E3 '10: Ivy The Kiwi

My love for Sonic creator Yuji Naka's newest game Ivy the Kiwi is no secret. It is gorgeous, and as I found out today at E3 it is even more gorgeous in motion. As a refresher, Ivy the Kiwi is an upcoming game for the Wii and DS where you must guide newly hatched kiwi bird Ivy as she searches for her missing mother. Ivy walks perpetually forward, determined to find her mother, and using either the Wii remote or DS stylus you must place vines to guide Ivy along her way. It is quite reminiscent of Kirby: Canvas Curse, though after getting my hands on it today I'm preferring the adventures of this flightless bird over Nintendo's lovable pink puff ball.

The first nuance is that you can fling Ivy into the air by using vines as slingshots. By grabbing a vine, I was able to pull back and launch Ivy upward in a spinning beak attack, which is helpful for breaking blocks, attacking enemies, or simply moving vertically through the level. You can also swing vines before placing them to help maneuver Ivy through twisted corridors. And despite its adorable storybook exterior, Ivy the Kiwi can be a devilishly hard game. In addition to regular hazards and enemies lining the levels, in each level there is a hidden coin for completionists that is hiding inside what appears to be an ordinary block that can only be broken with the aforementioned spin attack. Ivy the Kiwi isn't a short game either, with 50 levels to complete the story mode, taking about 6-8 hours to complete, and and additional 50 levels unlocked after that.

Multiplayer is also a big part of Ivy the Kiwi. The Wii version features drop-in drop-out co-op where up to four players can work together to guide Ivy to the goal. There is also competitive split screen where you're racing to reach the goal first, but can also draw vines on your opponent's half of the screen to keep the competitive spirit going. The DS version has the competitive multiplayer, but misses the co-op and drawing on your opponent's screen.

While I think I prefer controlling Ivy the Kiwi on the DS, the enhanced multiplayer of the Wii version (and a better showcase of the amazing art design) makes either version well worth keeping on your radar for when it releases later this summer.