By Peeps
Grab some star cookies and feathers, its time to talk about Ivy the Kiwi. Ivy the Kiwi is an action based puzzle game that is on the DS and Wii. For this review I have played the DS version only. Ivy the Kiwi is similar to Kirby: Canvas Curse, only faster and it feels like a shorter game with not quite as much to unlock. The basic gameplay mechanics sound very simple, draw vines and keep the running bird safe, but it can prove to be much harder than it sounds. The gameplay remains the same throughout the whole game, so be sure to keep your touch screen calibrated and protected. There are neat bounce trick angles the player can use, but be careful since the rats can be bounced in the vines too.
During some levels it can get frustrating getting Ivy to run at a certain angle, barely dodging a trap…only to have her turn around and run right into it, but this can be avoided if the player tries to keep the vine angles low and near flat lines. There is an unsticking mechanic that prevents Ivy and the enemies from getting stuck in the vines, but it is pretty uncommon for a trapping situation. In most of the stages it is a trial and error system to learn where the traps are and how to get past them. The launching mechanic for Ivy is useful in almost every stage, but seems kind of tricky to figure out when she loses too much momentum to defeat enemies.
The levels are fairly short, but it seems good given that Ivy feels like the sort of game that can be picked up and put down alot over time for some enjoyable puzzles. The game overall feels short, but there are some additional goodies, such as extra modes and puzzles to help the game feel like there is more. The soundtrack consists of short songs that range from peppy and cute feelings to more somber tones. Sometimes the tracks of certain levels do play again in other levels, but they always suit the feel of the level.
The graphics feel well done for the game since they are cutesy, but they do not feel too mushy or out of place for the feel of the story. The character designs are well done and the backgrounds look excellent on the DS. The map lacks puzzle placement details, but the menus and story pictures look great. The story itself is not too featured, in fact much of it is left to guess until it is eventually unlocked, but it does explain what happens and why the levels were chosen.
Overall Ivy the Kiwi is a solid, but short puzzle game that does take some patience. I would give it a try on DS if you liked Kirby: Canvas Curse or other action based puzzle games.
