Gamertell

If I had known of Opoona‘s existence earlier, it would have been enough to convince me to instantly purchase a Wii.

That wasn’t how I encountered ArtePiazza and Koei’s novel RPG.

Instead, I happened on the game by chance. I was wandering through a local GameStop, checking the Game Days ‘09 sale table one last time and searching for a Mothers’ Day present when the strange box caught my eye. I picked up Opoona and was intrigued by a sentence that declared, “Make friends with citizens from other planets to unlock new jobs and adventures.” I hadn’t heard anything about the game. There were no raving quotes from video game publications plastered across the box to proclaim its greatness. There was, however, a $14.99 “New” price tag across the front. I decided to take the plunge.

I never thought that I would be purchasing my new favorite Wii game.

Opoona came out about a year ago, on March 25, 2009. The game centers around a family of Tizians, an alien race who have Energy Bon-Bons floating above their heads or where their feet should be. Opoona’s father, Dadeena, has been given permission to use a fantastic ship to take his family on a vacation, because he was named the number one Cosmo Guard. So, Dadeena, Mameena, Opoona, Poleena and Copoona embark on a trip to Landroll.

Unfortunately, things don’t go as planned. As the ship nears Landroll’s orbit, it is suddenly attacked by three unknown assailants. Dadeena and Mameena pack Opoona and his siblings into escape pods and sends them down to Landroll’s surface. Opoona awakes in the Tokione Dome on Landroll. One of the many robot concierges, Serge, and Sage Sarit that his siblings landed safely and, though his parents weren’t able to reach escape pods, did make it to Landroll. Both Dadeena and Mameena are badly hurt and need to recover, so for the time being Opoona, Poleena and Copoona will be staying, learning and making a living on Landroll.

Initially, Opoona begins his journeys alone as a student and Landroll Ranger Trainee. The goal is to make friends on Landroll, unlock new jobs, reunite with his siblings and do whatever he can to assist his parents.

Opoona is both whimsical and entertaining, with lots to unlock and discover. When Opoona arrives in Tokione, he is given an OMP which pretty much does anything you can imagine. It has a GPS to help him find his way around, a dictionary to help provide information, connects to a bank account to store money, lets him make purchases online, shows TV stations, displays all his friends and personal information, holds his items and keeps track of his job licenses. Pretty nifty. There’s also an in-game artbook players can fill with collected images.

I especially liked the ID photo of Opoona that appears on his status screen. Serge takes three pictures of Opoona for it shortly after he arrives on Landroll. None of them are flattering, and the player gets to pick which one to use. The game is filled with little details like that, designed to make players smile.

One of Opoona‘s unique and endearing traits is its innovative control scheme. All you need to play is the nunchuk. Everything is accomplished using the analog stick, C and Z buttons. Skeptical? I was too. But once I tried it, I was amazed at how comfortable and natural it seemed. The Classic Controller can also be used, if players prefer.

In nunchuk mode, the analog stick is used to move Opoona, navigate menus, attack enemies in battle and control the camera. In battle, you hold down the analog stick, then release it to hurl Opoona and his siblings’ bonbons out to attack enemies. If you hold down the C button and move the stick left or right in battle, you’ll shift targets. If you hold the C button down while exploring or talking to people, and then move the analog stick, the camera’s position will shift.

The C button lets you confirm actions or interact with the environment. The Z button cancels decisions and brings up the OMP. Pressing C and Z at once while roaming around the environment makes the camera shift to show what’s in front of Opoona.

After using the nunchuk controls for Opoona, I can’t help thinking that other Wii games should also be using a similar control scheme. I would have loved to have seen an Animal Crossing: City Folk setup that only needed the nunchuk.

Then, there’s the price. Opoona is a phenomenal deal. You can purchase it new at GameStop for $14.99. Or, if you want to save $2, it’s $12.99 used. It’s a bit more expensive at Amazon, costing $17.99. With money being tight and people cutting back, a bargain game like Opoona has a lot to offer.

When I looked into Opoona after discovering what a wonderful game it is, I found many people likening it to the SNES classic Earthbound. While the stories and setup are very different, I can definitely understand the reasoning. Both feel fresh and whimsical, and offer a different approach to the standard RPG experience.

So next time you’re at GameStop, take a glance at Opoona. You could discover a classic.

Site [Opoona] Product Page [GameStop] Product Page [Amazon]