Twisted Fusion for the Wii U was a Kickstarter campaign that became a wonderful reality. Leuvsion developed and published a game that is an enjoyable RPG which relies heavily on exploration. Players are in the shoes of a level-headed girl named Cora. She and her friends plan on playing with water guns in their neighborhood when they are mysteriously transported into a magical world of Evan. This new world is charming in itself. Calming music and bright colors envelope the very essence of the story. In this realm various monsters, ranging from adorable to scary, are weak against water. Water is an element that is rather scarce in Evan so this makes Cora and her friends’ water guns extra special. They soon meet some strange looking locals who want to help the girls make it back home. And after learning the need to collect Sacred Sunstones to create the portal to take the friends back home, they set out on their journey.
Surprisingly the girls’ smart phones are usable in Evan which is composed of natural landscapes. Players have full access to the smartphone via the Wii U gamepad. The developers created the ability to switch the main screen between the TV and the gamepad very easy to use. When you are playing on the TV screen, the gamepad literally becomes Cora’s phone. There are helpful apps that are not only essential to play through the game, but the apps are also fun to use. One in particular is the Difficulty SlideBar. This allows you set the monster difficulty at any time to increase the drops defeated monsters leave behind or to lessen the challenge of the fight. Since Twisted Fusion is an open-world game, players should take their time to gradually explore every nook and earn coins to upgrade stats at a comfortable pace. Gamers’ individual playstyle were taken into consideration with the addition of the Difficulty SlideBar and the choices in stats upgrades.
Cora can upgrade her jumping ability, the potency of her watergun and even buy abilities like the use of a jetpack. The jetpack has to be my favorite purchased ability because it lets the character fly around obstacles without needing to buy or find fuel. The jetpack automatically refills/ recharges after a quick landing. Since players are expected to explore for extensive periods at a time, the maintenance-free jetpack is a relief to not have to worry about finding fuel while trying to find new discoveries. Instead of having to visit a store in village to purchase upgrades like in traditional RPGS, Twisted Fusion gives players a flexible option of upgrading whenever you have the coins to do so at any time.
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The smartphone app system also includes a way to hatch and train monsters you collect on your journey. The monsters can form teams and certain types work better together than others. This is such a neat concept (especially for Pokémon trainers) yet the game and the game’s manual falls short of explaining it easily. Trial and error is one way to learn the Monster-Team System until players begin creating tutorial videos or forums on various websites. Unfortunately, it becomes frustrating trying to figure out which monsters work well with others until a large collection is gathered.
Players never have to feel alone while playing because of the drop-in / drop-out local multiplayer option. Friends and families can discover the mythical world of Evan’s secrets together as they explore the open world. Along the way of wandering around the block-style platforms, various NPCs will ask your chosen character to help by accepting a quest. These quests range from collecting fruits to hunting specific monsters. And the rewards are given as coins which are desperately needed to purchase abilities and upgrade them. Obtaining extra playable characters and outfits require special currency which are obtained by helping a specific creature, called Go Go, throughout your journey. There are 55 of these critters in need of rescuing and are found in the outside environments in addition to the dungeoneering towers. Looking for Go Go creatures is a neat scavenger hunt to do while playing through the main game.
Twisted Fusion is launching exclusively on the Wii U in Europe and North America on November 3rd. This exploration-driven RPG is cheap on the Nintendo eShop. It’s a great way to introduce the RPG genre to those unfamiliar with the territory. Yet it still offers a treat for seasoned adventurers. For a game that has a decent-size world to explore, a multiplayer option and a friendly upgrade system all for the a pittance is a real bargain. Highly Recommended.
A digital copy of Twisted Fusion was provided by Leuvision for the purpose of this review
Twisted Fusion
Pros
- Great use of Wii U gamepad
- Lots of gameplay for the price
- Players are drawn right into the game world
Cons
- Lack of help / explanation for Monster Team System
