Zubo

What exactly is a Zubo? Well, I suppose you could say it resembles a small pixelated geometrical character smiley musical thingy. In other words, I don't have a clue. What I do know is that Zubo is one of the freshest ideas to hit the DS in long time; a feat not to be scoffed at.

From the onset, it becomes clear that EA's rhythm-action title has been nurtured lovingly from start to finish. Bright cheery colours and an impressively funky soundtrack introduce the player to the world of Zubalon, inhabited by small cylindrical characters named Zubos (think the lovechild of Lego blocks and a tin of baked beans).

Playing as a generic male or female human character, your remit is to travel the 3D world of Zubalon in order to defeat boss Big Head and his evil Zombo army. Along the way you will meet a wide variety of (typically themed) Zubos, battles various Zombos as you explore Zubalon, and lose count of every single word that starts with ‘Z'.

The stylus is used constantly with no need for traditional button input, in addition to occasional microphone use. Reviewing a title which has clearly made an effort to incorporate Nintendo's innovative controls is a joy — if a rarity — granting the user a satisfying gaming session without the uneasy feeling that a GameBoy SP would've handled it just as efficiently.

The main aspect of gameplay concerns battles between Zubos and Zombos. Considering the target audience are aged 7 - 11, the battle scenes are decidedly slapstick comedy rather than Super-Laser-Hyper-Destroyer. Attacks are delivered in a distinct Pokémon-style interface, with hilarious animation to accompany each move. As your trusty bunch of Zubo's fight, a score of rhythmic music plays in time to throbbing  ‘bubbles' which appear on the touchscreen. As these bubbles diminish towards your Zubo, you must tap the stylus on the beat to successfully attack. Complex manoeuvres require more difficult timings, resulting in greater damage to your opponent.

Although battle based, Zubo also contains a basic RPG element. Unfortunately the tasks offered are boringly bland, with some challenges becoming even more of a challenge when the automatically assigned camera angle proves to be less than intuitive. This is disappointing, considering the generally apt attention to detail applied to most aspects of the title.

For those with social gaming tendencies, a multiplayer is included. This is certainly a welcome extra, though both players must own a copy of the game. Cut scenes have been thoughtfully provided as a menu option, should you wish to re-acquaint yourself with tutorial instructions or integral story scenes.

It is worth noting that Zubo is one of the few DS titles with solid originality. Unlike the over populated clones of Baby World or Let's Play With My Furry Animals 3, you won't lose macho points (or any vital organs) should you be caught in the midst of a sneaky Zubalon session. Zubo is perhaps not the most complex gaming experience ever, but is certainly one of the most polished and imaginative. Zed-tastic.