Wik: The Fable of Souls
Added May 9th, 2006 by Serenity Now
Wik: the Fable of Souls is a puzzle/action game created by independent developer Reflexive Entertainment. In Wik: the Fable of Souls, you will undertake the roll of a character by the name of Wik (go figure), who boasts looks strikingly familiar to Geico’s Gecko. Unlike Geico’s mascot though, Wik can sling from structures using his elastic tongue, gobble up grub through his mouth, and save the day all in an afternoon's work. Despite what some may think, Wik isn’t a new game. It was released a few years back for the PC. It didn’t really cause a stir of any sort, but the developers knew they had more than just a mundane action title on their hands. Consequently, it was repackaged and thrown up on Microsoft’s Xbox Live Arcade service in late 2005.
There are three modes in Wik’s single-player portion: story, challenge, and extracurricular, scenario-based bonus levels that will become unlocked after ten levels are completed in story mode. Wik’s story mode is a poetic venture through luscious worlds filled to the brim with unique creatures and distinctive contraptions that would make Shigeru Miyamoto proud. Your primary goal is to collect and retrieve the preset amount of grub pertaining to each level. After sucking the grub into your mouth, you will have to spew the grub back forth to your little pal Slotham. Slotham plays a big role in the gameplay, as if you don’t feed him the predetermined amount of grub in time he will wander off the screen causing you to lose a life. However, you needn’t worry because there are honey sacks you can place in front of him to slow down his progress. Another facet that comes into play is hourglasses, which by touching will simmer the pace of the game down substantially. In addition, you’ll be treated to some James Bond-style music to set the mood during these slow-motion acid trips.
Wik’s premise may seem basic, dull, and maybe even generic on the outside, but inside lies a game bursting with life. The single-player campaign sports over one-hundred levels of creativity, and with offline multiplayer and two additional SP modes, you will have a great deal of content to keep you coming back for more.
There are three modes in Wik’s single-player portion: story, challenge, and extracurricular, scenario-based bonus levels that will become unlocked after ten levels are completed in story mode. Wik’s story mode is a poetic venture through luscious worlds filled to the brim with unique creatures and distinctive contraptions that would make Shigeru Miyamoto proud. Your primary goal is to collect and retrieve the preset amount of grub pertaining to each level. After sucking the grub into your mouth, you will have to spew the grub back forth to your little pal Slotham. Slotham plays a big role in the gameplay, as if you don’t feed him the predetermined amount of grub in time he will wander off the screen causing you to lose a life. However, you needn’t worry because there are honey sacks you can place in front of him to slow down his progress. Another facet that comes into play is hourglasses, which by touching will simmer the pace of the game down substantially. In addition, you’ll be treated to some James Bond-style music to set the mood during these slow-motion acid trips.
Wik’s premise may seem basic, dull, and maybe even generic on the outside, but inside lies a game bursting with life. The single-player campaign sports over one-hundred levels of creativity, and with offline multiplayer and two additional SP modes, you will have a great deal of content to keep you coming back for more.
Technically speaking, Wik: the Fable of Souls is a monster and is in my opinion the best looking title on XBLA. The various stages possess unmatched depth and intensity, especially when playing story mode. Reason being is in story mode there appears to be more living creatures at your disposal than in challenge mode. The backgrounds are done in top-form, making for memorizing moments during play. The animations are surprisingly fluid considering the main character is a frog-esque specimen. Regarding audio, there’s not much to talk about. The background music is very low-key, and there’s no voice-acting or anything of that nature. The subtle score does fit the atmosphere, though.
Summary:
All in all, Wik: the Fable of Souls accomplishes what it set out to achieve: provide addicting, fun yet challenging gameplay for the entire family. Flaws? Not many. The presentation is superb on all fronts, and the gameplay is unique and intuitive. For ten bones, this is without question a must-have.
Summary:
All in all, Wik: the Fable of Souls accomplishes what it set out to achieve: provide addicting, fun yet challenging gameplay for the entire family. Flaws? Not many. The presentation is superb on all fronts, and the gameplay is unique and intuitive. For ten bones, this is without question a must-have.
