Posted by Greg Bruno on 12.05.2006
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Break open the fun!
So . . . you want me to entice living pinata to my garden and make them happy so that they will decide to live there? Well, OK! Rare and Microsoft Game Studios bring us one of the most unique titles ever created to the Xbox 360 console. The idea; maintain a healthy garden that pinata want to live in. Then, breed the pinata to create the ultimate colorful environment any pinata would dream of. Crazy? You bet. Fun? Absolutely.
The Bunnycombs are almost too cute to crack open. Almost.
Graphics
Viva Pinata is a game that didn’t need to have good graphics to enhance the gameplay, but it has them. It’s actually a very nice change of pace from other games, since it uses a diverse color palette, compared to the dull grey’s and brown’s in most other games lately. The water effects are really well done, as you can see the reflection of everything it the ponds that you install in your virtual garden. The paper grass waves in the wind and the paper animals themselves look pretty great. They show facial expressions (the ones that can anyway). The pinata are very animated, and it’s very easy to see how each is feeling. The lighting effects are very cool. As the day turns to night, you can see the long shadows cast on your garden from each housing unit you build for your little tenants. Breaking pinata open results in them breaking into many pieces, with a little light display. As cruel as it may be, it’s fun to see. Also, each species’ “Romance Dance” is shown in a cute CG animation.
Doing a Romance Dance results in baby pinata being delivered to your garden.
Gameplay
Playing Viva Pinata is a lot of fun. You are in control of a virtual garden. What you do with it, is ultimately up to you. You decide how big the ponds are, how tall the grass is, what kind of visitors you have, etc. Half the game is experimentation so see what works for your garden and what doesn’t. After getting the layout of your garden in order, you’ll soon get your first pinata visitor. The game gives you many tips on how to play the game and what to do in almost all circumstances. After getting a few Whirlms (worm pinata), you’ll soon find yourself being visited by Sparrowmints (bird pinata). To breed pinata, you need to fulfill their “romance requirements” and they will return to their housing units to complete a “Romance Dance.” As a result of the dance, the baby pinata are all hatched from eggs that are delivered. Essentially, the game is a living, breathing ecosystem with both positive and negative consequences, depending on your actions. Doing certain things in your garden attracts different kinds of pinata. If your garden gets too crowded with pinata, feel free to sell some at the local store for Chocolate Coins, Pinata Island’s currency. You can then buy housing unites, different kinds of fruit and seed, water cans, and other items for your garden. Getting visitor pinata or having them become permanent inhabitants of your garden will level you up. After a certain number of level ups, you are able to do many more things. That may be a shovel upgrade (for digging ponds or breaking open evil pinata), or increasing the size of your garden. Both are equally important to maintaining a happy and healthy garden for your pinata.
The sour pinata will try to ruin your garden. Keep them out at all costs!
Sound
Each pinata has a distinct “voice” to them. The Sweetooth (beaver pinata) sounds very different from the Mothdrops (moth pinata). They each make their own cute sounds that will have most of you smile with delight. The music in the game is actually very well done, and even adds to the gameplay mechanic. At night, the music is soft and mellow, compared to the day time music that is light and fun. When pinata fight, and trust me some will not get along, the music changes to notify the player that there is a disturbance in the garden.
Your garden will be home to many different kinds of pinata.
Lasting Appeal
If there’s any game that will have you coming back every day, it’s Viva Pinata. There is so much to do in and for your garden that you easily could do something new every time you play. Whether it’s enticing new pinata to come and live with you, or growing Oak Trees to increase your level and expand your garden, this game is extremely open ended. Add into that the fact that you can trade pinata between friends over Xbox Live, and you’ve got the ultimate time-consuming game. Viva Pinata has many achievements to gain, most of which are secrets that can be achieved by completing certain objectives in the game.
The Horsetacio is one of Viva Pinata's flagship pinata.
Fun Factor
This game is a blast once you get things going in your garden. It has a bit of a slow start, but that’s only because there’s a lot to learn in terms of taking care of your environment. While it may seem like this game is geared towards young kids, I think younger children may have a hard time playing this, as it seems to get a bit overwhelming in responsibilities at times. Luckily, Rare has allowed for a Co-Op option, where two players can control the same pointer. This would help younger children play if someone were helping them. Trying to get all types on pinata to live in your garden is a challenge, but a fun one.
Each animals name is a play on a the name of candy. This is a Cocoadile.
The 411
Viva Pinata is probably the most unique game I have played all year. It’s fun, bright, and quirky. I highly suggest that fans of Animal Crossing or Harvest Moon check this game out, because it’s that type of gameplay that brings people coming back to play. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go check on my Mousemallows to make sure they are happy.
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