| Introduction
Wendy the Witch is a well established character in
her own right although this is her first outing on the
GameBoy Color. Not being the best Witch in the world
she has accidently reversed gravity and it's up to you
to help her set things straight. As a bonus, when used
with a GameBoy Advance, it opens 3 extra levels, so
eliminating the need for two versions of the game which
several other companies have at the moment. Ignoring
this extra, everything else is exactly the same and
there are no enhanced sound or graphics. No matter which
console you have though, is it worth playing in the
first place? Read on...
GamePlay
After a short intro you're off to the options screen.
Things have been kept simple here with only four to
choose from. Normal or Hard, referring to gameplay,
Password and Advance World. The final option is only
available when the cart is inserted into a GBA but I'll
talk more about that later. One very important aspect
of the game is collecting stars and the more you have
the better your fire power. As you increase the number
you'll see your wand go from a weapon of a single tiny
star to a three way fire ball. The stars are also your
protection and without them Wendy will perish so look
for them everywhere. There will be occasions where you
desperately need a star and, although you can see one,
you just can't get to it. Exploration is a major part
of this quest and where it's usually simple to head
straight for the exit, this will not always be your
best strategy.
The game itself takes place over 4 worlds of the
Moon Stone Castle with each world having three levels.
Gameplay starts off simple and the only thing you'll
have to worry about is the odd castle inhabitant who'll
try and cause you a little trouble but one wave of your
wand and they're gone. Further on in the castle though
the levels just aren't that simple and getting to the
end will require some practice. You'll have to avoid
spikes, Bombugs and a whole host of creatures that are
out to stop you. Enemies also become more complicated
and working out how to dispose of them can sometimes
take a while. There's even a great level towards the
end of the game where several creatures, known as SwapLights,
automatically change the gravity every couple of seconds
and, as your wand is useless against them, you've just
got to deal with it.
After every world, or three levels, you have a flying
section which is great fun. Wendy must use her flying
skills and wand to get to the end intact. These aren't
usually long but are a refreshing break from the platform
mayhem and greatly resemble 'Cotton' which as an old
arcade game but was recently released for the now defunct
Neo Geo Pocket Color.
The Advance World section of the game is really very
hard and appears to be governed by different rules than
the rest of the levels. We tried to play it for a while
but if you hit the spikes once it's Game Over. It's
also more difficult visually as platforms disappear
and everything seems to be out to get you. It will be
interesting to see if this feature takes off and developers
start to put special advance features in other titles.
It's already been done with the two new Zelda titles
(Seasons and Ages) but it remains to be seen if this
is a selling point to GBA owners.
Control
This will take a little getting used to and, although
it's actually quite simple, timing is everything. Whilst
the 'B' button allows Wendy to wave her wand and the
'A' button is jump, pushing the 'D-pad' with the 'A'
button changes gravity. The controls are very responsive
which is a must with platform games but which has often
been a huge frustration for players losing lives because
the developers haven't paid enough attention to such
an important aspect of the game.
Graphics
Simple and functional throughout. You start with
a nice intro but the game contains no complicated animation,
some creatures just float around but this makes the
game no less enjoyable. There's nothing fancy anywhere
but the imagery is very true to the original comic book
feel. In short this is an excellent example of the gameplay
being more important than the graphics, which is refreshing
as it's an aspect of console gaming which very few developers
appear to be concentrating on.
Sound & Music
The music is also surprisingly simple and very effective.
There really is a wonderful 'scary movie' type feel
to it and it helps set the atmosphere of the game perfectly.
There are also some very clear samples from Wendy which
are triggered whenever a bonus is collected or lost.
Overall, for a GBC game, an excellent effort. Simple
throughout, but it all works.
Final Comments
Wayforward Technologies have done an incredible job
here and it's nice to see an original take on the platform
genre. Everything here is pitched just right from the
simple graphics to the learning curve. This really is
a charming little game and if it had been a bit longer
it would of scored even higher. I really can't recommend
this enough for younger players. Ask for it now and
you may get it for Halloween.
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