ArsGeek

NIS America hauled off and threw me a copy of Puchi Puchi Virus for the DS the other day. Initially, despite the attractive Virus box it showed up in, and the NIS stamped chocolate candies, I was skeptical.

I mean, “Puchi Puchi”? Sure, the story features a dashing Anime doctor named Kevin A. Longfellow, a cutsie nurse named Nurse Honeydew and a giant chicken named George, but “Puchi Puchi”? I put the package aside and allowed my skepticism to win over me for a few hours. Then, after most of the family was in bed, I grabbed the game and plugged it in. Several hours later, all I can say is Puchi Puchi indeed!

This game represents NIS America’s foray into casual gaming. But don’t be fooled, this is as addictive as Soduko or any other well laid out puzzler and it has a few unique properties to make it interesting enough to keep me coming back.

The official line:

Long ago, there was a quaint planet much like Earth. It’s people were dull, but kind. One day, a strange virus called the “Puchirus” appeared and infected everyone on the planet! The virus somehow turned people into wild, aptly named creatures.

Dr. Kevin A. Longfellow quickly decided to help return his kinsmen back to their common selves. Kevin worked tirelessly with Nurse Honeydew and George the Giant Chicken to find a cure.

The trio came up with the “Puchi Buster DS” to treat anyone infected with too much zaniness. This odd, sleek device uses dangerously high doses of pure awesome to destroy the disease! Go, Doc! Save the world from that crazy virus!

I have to admit, with the phrase “dangerously high doses of pure awesome” I felt that I would like this game. (You get to read this introduction as the game starts). I’m not sure about the nurse and the giant chicken, but pure awesome? Count me in.

Patients come to you as a series of case files. Those you haven’t solved yet are there, waiting for you. Those you have solved you can review (and replay) at any time. The more case files you solve, the more that are opened up to you.

Game play is simple, yet addictive. When you go in to de-puchirus your patient you’ll be presented with the game screen, full of several different colors of virus. Tap a virus to lock it. Tap three of the same virii and get yourself a triangle. Tap one of them again and the triangle ‘bursts’ along with the locked virii.

After a certain amount of time, puchirus will congeal and turn into a solid virus. These you can’t tap to lock. But you can return them back to normal virii by creating and bursting a triangle around it. Careful though, leave the triangle alone for two long and the virii will still solidify.

You can also create chain reactions by creating a triangle, and then overlapping another triangle by either including an unlocked virus in it, or making two triangles that overlap. Burst the first triangle and they both go. Here’s a graphical representation from the manual:

You have a body monitor which shows the relative health of a patient, as well as the infection level. As the monitor gets redder (it fills from foot to head) the virii become more active - the literally move about making triangles slightly harder to form.

In addition to this, you also obtain pills. Clear 50 virii, get a pill. Pills turn congealed virii back into regular old, triangle forming and bursting virii. It works in stages. For the first 50 virii, your pill will uncongeal stuff on the left and right. Don’t use the pill and power it up to level 2 and you get top and bottom. Level three is all sides of the square. Level 4 is a wider range and level 5 is the whole shebang.

Puchi Puchi Virus can be played in single player mode, or with another opponent via ad-hoc wireless. It also features a neat mode where someone who doesn’t own the game can download load battles or a demo and play temporarily.

The bottom line is that this game is deceptively simple. Play is very addicting, if you enjoy puzzle games. Each one will take you between 5 and 15 minutes to complete, depending which means casual gaming - what they were aiming for - is very achievable. Just don’t expect to want to put it down. It’s games like this that the DS was created for.

The one problem I did have with it was a slight tendency to mis-tap virii when trying to create a triangle. Not only do you have to plan your strategy, but the game seems to have trouble from time to time discerning exactly where I tap, even after a touch screen calibration. It wasn’t consistent and didn’t happen often enough to discourage me or really effect game play though.

Although not up yet, you should be able to get more information at the Puchi Puchi Virus site soon. Expect the game in early May.

Overall I’m enjoying this game very much. So much so that i’ve had to put my DS down for a solid few hours of recharging, something I haven’t had to do with one game since I got it with Brain Age 2. If you enjoy puzzle style games and want a new twist on it with some tongue-in-cheek added for style, you’ll like Puchi Puchi Virus.

The Good:

A nice entry into casual gaming - play for 5 minutes, play for 5 hours.

Innovative design (with giant chicken named George).

Inviting game play and puzzle solving which keeps the player engaged and wanting more.

The Bad:

Minor touch screen oddness.

Rough on people who dislike anthropomorphic giant chickens.

Overall Score: 9.25 out of 10

Gameplay: 10

Experience (Sound/Graphics): 8
Replayability: 9

Fun Factor/Price: 9

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