"Truly 'Sega'"

Of the launch titles of the DS, and widely regarded as the best game to show off the full capacity of the DS' features, Feel the Magic is one of many peoples most anticipated DS titles. But is it much more than a tech demo?

Graphics

Feel the Magic as a very nice graphical style to it. The look is very stylised, but if it were very down to earth, realistic graphics, the game would not work as well. This is because many of the things that happen in the game are not realistic. Having realistic graphics would take away some of the magic. All in all, the graphics are pretty sweet, and some effects (like the comic book panels at the start of every stage) are used well and look great.

Gameplay

The gameplay is where feel the magic really shines. No longer are we constricted to using buttons on a portable. Now we can Rub, Touch and Blow. This makes for some very interesting missions, including wafting a bonfire, unicycling and yachting. All of the missions make great use of the DS' capabilities. The microphone, touch screen and dual screens are all used in someway or another, and they rally make some interesting ways to play. If you're not sure whether the DS is inventive and innovative, play this game and you'll soon find out. The boss battles are extremely inventive, and make for some of the best bosses in games. On which other console could you have a boss battle which involves touching 100 bulls t calm them down?

Longevity

This is where the game falls down, but only slightly. The game is quite short,, but you can lay the game again on hard mode, or on ‘Memories' mode where you lay to accumulate stars and win costumes. Either way, you will have a favourite minigame that you'll play over and over. The game really isn't about completion, but about fun in short bursts and that is really what you need from a handheld game.

Conclusion

This is a must for all DS owners at the minute. With the definite lack of games on the market, and this one being so good, you should definitely consider it. The way it uses every feature of the DS is reason enough to own it. If you liked games like Wario Ware, you'll love this, or if you're just looking for some zany fun on your handheld, give this a try.

Buy/Rent

I would say buy, as whereas you'll probably finish this in a rental, you'll want to return to most of the minigames and make this part of you're collection.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/06/05