ChikoLad
Purple Boi
- Joined
- Jan 11, 2014
- Messages
- 23,084
Story
So this is an interesting little game that just quietly released that I thought I'd share. First, let me explain the development history, as it's important.
Quite some time ago, Yuji Naka (one of the original creators of Sonic the Hedgehog and NiGHTS) left Sonic Team to start up his own indie studio, Prope. He mostly developed small WiiWare titles and the like, but the team at Prope eventually started developing Rodea, as a full-scale, retail Wii title. It was to be published by Kadokowa Games and localised by XSEED, and the game was ready to release by 2012. However, Kadokawa grew silent, and Prope was unsure of what was happening with the game, and 2012 ended without the game seeing a release.
In 2013 however, Kadokawa announced that they had been developing a 3DS version of the game to go along with the Wii game, and that the two would be released together...however, neither released, and eventually, they outright cancelled the Wii version, and announced that a Wii U version would be released instead.
However, the Wii U version is not actually the Wii version with updated graphics or anything - it's just the 3DS version that Kadokawa developed, ported to Wii U, with minimal alterations to the graphics.
At this point, it seemed all hope would be lost for the original game Yuji Naka and Prope had developed, but luckily, a compromise was made - all FIRST PRINT copies of the Wii U version, in all regions, contain a copy of the original Wii version developed by Yuji Naka, complete with a reversible cover for both versions and all, so you can even get an empty Wii box and stick the original cover on it, if you want to group the game with your Wii game collection.
The game released last year in Japan, and while it was supposed to come out in September in the West, it ended up releasing just recently in November, localised by NIS America.
The Wii U and 3DS versions do NOT do the original game Yuji Naka made justice and do not represent his ideas, as they make a lot of questionable design decisions that neuter the experience. However, the Wii version is the full experience as Yuji Naka envisioned it, and he's encouraged people to play the Wii version specifically on Twitter. Heck, when you open the box of a first print Wii U copy, the Wii version is front and center.
I guaranteed myself a first print copy by pre-ordering the Limited Edition (it comes with a soundtrack, artbook, and a necklace based on one of the game's story artifacts, all packed into a box with lovely artwork on it) of the Wii U version on the NIS America European Store months in advance, but standard Wii U copies in the first print run also include the Wii version.
----------------
So how does the game play? Well, all versions of the game carry the same core idea - Rodea is a robot that can fly by targeting wherever it is he wants to go to. Once an object or piece of landscape is targeted, Rodea will begin flying towards that area, beginning with an arc (to avoid getting stuck under ceilings and such), and will bounce off the object if it's not solid ground he can land on. His flight path can easily be changed mid-flight by just targeting elsewhere. Virtually everything in the game is target-able, so you will pretty much rarely walk, as flying is so much faster and more fun to do.
During flight, he can attack enemies with a Boost Attack. He can also use a machine gun on foot and while flying too.
That's pretty much where the gameplay similarities between the Wii and Wii U/3DS versions end though. Even what I have described above controls much differently between the two versions, and other mechanics, like health and power-ups, are handled completely differently between the two versions. Here's a short video that compares the two and highlights most of the main differences:
In short though, it is HIGHLY recommended that if you want to experience this game and it's story in the best possible way, you get the Wii U version as early as possible (or make sure it's a brand new, first print copy anyway), and play the Wii version that comes packaged COMPLETELY free (meaning the package doesn't cost extra despite you literally getting two retail discs). The Wii version is the one made by Yuji Naka, and it really shows - it's way more fast paced, the levels flow excellently for speed runs while also being big and open to encourage exploration, the controls are simple and intuitive with you effectively only having one action button, but power-ups enhance the experience and there is a lot of depth to the gameplay due to how momentum can effect Rodea (similar to a Sonic game in that regard), and it looks way nicer due to the original art direction of the game (the Wii U version looks really washed out and desaturated compared to the bright and colourful Wii version).
Also as far as the story and what not goes, it has a simple but effective charm to it and it is a nice balance between seriousness and lighthearted comedy.
So yeah, I really recommend this game, but only really the Wii version...but you have to buy the Wii U version to get that, as things stand right now. I do hope the Wii version gets a Virtual Console release on Wii U, though.
Last edited:
