- You like casual games
- You enjoy a good puzzle-like game
- You're addicted to beating your own high scores on stages
- You are comfortable in a 3D world environment
- You don't mine "cute" games
- You can handle a non-violent game
What is an Elebit?
An Elebit closely resembles a Pikman from the GameCube with a bit more variety and color. They're cute little electric guys that run and hide from you, sleep on your toaster and microwave and hide in your TV.
What's the point?
You're goal is to collect a certain amount of energy, defined by each stage, by collecting numerous Elebits. Each Elebit will host a certain voltage of power, depending on their state of mind. An Elebit running in fear will provide less energy while an Elebit that is sleeping or singing will provide the most. You want to try to capture the most energy, therefor you want to get the Elebit in its most favorable state. Sometimes, you just want the numbers, regardless of state.As you collect power you will have the ability to turn on certain appliances and devices which will dump out a large quantity of these little guys. You capture as many as you can hoping to hit new levels of voltage to enable bigger appliances and completing the stages requirements for energy.
You Capture Them!?
The game isn't violent but you do spend a lot of your time collecting little Elebits using a beam like "vacuum" which moves and acts with the reaction of your Wii controller.You may chase the little guys down trying to zap them into energy. Some stages have multiple rooms that you can walk through and look for them so it can get challenging.
On occasion you may get frustrated trying to capture some of these guys or moving objects around the room. Using your zapper you can pull down boxes, toys, chairs, lamps, computers and hundreds of other items. You can find yourself buried in the room without access to the door if you're not careful. Digging yourself out will be the only way.
Control Scheme
The controls are done extremely well for a launch title. The world is a bit "floaty" in physics control but the cartoon style of Elebits justifies the low-gravity feel of the game.You open doors by twisting the remote, pin-point accuracy is used for turning on lights and you'll be working with the nunchuck and wii remote in unison to learn all the ducking and searching techniques.
The control scheme is designed fluidly and with pin-point perfection but will require practice. Luckily, you can spend ten to fifteen minutes in tutorials to learn the in's and out's of Elebits.
You will gain the ability to move and throw heavier items with a stronger zapper as your moving through a stage. You may start a level with the ability to lift a lamp and end a level fling a safe, cabinets, bed and other huge objects. You'll be running in and out of rooms testing your new strengths to unlock areas of a room you've not been able to gain access to yet.
Fun Factor
We thought the game would get old fast, how much fun can it be to repeatedly hunt down an Elebit?Konami mixes it up by building in stages which require concentration in order to not break expensive house-hold items. Chasing down an excited Elebit around a China table setting, vases and other expensive pottery can be difficult.
Each level will contain a number of rooms with dozens of appliances, computers and technology you can turn on and enable to hunt down new Elebits (providing you have the power to turn them on).
In short, we've not burned ourself out of the fun. The game holds more value then we initially thought it could.
Multi-player
There are a few multiplayer areas but they have to be unlocked in single player. There isn't a traditional head-to-head or co-op mode - Elebits is highly single-player focused.You may find enjoyment in watching another gamer play and helping them find areas of the room to explore by yelling and pointing. The game is exciting enough for onlookers to have a good time as well.
Longevity
This game is not Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess so you won't have the same level of in-depth storyline and gameplay. Elebits is more of a family game with a simple interface but maintains a "fun factor" above many games released on other console platforms. There is, indeed, a story to the game but it would be exactly the same without the story. The storyline is just there to tie it all together.
If you're looking for a game with 50+ hours of gameplay you may want to look into an adventure game. Elebits will succeed in longevity for gamers that want to max their scores and beat their own records. You can replay levels many times and always find something new (we're still wondering if its possible to catch all Elebits!)
Overall
Humorous, innovative and cute. Most importantly, the game is fun and colorful. It will put you in a good mood and allow you to play one or two stages without feeling like you must sit down and invest many hours at a time. A quality launch title and should be considered by any new Nintendo Wii owner.