You can approach Furu Furu Park from a
number of different ways. You can see it as a collection of classic
mini-games to play in short bursts or look at it as a total package, where
the challenge is to master all the games included. Either way, you'll find
a diverse selection of games included with genres ranging from arcade
classics condensed to their basic elements, to sports themed games where
you have to usually recreate a moment of contact, to odd themed action
ones with strange concepts and weird humor. The game allows you to choose
to play either alone or with friends and lets you select which mini-games
you want to play. Older gamers will probably want to check out the classic
game themed ones first, with most of these offering classic play mechanics
in familiar settings. For example, playing the Bubble Bobble themed
mini-game allows you to hold the wiimote NES-style as you blow your
bubbles to defeat the foes. Unlike the arcade game, there's a timer and
the object is to survive until it runs out. There's only a single level
and this makes it a quick and enjoyable challenge. Likewise, the Arkanoid
mini-game features only a single level, and the goal here is to break all
the blocks with only three lives. There are other classic themed levels,
such as one based on Camel Race where you have to steer a ball through the
maze by tilting your wiimote without hitting the sides. There are also a
pair of classic shooter type levels which are quite cool, and evoke
memories of Taito's classic Layer Section, though they aren't called that.
Another cool retro-themed game is Super Karate, where two robots fight it
out with the player moving the controller to match the combo moves. These
are probably the most interesting of the mini-games, but there's more
styles of play to master. You'll also discover that the games share a kind
of genre that's evenly divided between action, strategy and puzzle types
of play and several of them share almost identical controls.
Furu
Furu has a number of puzzle games, where you can spin a picture around and
discover the image inside. There are a couple of these and they range from
simple to hard, where the object is to solve as many as possible before
the timer runs out. Several short burst action games are included as well,
such as one where you have to circle the wiimote around quickly to unwrap
a mummy. You'll also find quirkier games including several cooking themed
games like one where you can serve sushi that's moving quickly over a
conveyor belt and another one where you have to flip pancakes. There's
also a number of sports themed games including soccer, baseball and a
funny hammer throw game where you have to spin some weird characters
around in an Olympic style arena. Players will also find some action
sports mini-games including a fun skateboarding game where you have to
perform tricks before the timer runs out. There's also one where you have
to pedal the wiimote to keep your racer in the air. Several action titles
are included, such as Treasure Hunter, where you need to collect coins on
a maze without hitting bombs that appear randomly, making this trickier
than it appears. The games are all fairly decent, though some you probably
won't need to play more than once or twice. You can choose to play through
all of them individually in Freestyle mode, or challenge the master at his
own game in career mode. All of this is wrapped in a somewhat
light-hearted graphical approach that emphasizes bright colors and
humorous animations. While most of the games are relatively simple to
understand and play, some of them require some odd techniques, which can
be confusing at first, but most players should be able to get the hang of
things with little effort. For the most part, most actions are simple and
easy enough to be explained and understood with a single screen. This
approach makes Furu Furu an accessible title that should be playable for
gamers of all ages and abilities. Unfortunately, this casual gameplay has
some pretty significant drawbacks that become apparent all too quickly.
These types of party games are often
overlooked by players, and with good reason. Despite accessible play
mechanics and fast action, they usually tend towards the superficial.
Unfortunately, Furu Furu Park suffers from the same problems most other
mini-game collections, while the games taken together offer plenty of
diversity and fun, once you get the hang of each one, they offer little in
the way of challenge or replay value. Since each game is so short in
duration and length, there's little incentive to keep playing once you've
seen all the mini-games. Furu Furu tries to address this problem with its
ranking mode, where you can play through five of these titles for a total
score. However, even with this added challenge, the duration is still too
short for extended replay. In the end, Furu Furu Park is fun while it
lasts but, it doesn't last long enough.
- Michael Palisano
