CORBIE'S GAME BLOG

After seeing 3 Game Boy Advance releases in Japan, the Densetsu no Stafi series now finds a new home on the Nintendo DS system. The series has enjoyed a lot of popularity with the Japanese gaming audience, although none of the games have seen a release outside of Japan, and now Nintendo looks to capitalize on that popularity with their DS release Densetsu no Stafi 4. Although the game pretty much sticks to the style of gameplay that's made the other games so much fun to play, Nintendo did manage to squeeze in a few touchscreen functions to give the game a fresh feel on the DS. Densetsu no Stafi 4 isn't going redefine the platforming genre, but it's a solid effort that's just an absolute joy to play. And that's really what counts after all.

GAMEPLAY: (9.0/10) - What makes Stafi so much fun to play is the simple control scheme the game employs. Basically, Stafi can run, jump, and use a spin attack. But these basic moves are only the beginning as Stafi will acquire additional moves as the game progresses including an extremely useful "glide" move that allows Stafi to glide through the air and reach platforms that would normally be unreachable. You'll also encounter "familiar animals" that you can take control of and make use of their individual special moves to complete levels. What makes this game so much fun is how seamlessly all of these gameplay functions come together. The game offers up a lot of gameplay, but makes it easy to use. Anyone that's played any of the Kirby games will feel right at home with this one as they share a lot of similarities in both style and function. The goal in each sublevel is to locate a specific lost item and return it through the entry gate. Along the way you can grab coins and occasionally solve a puzzle or two, but you won't get lost as the bottom screen of the DS always has a map of the level on it to refer to. This tends to make the game a little on the easy side, but this game really isn't about difficult challenges, it's about fun platforming action and it's loaded with enough levels to keep you busy for quite some time.

GRAPHICS: (9.0/10) - It's very easy to describe the visuals in this game. They remind me a lot of the Kirby series of games in the way they're extremely bright and colorful. They're also a nice step up from the previous games' graphics as well and do a nice job of showing off the 2-D sprite capabilities of the DS. The game also makes use of 3-D graphics in the backgrounds to give the game not only a really smooth scrolling motion, but also allows for some outstanding animations in the backdrops as well. This creative mixture of 2-D and 3-D graphic components really give Stafi 4 an absolutely gorgeous look. Throw in some of the most jaw-dropping cut scenes we've seen yet in a DS game and you have a game that may look somewhat 16-bit at first glance, but after playing the game for a while, you'll begin to fully appreciate just how much visual prowess and personality this game truly has.

SOUND/MUSIC: (8.0/10) - The music in this game fits the visual style of the game to a tee. It's bouncy and cute as you'd expect with a game of this nature and does a good job of carrying the lighthearted mood of the game. I knocked the rating down a few marks because many of the music tracks in the game are not very long and tend to repeat a lot during some of the longer levels that you'll find later on in the game. Even though many of these tracks are quite catchy at first, once you've heard them repeat for the 20th time, you may find yourself turning the volume down. It might have been nice to have had some voice acting in the game, but the converstation text does a nice job of allowing the silly story to unfold. A solid musical effort, I just wish the tracks had been a little longer.

OVERALL: (9.0/10) - Densetsu no Stafi 4 is just like all of the previous Stafi releases in the fact that it's just a lot of fun to play. It doesn't offer any type of overwhelming challenge, and might be too easy for some gamers expecting a higher degree of difficulty, but for those just looking for an extremely fun, lighthearted platformer, this game is just your ticket. There is a lot of Japanese text in the many conversations that take place in the game, but the game is easy enough to figure out even if you can't read a word of Japanese. One of the most enjoyable DS games I've played in quite some time, and lengthy enough that you can't blow through it in one sitting. What more could you ask for?