Zubo: RPG Training Grounds!

Dance-Off. Battle Game. If ever there were two words that went together, these are not them. Now add a third: RPG. Confused? So was I when I received this little gem in the mail the other day.

Some would call this a bold attempt to build an RPG from atypical elements, including rhythm-based gameplay, complete stylus control and…well, a cute yet deep story line is fairly standard for RPGs.

Here’s the deal: you play a human person pulled into the world of Zubalon, ostensibly to help out the Zubos, who are being bullied by the Zombos. Got that so far? Each new Zubo you come across gives you new battle powers that are tied to the zone you find them in. The first character is a pink punk girl named, appropriately, Pinky. She’s a performer see, and her strength in the battles is dance-based. Yes, I said dance-based. Her attacks are all dance moves, with all the wacky looney tunes cartoon slapstick you can imagine in a battle round.

Battles take place (after the corny dialogue, of course) in a similarly themed zone area (monsters, on stage, etc) and are turn-based. What brings this tired staple to the table this time, however, is the gloriously different and fun rhythm-based game mechanic. You tap on the screen following the shrinking outline that surrounds your character, and the more “in time” you tap, the higher the damage to your opponent.

Each of your characters represents a different style of fighting: there’s a fist for …erm… fighters, a shield for defender/healers and a pink star for performers. Each has their own strengths and weaknesses, which will give RPG newbies a nice entry to the genre. As you level each fighting character up, they gain higher moves and better skills, and it’s just, well…fun.

Zubo may be an RPG for the younger set, but there’s nothing shallow about this game. It’s great for readers and non-readers alike. My 6 year old was able to play this game with ease. My 8 year old daughter can play this for hours at a time; a rarity for her specifically. Watching them play is a delight, and I can often tell they’re playing Zubo from tehir joyous laughter at the antics of the characters on screen. This is similar laughter to the kind where they are watching SpongeBob, or an old Looney Tunes cartoon on TV. It’s pure joy.

Another rare thing in so-called kid’s games, Zubo seems to appeal to boys and girls alike with its gender heterogeneity, bright colors, boastful battlers and fun storyline. While not based in any current IP, Zubo offers enough to engage players of all ages. I myself take it out for a spin from time to time, though the candy-sweetness of the graphical style and the repetitiveness of the battle animations at each level tend to have me putting it down faster than my children do. A fast forward button helps go past these animations, but it might appeal to more of the older crowd if you could just set the battle animations to “off,” especially as you start to rack up time with the game.

Don’t forget the multiplayer and mini-games, so you can blow into the DS mic to sweep away cobwebs, play the drums with a tap on the touchscreen and pop balloons with a quick stab of the stylus. There’s even a multiplayer system, but you’ll need two cards to take advantage of it. We didn’t have anyone around with another copy of the card, so didn’t get to test it out.

All in all, this is a quality game that shows time and energy spent on creating it. The music is fun, if a bit generic, and the characters have some real personality. Kids of many ages will dig the battling system, the colors and music, and just the fun of RPG goodness, even thought they may not know that term. With 10 different Worlds to explore, and 50 different wacky characters, Zubo is sure to occupy that holy space in your or your child’s DS cartridge slot for longer than many DS games you may have paid the same amount for.

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