LGC07 hands-on: Zack & Wiki

by Jem Alexander { Aug 28th 2007 at 1:14PM }

Throughout the '90s many of our favorite PC gaming experiences were point-and-click adventures: Discworld, Monkey Island, King's Quest VI, Day of the Tentacle and Sam and Max, to name a few. Sadly, with the development of 3D graphics the old 2D point-and-click gameplay mechanic was left behind. Grim Fandango is the only game, in our opinion, to successfully carry over the formula into 3D.

Enter Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure, the out-of-left-field hit which promises to resurrect the point-and-click gameplay of yesteryear. Tucked away in the back corner of Nintendo's press-only booth stood a single Zack & Wiki display kiosk to which no one was paying any attention (having to walk past various Pokémon, Mario and Metroid stands to get there might have something to do with it). This worked in our favor, however, as we had time to play a few levels before anyone else turned up.

Gallery: Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure (Wii)

Controlled solely with the Wiimote, Zack & Wiki plays very similarly to old 2D point-and-clicks with one exception: everything is rendered in beautiful, chunky toy-like 3D. Colorful and cartoony, the game looks like a child's Playmobil set come to life. Zack & Wiki isn't necessarily for kids, however. The puzzles can vary in difficulty and had us scratching our heads on several occasions.

The inclusion of motion controls adds to the game's charm, allowing you to better manipulate the game world and the objects you pick up. Shaking the Wiimote allows you to grab your flying monkey sidekick Wiki by the tail and ring him like a bell. This is used for exorcising the demons from the chests at the end of each level, among other things. Often you won't be told exactly what motion to make with the Wiimote in order to solve a puzzle, leaving you to work it out from context.

Levels are split up into individual puzzles which, when completed, will give you a score depending on how well you solved it based on time and failed attempts. The final score for each level will keep you replaying the game in an attempt to max out each level. A central level select screen allows you to move on to a new set of puzzles, if you get stuck, and come back later. This prevented the game from getting frustrating or boring during the hour and a half or so we spent playing.

The puzzles and piratey atmosphere (reminiscent of Monkey Island) make Zack & Wiki incredibly satisfying. We didn't get to experience much of the storyline, but, unless the writing turns out to be a total train wreck, this title is a day-one purchase for us. Not just because Zack & Wiki is a great game, but also because we want to let the industry know that there's still plenty of demand for point-and-click adventures.

Tags: handson, impressions, zackandwiki

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

samfish @ Aug 28th 2007 1:25PM

This, Bioshock and Mario Galaxy are the only games I've heard of where no one has ever said anything really negative about them.
And for only $40 bucks, it would be crazy for anyone to skip out on this game.

Jerk Face @ Aug 28th 2007 1:25PM

That looks pretty cool to me. Is it a Nintendo title or a third party?

hvnlysoldr @ Aug 28th 2007 1:29PM

Capcom

aeamek @ Aug 28th 2007 1:35PM

It's from Capcom.

Cheezeman3000 @ Aug 28th 2007 1:27PM

It's so unfortunate that this game will undoubtedly sell much less than it would if it were set in the year 2020 with the main protagonist being a well-endowed 22-year-old women who's slowly being eaten by a deadly virus.

hvnlysoldr @ Aug 28th 2007 1:29PM

That's why there's a Buy Zak & Wiki Campaign.

Shagittarius @ Aug 28th 2007 1:32PM

You had me at 'well endowed...'

Hirsbrunner @ Aug 28th 2007 2:38PM

Same here. Then you said "women", and lost me.

t_m @ Aug 29th 2007 12:29AM

well, if nintendo has successfully changed their userbase (and all things indicate they have) then a kids friendly game probably has a better chance ofselling well than an old-school frnachise like metroid.

Then again, since all the dads bought Wiis to play with their kids, maybe they'll pick up Metroid for themselves, and Z&W:The Stupid Name for their kids.

RoboChamp @ Aug 28th 2007 1:30PM

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, that child on the upper-right needs to wear some clothes...

Otherwise cool looking game :P

megaStryke @ Aug 28th 2007 1:31PM

Well, naysayers, you can't get more "hardcore" than a straight-up point-and-click adventure.

hvnlysoldr @ Aug 28th 2007 1:34PM

I could have sworn the most hardcore game is beating bones into spears in front of a black monolith.

samfish @ Aug 28th 2007 1:47PM

Pfft. That's the OLD hardcore. NEW HARDCORE is all about guns, blood and tits.
This game has none of that, therefore is will suck.

DUH.

NintendoFanbot @ Aug 28th 2007 1:58PM

All the other hardcores are fluffy marshmallows compared to TEXT TYPING ADVENTURE

Dungeon Man FTW!

doogles @ Aug 28th 2007 2:06PM

+1 for the 2001 reference.

is @ Aug 29th 2007 6:15AM

How many brand new, completely original genre's have you seen this year, Shag?

Also, are you really denying that interface has any effect on gameplay experience?

Ever played time crisis with a pad?

hvnlysoldr @ Aug 28th 2007 1:31PM

Ninjas are inheritantly better than Pirates.

BPM @ Aug 28th 2007 1:58PM

But Zack lacks an eyepatch... What do you say about that?

hvnlysoldr @ Aug 28th 2007 2:03PM

I side with Ninjas through and through.

BPM @ Aug 28th 2007 2:30PM

Your icon... is contradictory evidence!

hvnlysoldr @ Aug 28th 2007 2:41PM

If I can figure out a way to add my ninja side I would.

Ska Oreo @ Aug 28th 2007 3:06PM

psshaw. Pirates would rape Ninjas.

AstroZombie @ Aug 28th 2007 3:19PM

"Until someone really does something new with this genre I'm going to get the been there done that feeling."

Is that not what this game is doing? Evolving the gameplay through implementation of motion control, just like a Wii game should? Of course, you'll never know one way or the other, because you'll never look into it beyond a few screen shots.

AstroZombie @ Aug 28th 2007 3:20PM

Goddammit, replied to the wrong comment.

Shagittarius @ Aug 28th 2007 3:39PM

Making me make hand motions rather than typing or clicking is not making a game new. Its recycling an old game and dressing it up.

I don't know for sure what this game is like because I haven't played it. But if the only difference is I make hand motions instead of typing my commands its nothing new. Just another take on an old game.

Shagittarius @ Aug 28th 2007 1:33PM

In the same way that Beyond good and evil turned me off with its character design and artwork this game is doing the same thing. I'll probably never pick it up.

I'm not saying that its a fair way to judge a game but when something is ugly to you personally its really hard to get around that.

megaStryke @ Aug 28th 2007 1:35PM

Book covers, Shagi. Book covers.

mr nimblewick @ Aug 28th 2007 1:39PM

You thought Beyond Good & Evil was ugly? Shag, you miss out on so much.

hvnlysoldr @ Aug 28th 2007 1:39PM

You don't judge a book by its cover. You read the forward. Just the tone of it will tell you all you need to know. Like if the book is about erotica it usually has an arousing forward to all seeking pleasure. Or a family book for their relatives.

samfish @ Aug 28th 2007 1:49PM

Coming from someone who insists that games are an art form, you're really depriving yourself (and it's also somewhat odd) if you're letting something like character design determine whether or not you play a game that is roundly considered great.

Shagittarius @ Aug 28th 2007 2:22PM

I don't deny that samfish, but the revoltion I feel when I look at the characters and design is this game is just like your were asking me to pick up a turd.

Its really hard to pick up something that looks really awful to you. It didn't appeal to me on the surface, so much that it actually repelled me.

I don't have time to play every game, sometimes critically acclaimed games don't appeal to me either.

For example I didn't play:

Beyond Good & Evil
Psyconaughts
Okami

Beyond good and evil was pureply due to its presentation.
Psyconaughts was beacuse I was sick as hell of platform style games.
Okami is again beacuse I didn't like the presentation, and I heard about the drawing mechanic which sounded really lame to me.

I have not tried any of these games and I doubt I ever will. Just beacuse they are highly rated doesn't mean anything if the appeal to me personally isn't there.

I bet I've played a bunch of games that you've never played that you would enjoy if you tried them.

All in all reviews are a pretty bad way to determine what games to buy now. It used to be simple to review a game but games have become so much more than what they use to be that the reviews mean nothing to me anymore.

Jamie @ Aug 28th 2007 2:30PM

Oh, I get it. You just can't stand games with good art direction. Bring on the brown and the bloom, I guess. And characters whose appearance is startlingly higher in fidelity than their animations. We need more of that.

Shagittarius @ Aug 28th 2007 2:31PM

Let me add this as well. I don't see probably 90 percent of the Oscar award winning movies either. Why? Beacuse most of them don't have an appeal to me. I love movies but I don't see the ones that someone else says are great if I just have no interest in it.

megaStryke @ Aug 28th 2007 2:42PM

If you don't listen to reviews and opinions then how the hell do you figure out which games you like? You have to actually play the games in order to find out what's appealing to you. What you are telling me is that you looked at a few screenshots of Zack & Wiki, thought that the character models weren't aesthetically pleasing to the eye, and vow never to touch it. You completely ignore the reviews, no matter how well they champion the game in question, and instead judge it based on "the way those blocks and those character heads look make me are so bad that they must negate any and all good qualities in the game." I cannot accurately describe how foolish you sound. It's not that the gameplay doesn't appeal to you, it's that the shapes of objects is visually disturbing.

Christ, how are games like this "revolting" anyway? Did you have nightmares as a kid of creatures that look like these dudes? Are you an animator and these people stole your work in the past and are making money off your designs?

Wow. Simply wow.

Shagittarius @ Aug 28th 2007 2:50PM

Some things don't appeal to me. I'm sure some things don't appeal to you either.

I am not interested in adventure games in the least. I played tons of adventure games on PC back in the 80s when they were the dominant genre. This was primarilly beacuse it was the best style the medium was capable of. Until someone really does something new with this genre I'm going to get the been there done that feeling.

Oh, and the art is ugly.

Shagittarius @ Aug 28th 2007 2:53PM

I'm very sorry to say but in some circumstances the graphics can kill an otherwise capable game.

If they had chosen a soundtrack by KC and the Sunshine Band for Lord of the Rings I think it would have affected my viewing experience of that as well.

Ska Oreo @ Aug 28th 2007 3:06PM

What? Beyond Good and Evil was awesome!!! I loved the look too.

Johnny Bloom @ Aug 28th 2007 3:21PM

Cut Shagi a break. Allow me to compare it for you. OAtmeal is delicious. It's warm, and sweet (cinnamon & apples for teh win), and brings back memories of those cold winter days as a kid. I love oatmeal, except for the texture. That's what Shagi is saying. He is pretty sure that it will be good, but the "texture" of the game just doesn't suit his pallate.

megaStryke @ Aug 28th 2007 3:28PM

This game IS something new and fresh in the adventure genre. And the art direction is fine. You think it looks ugly, but that is apparently not a universal consensus. Get OVER that.

megaStryke @ Aug 28th 2007 3:33PM

"OAtmeal is delicious. It's warm, and sweet (cinnamon & apples for teh win), and brings back memories of those cold winter days as a kid. I love oatmeal, except for the texture. That's what Shagi is saying. He is pretty sure that it will be good, but the "texture" of the game just doesn't suit his pallate."

No, what he is saying is this: He will never TOUCH the oatmeal ever because of the texture, even though he's pretty sure everything else about it is magnificent, and he will ignore any and all critiques about that oatmeal because his mind can never be changed. It's not even that the texture of the food makes him gag when he puts in his mouth. Just looking at it makes him gag.

Shagittarius @ Aug 28th 2007 3:36PM

I like oatmeal but I like it without the water. Yes I like dry oatmeal. I've been eating it that way forever.

No this is not an analogy. I just like dry oatmeal.

john @ Aug 28th 2007 3:42PM

That sounds like a personal problem.

Mr Khan @ Aug 28th 2007 6:26PM

I can somewhat sympathize with Shagittarius on this one. Artistic games rely a lot on your personal tastes, as that's what art is about. If one particular style happens to turn him off, its not really his fault

I can also sympathize because i find most oscar-winning movies to be very pretentious (except Pan's Labyrinth, a whimsical journey that equals NiGHTS, in a way), and would rather watch lowest-common-denominator stuff like the ATHF movie, and the Metalocalypse cartoon