Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure

"Next gen point and click"

Zack and Wiki was made with one purpose in mind, and only one: Make the best use out of the Wii Remote. Does it do it? Well of course! Capcom has taken everything the Wii was about and made a heck of a game out of it. Does it work? Well, we will see.

Zack and Wiki tells the adventures of a group of pirates (of which you control only one, Zack, the protagonist) in the quest to find a lost treasure from a famous pirate called Barbaros. Actually is not a treasure, they are parts of his body that a curse turned into a treasure and so what you are actually doing is helping him to get together. I always liked how Capcom could take the simplest concept and add a funny twist to all of it.

The game controls like the old point and click adventure games for the PC, like Grim Fandango or Day of the Tentacle, and it plays exactly the same but with a 3D interface. The control system is not that unique after all, you point with the Wii Mote to were you want to move and you click to realize that action. The real uniqueness comes with the control scheme, which will have you shaking, waving, and even throwing the Wii Mote around like you were trying to kill a fly. Here is the biggest problem of the game yet its biggest achievement. Trying to make the game represent the gesture you are doing with the Wii Mote is an arduous task. This game was before the Wii Motion Plus, and so the controls are a bit clunky, but when you get over its flaws you will discover a world of satisfaction, as if when you put your key in a lock for the first time or use a drill to carve a hole in an icicle.

As for the aspect, well it's a Wii game, don't expect bump-mapping or flashy light effects. The whole game is designed to be a nice looking cellshaded adventure, certainly they take graphic level away to give more space to missions and replay value. You may not see to much shadows and reflections but its many levels will keep your hands busy (well in this case your hand unless you use the Wii Mote with two hands that is).

It's a good game overall, is not great, but it's the best game for the Wii at this point, if we take into account the reason why the Wii was made which is to bring a new kind of game play experience to the gamers. Zack and Wiki does that, and though it does it with flaws, it does it with style and effectiveness. It also smells to sequel so lets hope they upload it without flaws.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 11/20/08

Game Release: Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure (EU, 01/18/08)