Elebits (Hands-on) (Wii) Preview

By Pikasue 08.10.2006

Ever seen a random spotless house and want to tear it apart with lasers if it wasn't for that tiny thing called the law? This is the game for you! Konami bring some electrified creatures to the Wii in the most destructive and surprisingly addictive potential hit. During an invite-only Wii-play session last week C3 writer Susan Gray had the chance to go hunting, Wiimote style.

Elebits was a real shocker for me (pardon the pun) as I casually came across this game on display. It's one of those games that are completely foreign, but as I'm usually seduced by quirky things (do not question me on this!), I found myself rather excited to pick up and play. This was a very strange experience: a title I'd never heard of in a style that I hadn't played. The demo games had been mysteriously switched round in a matter of seconds and upon seeing the odd cheeky sprites saunter across the screen, I got the initial impression that it'd be a catch and collect all the creatures game... Boy, was I wrong.

After its rather seamless loading time I was armed with a physics laser gun, that comes straight out of Ghostbusters, and was placed in a very Micro Machines-esque kitchen with simple block colours and details. The main premise is to suck electric juice (or for the more scientific readers out there, watts) out of various slumbering aliens round different parts of the room, complete with many weird and wonderful flashing lights. The graphics go hand in hand with the cute simple soundtrack, few quirky little notes in loop which simply have great sticking power in your head, especially when you find that you've been doing a little subconscious jig throughout play!

Screenshot for Elebits (Hands-on) on Wii

It isn't as simple as it sounds as there were quite a lot of factors to consider; the power of your gun depending on how much critter juice you've sucked so what you can pick up and what you can't follows a rather linear pattern. Everything is either opened or shamelessly hurled using this neat little laser, searching for the optimum number of zapable creatures to complete the demo.

Throughout the level are appliances with different activation methods allowing for quite a lot of replay value to work out how each works. The timing also contributes plenty to this, as you build up a routine of how to get the allotted points as your laser grows stronger. As you can tell so far, the Wii is perfectly suited for this type of game. Each action made by different movements from the Wiimote, from a little flick of the wrist to open doors to the flinging open of cupboards and drawers with a passing swipe, using the pointing features of the controller.

Screenshot for Elebits (Hands-on) on Wii

It's a nice opportunity to act as an attention seeking "rock star" with the stereotypical action of trashing hotel rooms, without the fluorescent lights, lasers with the ability to flip over cars with aliens whizzing past your face. How primitive, eh?

There are some interesting features, like turning the tap in the basin to find little creatures pouring out of its spout, to the washing machine - popping out with bugs replacing plates (which are often the case with my house!). Once you've gotten enough power, different areas can be unlocked, but they require a certain amount of collected Watts to pass through. Like a garden in which quite a high amount of juice is needed to turn the handle and enter the outside where you can chuck gnomes around, searching for the little Elebits that lie within.

A game of hide and seek on a large scale with aliens and lasers, what's there not to like?

However, don't let this extra terrestrial theme put you off when it comes to gameplay, as it includes the menial jobs of cooking a turkey and toasting bread, only the joys of using laser powers to do so! This also makes you aware of how crazy you are in the opening seconds when the appliances aren't activated; I harmlessly hurled the toaster into the corner and the multiple attempts of shoving bread into a flipped toaster seemed quite amusing!

Screenshot for Elebits (Hands-on) on Wii

The only thing I had minor qualms with was the controls, but that's to be expected with such a new innovative controller like the big sensitivity issue; how much is too much? A little tap can send your crosshair careering over and over in loopy circles to my disappointment, as I'm quite a...energetic player normally (which explains why I hit the ball out quite often in Wii sports tennis, swiping at the screen), so I had to curb my enthusiasm somewhat. This made the cooking tasks quite hard as the little extra nudge could send your food crashing across the floor, never to be seen again; hopefully it will come with practice...

So overall I was very pleasantly surprised with this game, especially with the many combinations to try out once I'd found different sources of power, a very good reason to pick it up and play randomly. I found myself playing this more than Twilight Princess for some reason!

Screenshot for Elebits (Hands-on) on Wii

Final Thoughts

Elebits is a surprisingly innovative and fun game, taking full advantage of the new style of interactive playing, especially with the added anticipation of multiplayer features! Maybe there'll be a time trial, a battle mode with duelling toasters, or simply a race to the finish? Only time will tell. Definitely a game to watch out for!

Also known as

Elebits

Developer

Konami

Publisher

Konami

Genre

Adventure

Players

4

C3 Score

Rated $score out of 10  n/a

Reader Score

Rated $score out of 10  9/10 (6 Votes)

European release date Out now   North America release date Out now   Japan release date Out now   Australian release date Out now   

Comments

Sweet! Good stuff Sue! This game sure was weird!

Cubed3 Admin/Founder & Designer

Awesome!!!

It looks wierd but sounds fun. Maybe i'll ge it once i've finished with Zelda, which could take time...

Avoid Games Like the Plague, productivity++

Lol, it certainly plays better than it looks - I thought "average" when I saw it, but when I saw the different things you can do, it sure seems fun! Multiplayer should be a blast!

Cubed3 Admin/Founder & Designer

yeah the graphics look abit crap!!!

I see all these people insulting the Nintendo corporation because of the lack of mature content. Yet there is something about Nintendo (at least their games) that strikes a certain unadulterated feeling of joy!!!  Pokemon Y - 1048-9263-5562

yeah the graphics look abit crap!!!

May look a bit pants, but it's much better when u play it as the preview says Smilie

Cubed3 Admin/Founder & Designer

I've been weary of this game...as much as I wanna play it, have it, try it etc....the gfx just turn me off completely, and yeah, I've read it jb, and yeah, I've seen vids and NO, I haven't actually played it. But hey, I'm just a consumer. There are plenty more fish in the sea.

Good Preview Sue! :Smilie

I have always thought this game had the potential to a great quirky little game and to be honest i might pick it up but there is too many party type games on the Wiif ro me to spend my money decisions decisions.

Nice preview.

jb loving what you have done with the site


Mike Gee of iZINE said, "...The Verve, as he [Richard Ashcroft] promised, had become the greatest band in the world. Most of the critics agreed with him. Most paid due homage. The Verve were no longer the question mark or the clich�. They were the statement and the definition."

I'm so going to ge this game when I get a Wii on opening day


The former top user was Keven! You'd probably give birth to yourself 1000 times over until you sprout wings to fly away into the fading sun, that or you'd just turn into a lesbian. Who knows @_@ - L, 12/06/09

Ugh the gfx look like a donkey's ass all jaggidy and nasty, and also the extreme lack of detail in the textures on all the appliances is really disgusting.

I'm not a gfx whore and I am a Nintendo fanboi but this game really pushes "gfx mean nothing" envelope, just because gfx doesn't always mean fun doesn't mean you can make a game in 2006 that looks like its from 2000, from the screenies this looks like it coulda gone on the n64 let alone the gamecube :( lets just hope this is only one developer's ineptitude with the Wii hardware and FEW(hopefully NONE) follow suit.

it doesn't look like donkey's ass:

Image for
I find your lack of faith disturbing!

Uh, it does :sarcy:

I'm sure the GC could pull that off with ease.

But at least it's showing that Konami is supporting the Wii in an innovative way, rather than shunning it like it did with the GC.

Thanks Sue, confirmed my interest in this one :Smilie

Adam Riley [ Director :: Cubed3 ]

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