Ever heard of the phrase: “You can’t fit a square peg in a round hole?” Well that’s the basic premise of two new video game puzzlers: Roogoo Twisted Towers on the Wii, and Roogoo Attack! on the DS. Both are based on the original Xbox LIVE Roogoo title, but each adds new features and gameplay modes.

In Twisted Towers on the Wii, shaped colored blocks fall from the sky, and you must rotate platforms (by pressing Z on the nunchuck and B on the remote) so that the blocks will fall through the correctly shaped holes. If the blocks do not go through the right holes, they will bounce off and fall. Fallen blocks cause a “Lose Meter” to fill up, and once filled, it’s Game Over.

They’ve added a few new Wii-centric controls to Twisted Towers. By pointing the remote at the screen, you can move around a net to catch mischievous butterflies, bats, and other creatures. These little guys will take your shaped blocks if you don’t catch them. Caught critters can help lower your Lose Meter as well. The net can also catch fallen blocks that didn’t go through the right holes. If you shake the Wii remote, the blocks will drill through clogged up holes as well. A few action-based mini-games and boss battles pop up for a change of pace, such as skydiving or butterfly and shape catching games.

There’s also a DS version called Roogoo Attack! Gameplay-wise, it’s essentially the same game. But just because the DS version is missing the Wii controls, it doesn’t mean this game is any less fun. In fact, in some ways the DS version is as good, if not better, than the Wii version due to the portable pick up and play nature of Roogoo. The simple 3-D graphics translate well on the DS. I liked the mini-games in the DS version better, too, such as stacking falling hamburgers. Plus the skydiving bonus game controls better with a stylus and touch screen, too. So whichever version you pick up, you’ll have a winner. But if you get both Roogoo games, you can use the local wireless capabilities of the Wii and DS to unlock more levels in each game!

The only problems with the Roogoo titles is that things start out kind of slow before picking up later on (especially in the Wii version). Roogoo isn’t as compelling or as addicting as some of my other favorite puzzlers, such as Tetris, Puzzle Bobble/Bust-A-Move, or Super Puzzle Fighter 2 Turbo. But if you like puzzle games, you can’t go wrong with Roogoo!

Kid Factor:
Both Roogoo titles are rated E for Everyone with ESRB Descriptors of Mild Cartoon Violence (Wii) and Comic Mischief (DS). But bonking evil purple teddy bears on the head with colored blocks is about as violent as it gets, so it’s not too bad. Kids will love the colorful graphics, cute characters, and easy to learn gameplay. Roogoo could almost be considered educational as well, since it involves color and shape matching and recognition. Three selectable difficulty modes mean gamers of all skill levels can play.

Both DS and Wii versions of Roogoo have multiplayer modes, so the whole family can enjoy it. The DS game has both single- and multi-cart local wireless play. You can compete competitively in the Split Screen Race mode on the Wii, or cooperatively in Story Mode. In this fashion, a more skilled player can rotate the platforms to match falling shapes, while the younger gamers can simply wave the remote around to catch butterflies. So players of all ages and skill levels can enjoy it together, and that makes Roogoo a great family puzzler.

Tags: Game Reviews