Feel the Magic: XY/XX
Score: 88% ESRB: Teen Publisher: Sega Developer: Sonic Team Media: Cartridge/1 Players: 1 Genre: Adventure/ Miscellaneous
Graphics & Sound: With the launch of every new system comes the usual line-up of launch titles. First there’s the amazing “next-gen” title that lets gamers really see what the system can do, a sports title, and then a handful of mid-level games from companies trying to make a quick sale. Feel the Magic: XY/XX is that one launch title that is just so outlandish and unlike anything else on the shelf that you can’t help but check it out. Apart from the gameplay, one of the aspects about the game that will really grab you is the art style. Characters are merely shadowy outlines that suggest traits, rather than showing them. Details like hair, shirts, and even logos are simple details that showcase maybe one or two colors at most. These traits help to keep main characters, like you and the girl of your dreams, apart from everyone else in the game. Environments are kept just as simple, though some feature slightly more detail than others (but not so much that they feel out of place). The style may not work for everyone, but it is still very functional and fun. Feel the Magic makes good use of the DS’s dual screens by featuring nearly flawless transition between the two. Rarely is one screen used to show simple maps or diagrams, and instead shows the other side of a street or the bottom of a hill. The game’s soundtrack fits right in with the game’s style. Music is inspired by 60s go-go music, and is enjoyable the first few times you hear it. Halfway through the game, however, it gets annoying and will have you searching for the volume switch. Some voices are present, most of which are the narrator announcing the game you’re about to play. Like the music, the over-the-top “kung-fu” voiceovers (think 70s kung-fu flick) gets annoying after a few times.
Gameplay: Feel the Magic: XY/XX is essentially a group of mini-games all tied together by a love story. You start as just a guy who one day becomes smitten with a girl who passes him by on the streets. While most people would stare for a bit and move on with their lives, our hero decides to win over this mystery woman. From here on out your main goal is to impress the girl and rescue her from your rival who is also going after her. You are soon joined by a group of rabbit-eared street performers called the “Rub Rabbits,” a group whose antics resemble the crew from “Jackass” (only without the midget). From here you participate in a series of mini-games meant to win over the girl of your dreams. The story is about as original as the game’s concept and goes through a number of screwball twists and turns -- each of which set up the mini-games. The game is broken up into 19 sections, each with its own set of mini-games and some boss encounters. Feel the Magic is diverse, but there is some repetitiveness to be found. Some games have you rolling yourself into a ball and knocking over bystanders across the street like bowling pins, while another has you clearing debris out of the street as people go down a hill in shopping carts. Other games include holding hands with your girl, undressing her, and forcing goldfish out of a man’s stomach. Completing games earns “Love Points.” Once you have 100, you are able to move on to the next chapter. After completing the Story mode, which is rather short, you can play through a Memories mode. Here you can replay any mini-game you’ve already unlocked. Clearing games in Memories mode will cause them to get harder, but will also reward you with stars that can be used in Maniac mode. Maniac mode isn’t really a gameplay mode, but rather a “dress-up” mode. Stars will allow you to purchase new items to place on the girl that appear during breaks in Story mode. You can customize her hair, outfits, and other visible aspects (again, these are just black silhouettes). Some items can also be unlocked by playing mini-games (within the mini-games), like hunting for rabbits that pop-up on the touch screen during story mode. The DS’s backwards compatibility feature is used to unlock items by placing select GBA carts into the system. So far, I’ve only managed to unlock items from Astro Boy: Omega Factor and Sonic Advance 2, but it’s a pretty safe bet that most Sega GBA games will unlock something.
Difficulty: Mini-games are fun, but some technical issues make them frustrating; most of which include questionable response with the stylus. None of these issues are game breaking, and Feel the Magic: XY/XX is still short enough (and easy enough) that the average gamer will likely finish it in a few hours.
Game Mechanics: Feel the Magic: XY/XX makes full use of the DS’s capabilities and is one of the few launch games to really show what the system can do. Most games use the touch screen to either clear objects out of the way, push something, or rub places (like spray-painting or scratching). Other games require you to keep the stylus in a certain spot, such as the handholding game or timing stylus presses like the undressing game. Feel the Magic also makes use of the DS’s built-in microphone by having you blow or speak into it during games. For example, in one game, blowing into the mic will produce “wind” in the game, allowing you to rescue your love at sea. The CPR game uses both control methods and has you pressing her chest with the stylus and blowing into the mic to give her air. Feel the Magic: XY/XX is short and really, really weird -- but it’s still a fun time-waster and one of the first real showpieces for the DS’s unique capabilities.
-Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker
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