Ivy The Kiwi
Encyclopedia
Ivy The Kiwi? is a platformer video game developed in 2009 produced by Yuji Naka
and developed by Prope
. The game was released by Xseed Games
in North America on August 24, 2010 for Wii
and Nintendo DS
, and by Rising Star Games
in Europe on October 29, 2010. A Japan-only Windows Mobile
version was released in November 2009.
because the player does not directly control the main character. In the game, Ivy is constantly moving directly right or left, unless presented with something in her way, in which case she turns around and moves the other direction. The player takes advantage of this by drawing lines to guide the chick away from danger and to the goal. The player can make ramp lines to have Kiwi walk up or down, make vertical lines to reverse Kiwi's direction, or pull the vines and slingshot kiwi in a given direction. Ultimately, the player must lead Ivy away from obstacles such as spikes or rats and to the end goal.
The game features several different modes. The main game is where levels are simply played in order. Another mode lets the player play any level that has been previously played in the main game to try to beat the high scores. There are also two different way to play multiplayer. One is the competitive multiplayer mode, where up to four players can compete to see who can get their Kiwi to the goal fastest, the tricky part being that any player can interact with any other player's Kiwi as well. Separately from this mode, at any point, up to four players can chose to play cooperatively to help the first player in the main game.
The original Japanese version of the game had a more muted color scheme, while more colorful backgrounds were added in the international releases at the request of publishers.
The full retail versions of Ivy The Kiwi? for the Wii and Nintendo DS have 100 levels, while the mini version available for DSiWare only has 50 levels. While the game originally began development as a WiiWare
game, that version was cancelled as Yuji Naka began adding more features and ideas.
Popzara's Herman Exum praised the game's unique look and feel, stating "there's an understated elegance with what Naka has brought to the table and, with luck, you'll come to embrace the mechanics and the illustrative magic that help brings it all together." Official Nintendo Magazine awarded the Wii
version 70% and called it a "fun platformer with a twist, held back by a lack of ambition and some frustrating later levels".
Yuji Naka
, is a video game designer and programmer, best known as the former head of Sonic Team, a group of Sega programmers/designers, where he was the lead programmer of the original Sonic the Hedgehog....
and developed by Prope
Prope
Prope Ltd. is an independent video game development studio of famed programmer Yuji Naka.-Construct:...
. The game was released by Xseed Games
XSEED Games
XSEED redirects here. For the proposed supertall structure see X-Seed 4000.Xseed Games is a video game publisher and distributor founded by former members of Square Enix USA. Their goal is to bring high-quality interactive entertainment to the North American market...
in North America on August 24, 2010 for Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
and Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
, and by Rising Star Games
Rising Star Games
Rising Star Games is a video games publisher formed as a joint business venture between Scandinavian distributor Bergsala and Japanese video game publisher and content developer Intergrow....
in Europe on October 29, 2010. A Japan-only Windows Mobile
Windows Mobile
Windows Mobile is a mobile operating system developed by Microsoft that was used in smartphones and Pocket PCs, but by 2011 was rarely supplied on new phones. The last version is "Windows Mobile 6.5.5"; it is superseded by Windows Phone, which does not run Windows Mobile software.Windows Mobile is...
version was released in November 2009.
Concept
The objective in the game is to lead the character, Ivy, a newly born bird, to her lost mother. The game is similar to Kirby: Canvas CurseKirby: Canvas Curse
Kirby: Canvas Curse, known in Europe as Kirby: Power Paintbrush and in Japan as , is a 2005 platforming video game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS handheld video game console...
because the player does not directly control the main character. In the game, Ivy is constantly moving directly right or left, unless presented with something in her way, in which case she turns around and moves the other direction. The player takes advantage of this by drawing lines to guide the chick away from danger and to the goal. The player can make ramp lines to have Kiwi walk up or down, make vertical lines to reverse Kiwi's direction, or pull the vines and slingshot kiwi in a given direction. Ultimately, the player must lead Ivy away from obstacles such as spikes or rats and to the end goal.
The game features several different modes. The main game is where levels are simply played in order. Another mode lets the player play any level that has been previously played in the main game to try to beat the high scores. There are also two different way to play multiplayer. One is the competitive multiplayer mode, where up to four players can compete to see who can get their Kiwi to the goal fastest, the tricky part being that any player can interact with any other player's Kiwi as well. Separately from this mode, at any point, up to four players can chose to play cooperatively to help the first player in the main game.
Version differences
The Wii and Nintendo DS versions offer the same basic gameplay and level designs, with the main difference being the controls. In the Wii version, the player points at the screen to draw vines, while in the Nintendo DS version the player uses the stylus.The original Japanese version of the game had a more muted color scheme, while more colorful backgrounds were added in the international releases at the request of publishers.
The full retail versions of Ivy The Kiwi? for the Wii and Nintendo DS have 100 levels, while the mini version available for DSiWare only has 50 levels. While the game originally began development as a WiiWare
WiiWare
WiiWare is a service that allows Wii users to download games and applications specifically designed and developed for the Wii video game console made by Nintendo. These games and applications can only be purchased and downloaded from the Wii Shop Channel under the WiiWare section...
game, that version was cancelled as Yuji Naka began adding more features and ideas.
Reception
The game received positive reviews following its release. Gamingtrend's Mike Repella praised the innovative use of the Wii remote controller, stating "I suspect that when Yuji Naka set out to make Ivy the Kiwi he wanted to make game for the Wii that actually used the Wiimote to create a classic style game. To that end I think he succeeded."Popzara's Herman Exum praised the game's unique look and feel, stating "there's an understated elegance with what Naka has brought to the table and, with luck, you'll come to embrace the mechanics and the illustrative magic that help brings it all together." Official Nintendo Magazine awarded the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
version 70% and called it a "fun platformer with a twist, held back by a lack of ambition and some frustrating later levels".