Miffy's World (Hands-On) (Wii) Preview

Miffy, or Nijntje as she is called in Holland, her native home, due to the way youngsters in that country pronounce 'konijntje' (little bunny in Dutch), is a small rabbit created by author Dick Bruna way back in 1955. She has starred in around thirty books over the years, with the latest one, Miffy the Artist, coming just last year. Miffy also regularly appears on TV in a show called 'Miffy and Friends' that is produced by a Dutch 'stop-motion' animation company called Pedri Animation. She is regularly mistaken for being Sanrio's Hello Kitty, a character that Dick Bruna believes merely copied his creation. It is for this reason, though, that Miffy has massive popularity over in Japan, home of Hello Kitty…On top of this, Miffy is actually a celebrity spokesperson for Unicef. Not bad for a four-year-old rabbit!

So it comes as no surprise that Biodroid and Pan Vision have teamed up to finally bring this minimalist character with great expectations to the world of video-gaming. The Portuguese development group (which is also working on Let's Play Pet Hospitals for DS, Chiquititas and Zblucops for Wii, as well as a DS version of Miffy's World) has stuck closely to the source material as much as can be expected, ensuring the characters and world itself are all drawn in a very simple, clear manner, with bright colours to grab the attention of younger gamers.

Miffy's World is a simulation game world that is akin to a point-and-click adventure title in many ways. Players use the Nunchuk to move Miffy backwards and forwards around the world, whilst the Wii Remote acts as a pointer, moving a large on-screen circle around so that various items and objects can be interacted with. Gamers are tasked with taking on quests and getting to the bottom of puzzles (such as figuring out that a pair of skates will let Miffy get across a large body of ice that stands between her and a key she needs) in the hope of unlocking more of the world, scoring points and gaining special prizes. Children will be able to move Miffy around, exploring the different locales on offer, performing small quests, interacting with friends and objects, as well as getting involved in numerous fun and educational puzzles along the way.

Nothing is overcomplicated, with the worlds themselves being wrap-around in nature, so there is no need for constant back-tracking. Additionally, en-route are crossroads where Miffy can be led to other sectors, which are again of the wrap-around make-up. With settings such as the seaside, mountains or the Zoo, each location coming with its own interesting activities, children should get plenty of enjoyment from the experience and can even have a parent tag along in the multiplayer mode!