kurukuru kururin (Game Boy Advance)

I've had to look at that title three times to make sure I've typed it properly.

This is one of those games I bought pre-owned, when I was looking around the local Chips store, purely because the name rang a bell and I was sure that someone had said it was good. It was only three quid, so I figured I wasn't really losing anything if I was mistaken. Turns out, I wasn't mistaken. Yay!

Obviously, as I had just a vague memory of hearing about the game, I didn't have a clue what it was about. And whereas some games' titles, such as Space Invaders or Moon Patrol, give you a hint at the action to come, you don't get any ideas from a title like kurukuru kururin.

A quick look at the back of the box seemed to imply that flying a helicopter would be the core of the game, and although it is, that's not really how you feel when playing the game. In fact, it's actually kind of like those games where you have to guide a metal hoop along an electrified wire without touching it, but in reverse. Interesting...

It's a fine concept, and it's been executed very well. Naturally, it's got a cute theme... go and rescue your lost, cute-looking brothers and sisters from different worlds. Each world consists of tight and winding passages that you have to steer your way through. But there's a problem with this for me... I'm playing it on the DS, and the D-pad isn't very good. This makes navigation of tight corridors much trickier than it should be, and as a consequence, makes the game less fun to play.

This is a shame, because it's a good game. Fortunately, my son has a GBA SP, so I'll be able to play this properly another time.

I'd actually like to see this come out as Wiiware, or maybe have a new version come out on the Wii (or any of the new consoles, come to that). An expanded version with more levels and modes would be great. In the meantime, though, kurukuru kururin will keep me entertained for a good while, I reckon.