, the multiplayer modes, though varied, are only adequate and can’t compare to the PC or Xbox Live Arcade versions. It seems as though the game was dumbed down for the Wii audience. Younger players will likely enjoy it, but players over the age of 13 will eventually find themselves wanting more.

If it were a $19.99 puzzle game, this would be a different review and I’d say it’s a good value for the money. But for $29.99, it’s overpriced. There are plenty of other budget puzzle titles for the Wii that cost less that $19.99 and are more innovative and engaging, like Tetris Attack, Dr. Mario Online RX, World of Goo, Octomania and all of the Art Style Wiiware games.

Site [Roogoo: Twisted Towers]