Cookie & Cream First Look

Longtime PlayStation 2 fans might remember a well-received game from 2001 called The Adventures of Cookie & Cream , a charming puzzle game starring two cartoon heroes who also happen to be rabbits. What made the original game compelling was that the puzzles in the game were all about cooperation between the two furry heroes, a formula that will be in effect in the Nintendo DS version coming this spring. We had a brief look at the game recently to take in its lively gameplay and charming sense of humor.

Cookie & Cream's story finds the two characters getting set to participate in the Moon Festival. When everyone shows up to the festival except the moon, the duo are transported to a mysterious island and told that clues to the moon's whereabouts are hidden there. From there, it's a matter of the two rabbits working together to progress through the many levels in the island to find where the moon ran off to.

You can play Cookie & Cream by yourself, where you control both characters at once, or you can play cooperatively, where one person controls Cookie and the other Cream. Regardless of whether you have a friend present or not, you'll need to ensure that the two rabbits work together to solve the many puzzles they encounter as they travel through the scrolling world of the island. As Cookie makes his way through the island on the upper screen of the DS, he'll periodically run into traps or puzzles that will need to be solved by Cream on the lower screen. Examples include cutting ropes to loosen a raft for Cookie to float on, laying down logs for Cookie to jump on, blowing windmills (by blowing into the DS's microphone) to move platforms, placing gears correctly to open doors, and pulling ropes to wrangle an alligator, among many others.

Another example of the teamwork between Cookie and Cream is the tank team up. Here, both Cookie and Cream will be occupying the same vehicle, in this case a tank, with Cookie steering and Cream firing the cannon on the lower screen. Producers told us the game will include many more examples that will grow increasingly complex as you progress through the game. In addition, the levels are timed, so you'll need to solve those puzzles as quickly as possible to progress through the game.

The game definitely has a cartoon vibe that will appeal to kids, but the nonstop pace and variety of the gameplay should appeal to young and old alike. The game will have eight different worlds to explore, and in addition to the aforementioned single-player and co-op modes, you'll be able to compete against three other players via wireless connection in a race to get through to the end of a series of minigames, drawn from the various puzzles and minigames you play in the main single-player game.

Cookie & Cream looks like a cute game that should appeal to kids and parents alike. The game is due for release in the spring, and we'll have a full review after it hits store shelves.