Cracking Open Toki Tori

Photo of Robert Allen Robert AllenApril 18, 2009
35 705 1 minute read
Tech-Gaming
may be more about honest reviews of the games we care about, rather than bleeding-edge gaming previews but
Chillingo has given me the opportunity to try out an upcoming
iPhone/Touch game called Toki Tori, so allow me to fill you in. Some of you may be familiar
with the game, as it has seen previous releases on other game systems
such as the Game Boy Color and recently the Wii via WiiWare.

Toki
Tori (which seems to be awkward Japanese meaning something like
“reliable bird”?) is an action/puzzle platformer game starring a little
bird on a mission to save his younger unhatched siblings. It’s similar
to games like Lode Runner and Solomon’s Key
yet differs having slower-paced more strategy-reliant gameplay. Our
heroic little fowl would be somewhat defenseless and unable if not for
several different gadgets, abilities and weapons that he acquires per
level. You must plan out his actions carefully to navigate each level
and save every egg. The game utilizes a point-and-tap interface that
seems to have no problem navigating the little bird where he needs to
go, if it’s at all possible. The preview build I was given is quite
polished with crisp prerendered graphics and cheerful music that
harkens back to the days of the Amiga.

While this build doesn’t contain all the features and levels from the
final version, it’s looking like this game could be a winner. I’ll
reserve my complete judgment until we can bring you a review
of the full version on its official release within a “few weeks”.

Photo of Robert Allen Robert AllenApril 18, 2009
35 705 1 minute read
Photo of Robert Allen

Robert Allen

Since being a toddler, Robert Allen has been immersed in video games, anime, and tokusatsu. Currently, his days are spent teaching at two southern California colleges. But his evenings and weekends are filled with STGs, RPGs, and action titles and well at writing for Tech-Gaming since 2007.

35 Comments

  2. I always meant to download the Wii version. I just liked the way the game looked for some strange reason.

  5. Wow, looks just like the wii version. Very cool.

    Let us know how the full version is.

  7. I am a sucker for Chillingo’s games. I know when I buy one of their apps it will be good.

    I just got burned by some 50 in one game that was like a bad flash game.

  8. If the devs are looking, $2.99 would be the upper amount I’m willing to pay, BTW.

  11. The lil yellow guy reminds me of those peeps candy,where after you eat 1 of them you’re sick of them.Solomons key was a pretty hard as hell last I played it.

    I’ll wait to see how much it is/reviews if it’s worth it.

  14. We’re currently planning on launching at $4.99. Bear in mind that the game is a console like game; it has almost 80 levels, which could keep you occupied for 10+ hours.

  18. Haha, keen eye. It does have that Amiga look to it. It was made by Two Tribes, a company founded in the Netherlands.

  19. Yeah, Solomon’s Key is much harder than this… from what I’ve played.

  20. Yeah, actually it is. There’s only one protagonist but it shares a lot of the same kind of gameplay.

  21. As much of a penny pincher as I am, I feel a bit bad that iPhone/Touch games are expected to be so cheap. There’s several games on the iPhone/Touch, I’d have paid more for. The iPhone may be a phone, but many of these games are far from crummy low-quality mobile java games. They should not be treated as if they are.

    That said, developers MUST put out demos if they want people to pay more than just a couple bucks.

  23. Part of the problem is there are so many iphone games, and they all range in quality from junk to great.

    I try to check review sites like this one, but with 15 games coming out every day, IT is hard to keep track. Still, highlighted the best of the best would be good. (like you seem to do here)

  26. @EyePatched, yes there will be roughly 80 levels. Enough to keep you busy for 10+ hours 😉

  29. thanks for listening to us gamers.

    One question, how hard would it be to create a level editor where you could build levels and share them with friends.

    Even if it was a separate app, I would likely buy it

  30. Yes, I’m under to contact to create three groaners a week. Looks like I behind my quota.

  31. Did you guys have a hand in the creation of the Wii version, or are you converting it? will there be different levels?

  32. This is a very good idea and it is something we are actively considering 😀

  33. We created the Wii version. The iPhone version will be almost identical to the Wii version, and in some areas it will be even better. So basically it’ll be a console quality game on your iPhone. Some levels will be changed a bit, to accommodate for the different control scheme.

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