Dewy's Adventure (Wii)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 3.0 stars Good
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 6.0 (3.0 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Ryan Davis
• Reviewed on: 10/08/2007
• Released on: 09/25/2007
• Originally published on GameSpot: Dewy's Adventure (Wii) Review

After finding early success on the Wii with last year's release of Elebits, a first-person hide-and-seek game aimed at a younger audience, Konami is back with another Wii exclusive with Dewy's Adventure. Developed by the same team, Dewy has a lot in common with Elebits, from its sincere cuteness to its novel use of motion controls. Unfortunately, Dewy's Adventure lacks the strains of weirdness and voyeurism that made Elebits appealing to those outside its target audience. Perhaps even worse, the novel motion controls can't provide the precision demanded by the level designs, leading to frustration for players of any age.

Dewy's Adventure splashes onto the screen right from the start with a kind of sweet earnestness that persists for the rest of the game. With some glowing, watercolor illustrations, a young boy is told a storybook tale about a fantasy world inhabited by a race of creatures called Eau, and how their home was invaded by the evil and enigmatic Don Hedron, who poisoned the world with his black rain. The Tree of Seven Colors, the source of power in this world, summoned Dewy to fight back, which is where you come in.

If the opening sequence doesn't scare you off with its unflinching adorability, then you might just stand a chance of finding the rest of the game's presentation agreeable. It's not that it's a bad-looking game--in fact, the art design is very consistent, with a lot of personality--it's just very divisive. High value is put on simple designs and bright colors, which Dewy himself epitomizes, and it seems like the screen is always busy with light bloom effects and bursts of color. It's also a very squeaky game. Just about everything you come into contact with will squeak or chirp, Dewy included, and the whole thing is blanketed with impossibly upbeat background music. The only time the game breaks from its cute aesthetic is during loading screens advertising a particular brand of bottled water, adding a real mercenary air to the proceedings.

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