Siesta Fiesta (3DS eShop) Review
Now if you have read any of my reviews you will notice that there are a lot of bad jokes. I mean really life disparagingly bad jokes, maybe it is due to me writing things in a state of sleep deprivation that always makes the worst ideas sounds really incredible at the time of creation or maybe I am simply NOT FUNNY! Maybe I should be having a Siesta Fiesta?
Sleep while accomplishing work at the same time is a dream come true for many people and one that this game explores in a fashion similar to the Weekend at Bernie’s films but with about 100% less death involved in the plot.
The game starts with a baby quietly asleep doing what baby’s do, this is when some cardboard clouds come down from the sky and take the baby away to a far off and bizarre land called Fiestaville where the child is used as a ball in a different kind of block breaking game. No I am not high, this is how it is written and interpreted it however.
I will cut to the short of it all, what is on show here is essentially a Breakout/Arkanoid clone that has a lot of class to it. The concept is simple but it works in it’s favour. You control a baby in it’s cot that you get to control by moving back and forth with either the D-pad or the touch screen. As the ball nears the paddle/cot you can give it extra speed by hitting the shoulder buttons at just the right time. It is a simple addition but one that give the game a nice extra layer of control and difficulty in a very good manner. From here you have to hit a variety of different blocks to get as many points as possible, some good and some bad, the bigger they are the bigger the score will be affected.
You will be moved through a series of environments where you have to break as many block as they move pass in the allotted time. This is more an action puzzle game used to break high scores than a game just designed to infuriate you as you struggle to get the last freaking block! I was never a fan of breakout because of that last block. Go for the score, not the battle to the next level.
As you progress from level to level it gets more complex in terms of design and the speed at which everything happens. It is a simple formula but executed with a great deal of restraint and conciseness. Every level is designed to be played multiple times to allow you to combo the hits between various elements to get the best possible run. Just when you have had a few of these levels to get you in the mood – you face of against a Pinata inspired boss battle, it is unique twist of the game concept but one that proves to have a lot of charm in it. Every level has a great level of complexity without being over bearing, they are short enough that you can play this on the run and yet also keep it memorable enough that you can plot and plan for a perfect run in an effort to get a gold rating. And with all of this going of it is good to know that the difficulty curve is handled very smoothly and is kept reasonable for players of all skill sets.
The interesting part of this game is that it is an entire audio visual experience and not just the game play on review. To give the entire game a fun and fresh feel is definitely the ‘Fiesta’ aspect of the title. The entire package is driven by a bright and colourful party of animals and creatures out to party harder than anything else has ever partied before (including Charlie Sheen) backed by a sound track that appears to be inspired by Loco Roco on the PSP. This does not directly affect the game play but that is a non issue, just because they are surfing in the background doesn’t make it any more difficult other than being a visual distraction while adding a lot of nice touches and character the whole way through.
The amount of work in the graphics is impressive, there is a lot going on but in that ‘Yoshi Island’ kind of fashion – it is there to give the whole world a much more lively appearance. The entire package is is just handled with exceptional attention to detail and smoothness. A lot of games can hold the presentation together but few can make it flow as effortlessly as this title does, if it wasn’t for the 3-4 second load times this would be in Nintendo 1st Party territory. That is the only complaint about the whole title in that respect.
Even if it didn’t have this flair I would still recommend this title as it has a really solid underpinning. It doesn’t get a perfect score however. For as smoothly and as graceful as it is, it is still a limited game genre that can only have so much done to it. One can only increase the depth of a game so much before it becomes more of a hindrance than a blessing. While it is limited, it is also do so to not ruin the game as a whole.
This one comes highly recommended for anyone looking for a quick fix on the move, the levels are short and fun while being kept moving at a solid pace as to not feel like it is punishing you. Not much can be said for the complexity but it works. All players new and old will have a blast with this and I will recommend everyone give this a try, you can even sell the idea to people by doing the blasphemous thing by saying it is Peggle in reverse… I’m seeing myself out.
Rating: 4/5
