Hello Kitty's Cube Frenzy

"Fun-filled time with cute puzzle"

All the Hello Kitty lovers should not miss this nice puzzle game.

Adjusted rating : (8/10 overall)

For Hello Kitty fans, this game is 10/10 --- A must.
For kids loving puzzles, it is 9/10
For Pacman lovers, it is 6/10 --- Cute, but too short and too easy.
For people who hates Hello Kitty, it is 1/10 --- Don¡¯t waste your money to see these fat kitten.

IGN gave a discouraging review on this game, just ignore it. This game is not intended to avid gamers or thrill seekers, but a special gift to all the Hello Kitty fans. It features almost all the Sanrio characters.

Summary of Good/Bad :

Good : Lots of superb Kitty pictures, Good Music, all the Sanrio characters except Melody the rabbit, 2-player mode
Bad : Where¡¯s the Melody? No gallery option. No game edit. Need more movie.

Game Play :

Basically, it is a puzzle game similar to the Tetris or Gunpey, but more in line with Lode Runner if you remember Doug Smith. The speed will not change, the layout of the puzzle will get more challenging as you progress.

Game play is very simple to learn and addictive. You can direct Kitty to move left or right, walk or run. And you should also manipulate the falling blocks to remove or build structure to get the items. So it could be told as a cross of Tetris and Gunpey.

The puzzle start with very easy tutorials and gets advanced little by little. The final level with Badtzu Maru is the most challenging but still enjoyable. Your blood pressure will remain slightly above the average. For me, it took about 3 hours to complete the entire story mode and extended mode games. I think within 2 hours also possible. After completing each the story and extended mode game, you can select all the characters and puzzles you completed in Free Play Mode.

The difficulty is suitable for kids from 10 to 50. You can enjoy 2 player game, one is co-operative and the other is competitive. It is rare to have a co-operative 2 player option in a puzzle game, and it was done very nicely.

However, you cannot build your own game using game-edit. Well, I loved to play with my son in his own game of 'Monster Farm Jump'.

Graphic :

In each game, you will be delighted to find a cute background graphic of Kitty and other Sanrio characters. (Where is Melody? I want see her hop and run.) They really are the eye-candies. It contains two cut-scene movies, opening and ending. I want more!!! I miss the option to view the pictures after completing the level.

Music :

It is very amusing, not obtrusive BGM. It adds the flavour the game with a gentle touch.

Bonus benefits for children¡¯s psychology :

Watch carefully how your kids are doing in 2 player mode. If they¡¯re blaming each other constantly, you should try it with your better-half before yelling at them. What do you find?

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 04/23/01, Updated 04/23/01