Viva Pinata

Dungeon Keeper in a Kinder Egg advert, anyone?

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For the sake of not having to find the little squiggle over the 'n' key anymore, what shall henceforth be known as VP is certainly one of the stranger titles out for your console at the moment. It's partly because of its oddity, its extremely broad appeal, and its attention to detail that also makes it a strong contender for this year's best family title.

VP is probably best described as a Ranching game, which is distinct from a safari type game such as, for instance, Pokemon - the bulk of which revolves around bashing the relevant critters into unconsciousness and enslaving them to your nefarious bidding. The ranching games tend to be gentler, at least in execution. In Dungeon Keeper the player built a warren of rooms, pits and lairs which attracted the relevant creature to its environment, and the more you attracted, the more successful you became. In several fundamental ways, VP is quite similar... albeit if Dungeon Keeper was set in a Kinder Egg advert.

Pinata, for the uninitiated, are large, colourful animals made out of papier-mache and pretty ribbons that southern American children smash to pieces with sticks on special occasions for the chocolaty goodness hidden within. I've found it better to ignore the image of a six year old Guatemalan smashing open the head of a smiling donkey with a bat and using his fingers to franticly scoop the contents into his eager mouth. It significantly detracts from the game's cuteness. Microsoft and Rare are in fact launching a CGI cartoon series to accompany VP, episodes of which are available with the special edition, and I'm a little curious as to how viewers are not going to be scarred for life if every episode winds up with the friendly talking animals torn to pieces by hordes of ravenous, wide eyed children.

Fortunately enough the warped intelligences behind VP apparently had as long an attention span as those same kids, and after simply accepting this bizarre initial premise went on to create a very good game indeed. The player will spend the game as a disembodied gardener tending to a small area - planting, cutting and arranging in order to attract and house about 60 different species of fluffy animals. Pinata will be attracted by relevant decorative features, certain types of plant, and the absence or presence of other pinata, which look either sufficiently friendly or tasty. This is pretty much the game and the goal in and of itself, as there is no reward or intrinsic value of one animal over another. There is a levelling-up system, with more exotic creatures attracted by higher level gardeners, which leads to three possible extensions of your cultivatable area. However, if you decide you like the mice (Mousemallows) and they're enough for you, and you didn't fancy hippos or deer, then you can stick with that. Ranch them, breed them, and give them names and little hats (really). Similar to real pets, there is no given achievement, other than the pure pleasure of having and successfully keeping.

To call VP a children's game would not be fair, and it's probably better to say it's a game children certainly can play. Its 3+ rating (no Jack Thompson-style lawsuits here...) conceals the occasional bit of harsh reality in animal husbandry terms. Sick pinata are, in a pinch, cheaper to whack to fragments than buying them the relevant medicine, and unwelcome bad or 'sour' pinata will usually be dealt with in the same way. This is at first a little disconcerting until you notice the same pinata simply reconstitute like a Star Trek teleportee beyond the boundaries of your garden and wander off.

Much like ol' Pokemon, some of the secrets and more elusive animals are a complete mystery as to how anyone found them. The relevant forums are already full to bursting with strange questions, and even stranger answers. Perhaps it would only occur to a 3-year-old to throw random items together, turning them into a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and then feeding it to a pony. Or prematurely whacking open a snake egg on the third (not the second or fourth, oh no) jump, before it hits the ground in order to make a two headed snake. At the time of writing there is still argument as to whether some of the more esoteric creatures even actually exist.

The look of the game bears a similarity to Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life, but with a more cartoon-esque design philosophy. The style is of primary coloured Saturday morning cartoons with hints of the ancient Aztec, due to the South American link. The currency of the game is the chocolate coin, decorated with jolly skulls and scribbles, like a gift shop fake of the Pirates of the Caribbean treasure, and the characters you will meet all look like they're waiting for their carnival to start. The animation and style of each of the Pinata is excellent, managing to make even the most traditionally unattractive creatures into adorable toys. Simply making sheep and butterflies fluffy wasn't enough of a challenge it seems, and so the game has spiders with cute fangs, endearing worms, adorable grass snakes, and wolves that ooze cuddly charm.

As was recently illustrated by NBA 2K7, if you have a relatively small play area, you can stuff it full of graphic detail. Even the biggest garden in VP is comparatively small - about the size of a basketball court in real terms. Rare has crammed in gorgeous design and detail on every leaf and blade of grass in sight. The hide of each pinata is comprised of hundreds of layered paper tassels, which can be admired from any angle with the free roaming camera. With a half dozen animals all interacting, frolicking, or eating one another, it is easy to see where your 360's processing power is going - but as yet without a single hitch or jump.

There is some online scope, with the ability to 'post' animals and goodies to other players, which they can receive via their Live account. The value of this is a bit limited really, as most Pinata are either readily available, purchasable at the town's shop, or jealously guarded if they are the mysterious mythical breeds.

The restricted size of the VP play area can be annoying, with players dreaming of creating a sprawling pinata zoo brought into check as they progress by tight limitations on space and the number of residents allowed. This is perhaps both the game's strength and its weakness, as whilst it makes the player think in practical terms and concentrate on just two or three species, it can be frustrating when the game cheerfully informs you that you can't put so much as another seed in an otherwise empty area. This can lead to childishness more often than adult consideration, as players stamp their feet and yell 'Why can't I have a pink pony!?' Also, the story line which can be accessed in the options menu is fairly ignorable, and recommended only if you can't find a kindly grandfather to make you a Horlicks and read to you that afternoon.

Viva Pinata is excellent fun, even if the term 'game' is perhaps stretching the definition. If you are looking for a gentle, charming distraction that can be picked up and put down with as much frequency as you like, I strongly recommend you give it a go. It's certainly one of the better looking titles about, and makes for a relaxing counterpoint after all the gritty realism in the likes of Gears of War. Go on - you're not too macho - look at the funny mouse and duckies.

85%

By Duncan Lawson