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| The Entertainment Review |
| Genre: Action Developer: Namco Bandai Publisher: Namco Bandai |
Nintendo has a long history of being the company that provides games for kids, so it comes as no surprise that the Nintendo Wii is
younger players, it can be much more difficult to uncover a title that is actually fun and plays well. Luckily, this is where “The
Munchables” fits in, clearly being made for younger players but with an appealing visual style, fun game play and enough quirkiness to
ensure that it could be played by gamers of any age.
Beginning with the game’s cartoonish introduction, players are quickly introduced to the vibrant visual nature of the game as well as its
somewhat odd and ignorable story. The game takes place on the planet of Star Ving, the game is full of these types of terrible but
humorous puns, a peaceful place made up of several islands and inhabited by creatures who love nothing more than eating. Each
island is home to a legendary orb, which continually provides food for the residents. One day a group of space pirates headed by the
evil Don Onion descend upon the planet, stealing the legendary orbs and using their power to create large numbers of Tabemon
Monsters. It is up to the player to return peace to Star Ving by taking back each island’s legendary orb, thereby restoring order and a
large food supply for its population.
In their quest to eradicate the space pirate menace, players are given their choice of two different characters, Chomper and Munchy,
with a third character that can be unlocked after completing the game. There is no real difference between these two characters, as
both are essentially just different colored blobs with eyes, mouth and a large hunger. Despite not displaying much detail and having a
simplistic design, the game’s playable characters are quite appealing and will change shape and size during the levels. Chomper and
Munchy can also be somewhat customized using one of several different unlocked items such as hats or glasses that can be worn by
the characters.
The premise behind “The Munchables” is pretty simple and can be best described as a mixture of “Pac-Man” and “Katamari Damacy,”
which makes sense since both are titles by Namco. They will typically start every stage3 at a fairly small size and low level and much
munch their way up the food chain in order to finish the level. Players are able to consume any fruit or vegetable enemy that is a lower
level than their character. As the enemies are swallowed, a stomach shaped meter will begin to fill and once it is full the player’s blob
will grow larger. As characters grow larger, higher level enemies can be consumed.
The game overall has a very simple concept, but there is also some hidden depth present as well. If players come upon several
enemies with lower levels than their character, instead of just pressing the A button several times to consume each of them separately,
players can hold the button down and then let go to perform an open mouth slide. Not only does this make it easier to get rid of foes,
but it will also speed up the stomach meter filling and leveling process.
Players will find the running into higher level enemies can also work to your advantage since they can use the B trigger to attack them,
which breaks them into smaller and easier to consume versions. Of course players will still have to be quick about eating the smaller
pieces since they will eventually meld back together into their higher level form. Players will also be able to find power-ups throughout
the game’s levels, which can help things out such as one that turns the blob into a buzz saw to quickly break up higher level enemies or
a vacuum that allows players to swiftly eat any nearby lower level foes.
Other than the basic concepts of eating enemies to grow larger and increase the player’s level, there are a few thing to do in “The
Munchables.” Most levels contain some fairly basic puzzles to be solved. These usually involve basic ideas such as buttons that
require a certain amount of use which should help younger players make their way through the game. There is also some platform
gaming involved, despite being somewhat difficult to control due t obeing forced to shake the Wii Remote in order to get off the ground.
Each level in the game also contains a good number of hidden items to be found, which once collected will unlock character
customization items.
While the game is thematically aimed at a younger audience, its simple but satisfying game play and oddball nature should pacify
players of all ages. The controls work fairly well, its look is vibrant and colorful even if it isn’t graphically impressive and the game play
is easy enough for beginners but maintains some hidden depth for the more experienced players. This game can be a pretty lengthy
experience if players are looking for full completion since they will unlock a mirror time attack mode after their first time through. Players
will just be making their way through mirrored versions of the same levels they have already played but it is still fun and the option of
trying to get the best rank with the clock ticking away provides a serious challenge. For those with younger players or those that are just
looking for something fun and a little different, “The Munchables” is a great game to check out.
younger players, it can be much more difficult to uncover a title that is actually fun and plays well. Luckily, this is where “The
Munchables” fits in, clearly being made for younger players but with an appealing visual style, fun game play and enough quirkiness to
ensure that it could be played by gamers of any age.
Beginning with the game’s cartoonish introduction, players are quickly introduced to the vibrant visual nature of the game as well as its
somewhat odd and ignorable story. The game takes place on the planet of Star Ving, the game is full of these types of terrible but
humorous puns, a peaceful place made up of several islands and inhabited by creatures who love nothing more than eating. Each
island is home to a legendary orb, which continually provides food for the residents. One day a group of space pirates headed by the
evil Don Onion descend upon the planet, stealing the legendary orbs and using their power to create large numbers of Tabemon
Monsters. It is up to the player to return peace to Star Ving by taking back each island’s legendary orb, thereby restoring order and a
large food supply for its population.
In their quest to eradicate the space pirate menace, players are given their choice of two different characters, Chomper and Munchy,
with a third character that can be unlocked after completing the game. There is no real difference between these two characters, as
both are essentially just different colored blobs with eyes, mouth and a large hunger. Despite not displaying much detail and having a
simplistic design, the game’s playable characters are quite appealing and will change shape and size during the levels. Chomper and
Munchy can also be somewhat customized using one of several different unlocked items such as hats or glasses that can be worn by
the characters.
The premise behind “The Munchables” is pretty simple and can be best described as a mixture of “Pac-Man” and “Katamari Damacy,”
which makes sense since both are titles by Namco. They will typically start every stage3 at a fairly small size and low level and much
munch their way up the food chain in order to finish the level. Players are able to consume any fruit or vegetable enemy that is a lower
level than their character. As the enemies are swallowed, a stomach shaped meter will begin to fill and once it is full the player’s blob
will grow larger. As characters grow larger, higher level enemies can be consumed.
The game overall has a very simple concept, but there is also some hidden depth present as well. If players come upon several
enemies with lower levels than their character, instead of just pressing the A button several times to consume each of them separately,
players can hold the button down and then let go to perform an open mouth slide. Not only does this make it easier to get rid of foes,
but it will also speed up the stomach meter filling and leveling process.
Players will find the running into higher level enemies can also work to your advantage since they can use the B trigger to attack them,
which breaks them into smaller and easier to consume versions. Of course players will still have to be quick about eating the smaller
pieces since they will eventually meld back together into their higher level form. Players will also be able to find power-ups throughout
the game’s levels, which can help things out such as one that turns the blob into a buzz saw to quickly break up higher level enemies or
a vacuum that allows players to swiftly eat any nearby lower level foes.
Other than the basic concepts of eating enemies to grow larger and increase the player’s level, there are a few thing to do in “The
Munchables.” Most levels contain some fairly basic puzzles to be solved. These usually involve basic ideas such as buttons that
require a certain amount of use which should help younger players make their way through the game. There is also some platform
gaming involved, despite being somewhat difficult to control due t obeing forced to shake the Wii Remote in order to get off the ground.
Each level in the game also contains a good number of hidden items to be found, which once collected will unlock character
customization items.
While the game is thematically aimed at a younger audience, its simple but satisfying game play and oddball nature should pacify
players of all ages. The controls work fairly well, its look is vibrant and colorful even if it isn’t graphically impressive and the game play
is easy enough for beginners but maintains some hidden depth for the more experienced players. This game can be a pretty lengthy
experience if players are looking for full completion since they will unlock a mirror time attack mode after their first time through. Players
will just be making their way through mirrored versions of the same levels they have already played but it is still fun and the option of
trying to get the best rank with the clock ticking away provides a serious challenge. For those with younger players or those that are just
looking for something fun and a little different, “The Munchables” is a great game to check out.
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