Hands-On Preview: Toki Tori

Some of you may not be aware of this, but Toki Tori has already had a long and sometimes difficult journey before being developed for the iPhone.  The game was originally developed by Two Tribes for the Gameboy Color back in 2001.  Toki Tori received some extremely favorable reviews, but didn't sell well because it was released on the tail end of the Gameboy Color's life cycle.  Toki Tori has since seen a slight revival, being remade for other platforms, most notably Nintendo's WiiWare, and is now destined for the App Store thanks to the red hot publisher Chillingo. The object of the game is for you to save all of Toki Tori's unhatched siblings by navigating through the various levels using whatever means possible. When I first launched the game, I was expecting your run-of-the-mill platformer being that I have never played any previous versions of Toki Tori.  Don't get me wrong, most platformers are fantastic games, but my expectations gave me a false view of what Toki Tori would be and I don't want any of you to have to go through that.  Toki Tori is not a platformer at all, it is a puzzle game at its core.  The game requires you to think each level through before making a move, otherwise you may end up restarting a level more times than you may ever want to. Since the game isn't a platformer, it doesn't need to utilize the usual platformer controls. Toki Tori for the iPhone doesn't use the usual gamepad style controls that it originally had on the Gameboy Color, it actually uses the new control scheme that was developed for Nintendo's Wii.  Instead of a direction pad and buttons, Toki Tori simply requires you to tap the spot you want him to move to, the moment you do that, he scampers off.  If you need to change his direction, simply tap a different spot.  If the location isn't accessible, the indicator will flash red instead of green.  The new control system really lends itself well to the iPhone version because unlike other games of this nature, your fingers aren't always obstructing your view. In each level you are given a certain number of items to use to reach your unhatched siblings.  The items range from bridges and telewarps to freeze guns and snail suckers.  Since you are only given a certain amount of items, you must use them wisely because most levels require you to use a specific item in a specific location and if you fail to do so, the level may be unbeatable. One last thing that must to be noted from my first ever Toki Tori experience is the overall cute factor. Toki Tori has been updated to feature some uber crisp and clean graphics that just ooze character.  The levels are vibrant, the enemies are menacing and yet somehow adorable, and there are key animations that just stick in your brain.  My first glimpse of this cuteness was when Toki Tori dove into the portal once the level was complete, you just have to witness it to understand. Toki Tori for the iPhone should be available in the next few weeks.  At this time, Chillingo is unable to give an official date or price. Toki Tori will feature 80 puzzling levels with tons of enemies and weapons to keep you busy for some time to come. Watch for our full review of Toki Tori for the iPhone once it is officially released at the App Store.

Embedded below is a video from an earlier preview version of Toki Tori by TouchArcade:

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