Boing! Docomodake DS

It doesn’t take much to become an icon in Japan -- if something appears on Television enough and it becomes a little bit popular, the mass consumerist in many Japanese comes out in full force and elevates that person into an icon. In this case it appears that it’s not a person, but a mascot. Boing! Docomodake DS is actually based around the popular telecommunications giant NTT docomo’s mascot: Docomodake. Immediately alarm bells start to ring as all product to game tie-ins tend to be very poor; fortunately, this title doesn’t suffer from this curse.

The basic premise of this title is that Docomodake is in search for ingredients and coins to make sure that it's able to feed the family, and just because it likes collecting money. There are seven different worlds that Docomodake must traverse in search of other family members, along with the food and money that’s required from the first level. Inside each of the seven worlds there are numerous different levels, each of which are fairly structured and follow the tried and tested formula of this genre.

In terms of puzzles, Boing! Docomodake DS requires a fair amount of foresight as one wrong move could mean missing out on a good 25% of the coins that could have been collected. The Docomodake is able to shrink down into smaller versions of himself called Minis, and these Minis are fully movable by using the DS stylus. When the Minis are selected, Docomodake shrinks down to roughly the same size as the other Minis -- the amount of Minis varies depending where you are in the game, and they are used as weapons to take down the enemies as well as climbing frames. They can be used to stack on top of one another to reach higher places, and they can also be held in mid-air where a block should have been allowing the Docomodake to walk over them. The usage of the Minis is a crucial part of the game, as without them Docomodake would be unable to reach most areas in the title, and they are used to reach higher areas that are out of view where more coins and treasures boxes lay.

The controls throughout the game are fairly basic, with the very helpful tutorial level detailing all elements of gameplay very well. The player uses the D-pad to go left, right, to dig, to jump, to climb -- almost everything. The buttons are used for the same things, as well. The L and the R button are used to turn Docomodake from the full version of himself into the Minis; this is done extremely well and feels entirely natural at all times. The DS Stylus and the Touch Screen are used to control the Minis: as touched upon earlier, the Minis are all placed by the stylus; however, they are all turned back into the full sized Docomodake by double tapping on the hand above him. This is very sensitive and at no time is more than two taps needed, fortunately.

After each level, the game grades the player’s performance, and after every world the game then grades the performance for that world. This ranking is really what keeps players coming back to the title, as the initial playthrough can’t be more than about 7 or 8 hours. However, getting that grade A from a B is very hard, as it’s all judged on the number of coins and treasures the player unlocks, as well as the time it’s taken them to complete the level. For getting top grades, the player is treated to a few unlockable items, such as special artwork and in-game music options. These extra options are a great addition, but in reality, grading up is more for self-gratification than anything else.

In-keeping with Docomodake’s character, the game is full of very bright, colourful and bold visuals that compliment the style of game and are a distinct throwback to early Kirby games. In fact, a lot of the title feels like early Kirby games on the NES and SNES -- fortunately, they are great games and that enjoyment factor has transferred well across to Boing! Docomodake DS. Musically, there’s not a great deal worth remembering. At all times the background music feels natural and in keeping with the look of the title, but ultimately there’s nothing memorable.

Final Verdict - 7/10
Boing! Docomodake DS is a solid puzzle/platforming title which has just been let down by the fact it’s painfully short. With a great premise and a good grading system, it keeps the player's interest for a decent amount of time; however, without an online multiplayer mode or a longer single player, it’s ultimately let itself down. That being said, it’s a great title and is well worth getting for puzzle/platforming fans.