Old-school adventure goodness with a new-school twist.
Zack and Wiki is set up like one of the PC point-and-click adventures of old, with the Wii remote replacing the mouse. The 'A' button moves Zack (the treasure-hungry pirate protagonist) to your cursor, while the 'B' button controls your camera so you can view the area around Zack. The setup works just as well as you'd think it would, akin to its PC predecessors, and uses the Wii remote's technology to its full extent. Needless to say, it's also simple enough to master in a matter of seconds, which is always a good thing.
Since the controls are so super-easy to get a hang of, Capcom wastes no time getting players right into the experience. Once you finish the tutorial, you are given access to a number of stages which all flaunt Zack and Wiki's excellent level design. While the beginning puzzles are, admittedly, tamer than those you encounter later on, you will still find yourself smiling or even chuckling once you figure out the more rewarding puzzles. Quite often whole levels can be based off one deceivingly simple objective, for example; you may find a treasure chest encased in ice in the centre of the level. Examine it to find that you can punch it, although breaking it in this manner will require about ten thousand punches. You don't have the time for that, do you? So to save yourself from a broken hand, you turn a savage boar into a hammer and try using that on the ice. Unfortunately, this is only ten times better than throwing punches, and attempting to break it with hammer alone will likely result in carpal tunnel syndrome. You then notice a mole popping out of holes at random...
Many levels of Zack and Wiki progress in this fashion, where one thing leads to another, and another, and another... eventually solving one large puzzle and rewarding the player with treasure. Each of these puzzle-dungeons both encourage the player to think in new ways and find creative new uses for the Wii remote. Using Wii gestures to solve puzzles is much less of a gimmick than one may think; it actually adds new levels depth to the puzzles which would have been impossible with any other hardware. If you ever find yourself stuck on a puzzle, you can often find examining the item you need to use will show a hidden use for it which can be activated with a gesture from the remote. These instances are quite refreshing, and it's absolutely great to see a third party developer manipulate the Wiimote almost with the same quality of Nintendo-developed games.
Wrapping up each world is a huge boss fight, which takes a great deal of thinking if you want to emerge victorious. My favorite thus far would have to be the World 2 boss, a colossal ice monster who must be defeated by lining up mirrors so you can smack him in the face with sunlight. It's the boss fights like these which make Zack and Wiki feel not entirely like a point-and-click adventure of old, but also with elements of console action-adventures such as Zelda - a great feeling, to be sure.
From start to finish, Zack and Wiki is quite a bit tougher than the presentation would have one suspect. However, to ease the pain for those less familiar with point-and-clicks, Zack and Wiki offers some interesting hint and scoring mechanics. As long as you have Oracle Dolls in stock, you can call up the Hint Oracle at any time to get advice on the next step to take, or recall old information you may find you need again.
But no good thing can come without its consequences, and the same is true with Zack and Wiki. Every time you buy an Oracle doll, the price will go up and up until you will find yourself replaying levels just for extra cash. As if that wasn't enough, every hint you use lowers your score (measured in HirameQs, your imaginative power), providing more incentive to replay levels. The developers have found great ways to make sure while their game is challenging, gamers should be encouraged to figure things out for themselves.
When you consider the graphics, it's really hard - even for long-time skeptics - to criticize the Wii's processing power. Capcom accomplishes this not by making the game look technically outstanding, but instead, by giving it a vibrant, colorful look which will probably remind most people of The Wind Waker. Characters and enemies look gorgeous, and the varied locales (jungle ruins, volcanoes, haunted houses) are all done equally well. It's evident early on that a lot of work has gone into the art direction, and it shines all the way through to the endgame.
I wish I could have the same glowing praise for the sound, but sadly, the game's original scores and "voice-work" are mediocre at best. Part of this comes from the fact that there really isn't much music to talk about; the dev team seemingly took the easy way out, adding a couple sound effects that match the stage's location. It's quite a shame, really, because the game does have some brilliant songs. But for every great song in the game, there are five that flop. The voice acting is also nothing to get excited about; all characters have Zelda-like voice snippets, although they're done in full Japanese and absolutely dripping with cuteness.
Despite any criticisms one may have for Zack and Wiki, disliking the game is not an easy thing to do. The game will captivate you from the very beginning, and not let you go until you see the credits scroll. All Wii owners, especially those feeling the lack of quality games for the console, should look into Zack and Wiki; I can almost guarantee you won't be disappointed.