Gamertell

Title: Toki Tori
Price: $4.99
System(s): *iPhone, iPod Touch
Release Date: August, 01, 2009
Publisher (Developer): Chillingo (Two Tribes)
ESRB Rating: Rated 4+
Pros: beautiful graphics, easy to handle controls
Cons: trial-and-error puzzle solving not inviting to casual players
Overall Score: One Thumb Up and One Thumb Sideways, 85 of 100, B, * * * 1/2 out of five.

Despite being released back in 2001 on the Game Boy Color and in 2008 on Nintendo’s WiiWare, 2009 is the first time I will have embarked on the Toki Tori adventure.

Brought to us through the porting efforts of Two Tribes and publishing duties of Chillingo, Toki Tori is a game about a chicken named Toki Tori and his quest to rescue his kidnapped brothers and sisters. Alas, Toki Tori is no ordinary chicken. He has special powers that include being able to climb ladders and building bridges, all powers which will be required to rescue his poor relatives before they become dinner. Or something like that.

Essentially, your goal is to guide our hero through 80 stages of puzzles in an attempt to collect a certain number of his yet-to-be hatched family.

For the more superficial iPhone gamers among us, Toki Tori is about as gorgeous as a platformer on this device can be. Our hero pops in a bright burst of yellow and the environment subtlety follows suite.

While anyone who has ever played a platform-driven game knows there’s no substitute for the directional pad, Two Tribe’s conversation of the WiiWare’s point-and\-click control scheme to a touch based version gets the job done although with accuracy problems. However, outside of clicking on an area, most of the navigation Toki Tori handles on his own, including climbing ladders.

What you may find frustrating is the no mercy trial-and-error of Toki Tori’s puzzles. To test out the leniency of the game’s logic curve, I tried building bridges completely across a dropoff and, sure enough, I was trapped and had to start over. Puzzle game fans will love the difficulty of this no mercy system while other, dare I say more “casual” players, will likely not enjoy repeating a particular stage numerous times due to simple miscalculations.

At the current going rate of $4.99, Toki Tori is a game that I suggest gamers with a more puzzle-centric taste picks up. Sure it’s beautiful and easy enough to control, but some of the harder puzzles in the game will most likely have the uninitiated wishing Toki Tori’s family would become processed bits of chicken nuggets. 

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