Kuru Kuru Kururin

"Don't overlook this game like so many others have done!"

Kuru Kuru Kururin. One of the most overlooked GBA games on the shelf today. And to tell you the truth, I have no idea why. It's a great game.

Kururin is basically a puzzle game. Even if you're not a fan of puzzle games, read on, because you just may be surprised. Like most games of it's ilk, the story is utter pants. Mother duck's children have all got lost, leaving her in a bit a mess. Kururin, the only one who didn't wander off decides to help his mom by flying a helicopter around 10 worlds, so he can find the lost ducks. Really. You shouldn't be buying this game for it's storyline, it's a game that should be purchased for little something else.

The concept is simple. You control a rotating stick around a maze. You have to make sure that you don't touch the walls, otherwise the stick could crash, forcing you to start again. Kururin has 3 hearts, and each time the wall is touched, a heart is lost. Once all hearts are gone, Kururin's rotating stick crashes, and you must start the level again. Health can be recovered along the way by flying into areas marked by a flashing heart. This brings back all health lost. There are 35 adventure levels, 38 if you include the hidden ones. After level 5, there are ten worlds, each with three stages. So for example, levels 6,7 and 8 are all part of the first world, Grasslands. On stage three of each world, there is a duck that you must rescue, to advance to the next world. On the other stages, you can find little bonuses for your stick, which you can then decorate to your style, which is a neat touch. Sounds easy? Don't be fooled. Kuru Kuru Kururin is a massive challenge.

GRAPHICS - 7
The graphics are bright and colorful, but don't really take advantage of GBA's graphical capabilities in any way. The good thing though is that everything stands out well, and everything looks very clear. Even the differences in the styles of sticks can be noticed very easily.

SOUNDS - 7
Cheerful, but not in any way brilliant. You won't find yourself turning the volume of your GBA down to the minimum, but you wont find yourself dancing merrily to it either.

GAMEPLAY - 10
Kuru Kuru Kururin is very enjoyable. Easy to pick up, but difficult to master. This really shows what games should be - fun. Sometimes the most basic game ideas turn out to be the best. Kururin certainly proves this theory, as you'll soon find out after you start playing. Strangely compelling and addictive, you'll keep telling yourself 'just one more go' over and over again. Once you get to the later levels, you'll find yourself throwing the GBA around with frustration, only to find yourself picking it up moments later, just to get past that difficult level.

LIFESPAN - 9
Kuru Kuru Kururin is a massive challenge. Ignore, easy mode - it isn't worth it. The later levels become very difficult indeed, and will probably take you a good few hours just to work out how to do a certain level. Plus, there are loads of times to beat for each stage, and three secret levels to unlock by perfecting every single level. Kururin, suddenly doesn't seem easy anymore. As most people who own the game will know, perfecting every level on Normal mode is a challenge that will test even the best gamers among us. But, that is not all.

Kururin also has an arcade mode. This consists of 50 shorts levels to test your skills. Perfecting all of these levels is also a good challenge, that is rewarded in five more short arcade levels. On top of that, there is a fabulous 4 player link-up mode with just one cartridge. You can choose from any of the 50 arcade levels and have races via the link-up cable to see who can finish levels the fastest. All of the wins and losses during link-up are shown on a scoreboard too, so you can keep tally of who's winning.

OVERALL - 9
Kuru Kuru Kururin is a game that goes back to basics to show how video games really should be. Fun. It is possibly one of the best GBA game out right now, just falling short behind Mario Kart. In Europe this was one of the launch games, and sadly to say, it was the most overlooked launch game. Most people will ignore this fantastic game, and get something that has better graphics, and looks flashier. Please, don't be one of them.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/09/01, Updated 11/09/01