Kororinpa: Marble Mania

"Kororinpa is a little gem that is over too quickly"

If you've never heard of Kororinpa before, then no wonder. It's a short and sweet game which gameplay's reminds of Monkey Ball. A little game with no pretension, just trying be fun by using the Wii's main function.

Although Kororinpa shares a lot of similarities with Monkey Ball, Kororinpa also steps apart, or rolls apart. If you've ever owned one of these little cubes with a maze inside and a tiny ball to move around it, then think of Kororinpa as a bigger and better version of it. Whereas in Monkey Ball you control the ball, in Kororinpa you don't control the ball, but the whole level. By tilting the Wiimote, you tilt the maze, and thus the ball moves. Another difference is that the goal isn't solely to roll the ball to the exit, but to find a certain number of crystals scattered around the levels.

Most of the levels consist of straightforward paths with obstacles, others consist of simple mazes. You'll need to naviguate the ball through these layouts, watching out for gaps. It requires a lot of accuracy, but the controls are pretty responsible for the most part so it plays very well, save perhaps for some later levels that have you holding the Wiimote in awkward positions with your wrist twisted sideways, which makes controlling the ball less obvious. The camera also sometimes slightly gets in the way, since you can't rotate it and often need to go backwards without knowing what's ahead.

Otherwise, Kororinpa is fun, but sadly way too short. With only 5 worlds, it can be easily finished within a single day, even 2 or 3 hours. Later levels can be pretty challenging, but most of the game is a breeze. Most levels take from 1 to 2 minutes to complete. You can unlock a lot of additional balls with different attributes, and beating the game unlocks a mirror mode, but the replay value is still thin. It's also too bad the game looks extremely generic, with little stuff going on. The backgrounds are bland looking and a milestone from impressive. Same with the music, nothing spectacular, but does the job.

Kororinpa is a nice game that uses the Wiimote well, but it feels like something small that should be part of a bigger game. It gets a bit tedious once it's over and it doesn't last long enough. It's definitely perfect for a rental though.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 07/30/07, Updated 01/16/08

Game Release: Kororinpa: Marble Mania (US, 03/20/07)