Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure

"One of the most imaginative and fun games out there for the Wii"

Ever since the Wii launched, the third party developers have largely been unable to really harness the system's interactive potential without turning their games into dime a dozen mini-game affairs. However, with Zack and Wiki, Capcom has taken very large steps to break the trend. In addition to being one of the most innovative games for the system, it's also one of the best.

Z&W is a point and click adventure/puzzle game, similar in spirit to some older PC games like Torin's Passage and the Monkey Island series. You play as the pirate Zack, accompanied always by his magical flying monkey friend Wiki. The game begins as the duo is flying on a plane en route to an island supposedly hiding a secret treasure. However, on the way they're attacked by rival pirate Rose, forcing an emergency exit as you land on the island. Once there, they discover a golden skull haunted by the spirit of the legendary pirate, Barbaros. Promised a grand reward for their assistance, the team agrees to help him find the other pieces of his body scattered around the region. While the plot is certainly no full blown narrative, the occasional interludes that take place both in and between levels are very entertaining, thanks to some rather humorous scripting. In fact, the entire story has a cartoony charm that allows it to still be enjoyable without being overly complex.

Rather than taking place in one big overworld, this game is spread across many small levels, spanning only a few screens each. Once you get to a certain level, your objective is to make your way to the treasure chest located somewhere in the area and open it. To do this, you have to use the tools and terrain around you to work your way past any obstacles and traps that stand between you and success. The atmosphere is fairly relaxed in most levels, but once in a while you'll come across one that is very intense and action oriented. What makes this game so fun is a combination how clever the puzzles are and how well the Wii remote is integrated into the usage of the tools. Whenever you grab an item, the camera shifts to a first person viewpoint, and an image of how you are supposed to hold the controller for that item is shown on screen. This is done to simulate how you would actually manipulate the item in real life. For example, to use a crank, you turn the remote sideways and move it in a circular motion. To use a tennis racket, you swing the remote in the same fashion, with the ball's trajectory dependent on when and how hard you swing. The list goes on and on, and the sheer diversity of the applications you come across is impressive. For most cases, what you do with the remote translates really well on screen, though there are a few items that are irritating to use. If you get stuck on a puzzle or fail a mission by making the wrong move, you can purchase hints and extra lives to help you along. However, I would personally discourage using the hints, since they take away somewhat from the sense of achievement in solving the levels, some of which are incredibly difficult. One flaw with the puzzles is that, on occasion, there are traps that are impossible to see coming, which can be annoying when they come in the later parts of a level.

The game looks very good visually, due entirely to the fact that the levels are so diverse and colorful. While the games levels are divided into zones that follow a common theme, no two levels are alike, and it's always a new experience to see what the next level and puzzle look like. The game does experience some nagging slowdown at times, but these instances are fairly rare and not terribly severe. The music in the game is somewhat scarce, largely because it is overshadowed by the abundant use of vibrant sound effects throughout. However, the cutscene interludes sport some decent tunes. As a side note, there is a fun little mini-game that occurs in some levels where you have to shake the remote in tune with the beat (often taken from a classic Capcom game) being played by a skeleton musician. In addition to this, there are also plenty of hidden optional things to do and collect during and after the main quest, which keeps the replay value strong.

Games as fun and original as this are hard to come by, and it's a shame that Z&W will likely go overlooked by many Wii owners because of its lighthearted and juvenile appearance (and having a name like Zack and Wiki). For those who do pick it up, though, you're in for a mind-teasing treat of a game. Let's hope other developers can take this re-imagining of the how to use the system's assets and run with it.

STORY – 8/10
GAMEPLAY – 9/10
VISUALS – 8/10
SOUND – 8/10
SWING – 10/10

OVERALL – 8.6/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/15/07

Game Release: Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure (US, 10/23/07)