Dewy's Adventure

"Cute, clever and charming, but flawed controls"

I've been waiting for a worthy Wii platformer since its release, and so far, there has been nothing of interest. I was curious about Dewy's Adventure since its announcement, thinking it might be the platformer I was waiting for. It's finally here, and I now refuse to consider Dewy's Adventure a platformer whatever people say -- it's barely one. You have as much control over the character than you have on a slippery bar of soap, so the long wait for a real platformer continues. Regardless of what it is, platformer, puzzle game, or a mix of both, Dewy's Adventure is a short, but fun jaunt through a captivating world.

The first noticeable and worth mentioning aspect about Dewy's Adventure is obviously its attractive and colorful art style. The game looks beautiful... but sounds bad. The introduction, although visually stimulating, and all story references, including the awful voice acting, would embarrass even young kids. The game's cuteness is not a problem in itself, it's part of what makes Dewy great, but the way it's handled is just shameful. I'd suggest skipping the introduction all together and getting right into the game. It doesn't matter why you're playing as a cute droplet of water -- you don't really want to know.

Just like in Super Monkey Ball, tilting the Wiimote moves the character in the desired direction... if you're lucky. Dewy being a droplet of water, he's very slippery and slides in all directions at the slightest tilt. It took me a while to get a hang on the controls, and even with a lot of practice, Dewy still moves too loosely. There is a lot of precise jumping to make in later levels, but because of the hazardous controls and a camera that never seems to be at the right angle, it's ridiculous how many times in a row you can miss the same jump. There is no way to know where exactly you're jumping.

It's a shame Dewy's Adventure has such pitiful controls as it otherwise has truly ingenious gameplay. Dewy has the power to control temperature, and that feature alone is the heart of the game. Increasing the temperature turns Dewy into a cloud of vapor, while decreasing it turns him into ice. Not only that, but the environments also change right under your eyes, allowing puzzles to be solved. Need to cross a large pit of lava? Decrease the temperature to turn it into hardened magma. Dewy's Adventure is full of clever puzzle designs, as well as bosses that require thinking and skills.

Levels in Dewy's Adventure are sectioned in small parts, with branching paths sometimes leading to hidden stuff. The main path is however totally straightforward, and in fact, Dewy's Adventure plays more like a sidescroller than anything else. A few levels boast a more open design, with occasional backtracking to find a necessary key, but most of the game is a linear affair. The game would have definitely played better and felt more interactive if the camera gave a back view, but instead, the side angle makes it hard to navigate through some narrow, obstacles-filled paths. As stated earlier, some jumps are almost impossible to make with the camera positioned like this, in addition to the inaccurate controls.

Despite its brilliant design, Dewy's Adventure sports an inconsistent difficulty level that could turn off some players, and it's not only due to the loose controls. The first world is rather simplistic and shows you the basics of the game, but the following worlds suddenly increase in difficulty with no transition. You'll have to figure out on your own the obstacles and puzzles by trying out different possibilities, although the game sometimes gives you clues. It's also a matter of handling the controls well, as there are a lot of curved paths that can send Dewy into void if you're not careful. With the number of lives Dewy has however, restarting never really becomes too much of an issue.

The last unfortunate thing about Dewy's Adventure is its length. Although it features seven worlds, most levels can be finished very quickly and as a result, the whole game can finished within a day. It takes longer to fully complete it as you have the optional task of rescuing 100 of your little friends in each level, but this shouldn't take very long either as they're all pretty much on your way. Where Dewy's Adventure really impresses is inarguably its misty worlds that shine with beautiful graphics and changing weather effects. The music is less effective but its simple nature works in this case, if you can get over the quirky sounds coming out of everywhere.

On the whole, Dewy's Adventure is a fun and ingenious game with some very original level designs, but that sadly does not provide the appropriate controls. The game is also too small for such an elaborate concept and definitely would have had room for a lot more. If you like puzzle oriented platform games, Dewy's Adventure is a little gem that takes a while to get along with, but that you shouldn't miss. Otherwise, it's too short to warrant a full price purchase.

Presentation 8/10
Gameplay 7/10
Controls 4/10
Graphics 8/10
Music/Sounds 6/10
Replay Value 7/10

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 10/22/07

Game Release: Dewy's Adventure (US, 09/25/07)