Pre-Review #8: Mushroom Men The Spore Wars

[MegasquidMan]

While looking for a second Wiimote and Nunchuck for my Wii, I stumbled across this interesting game, with weird looking anthropomorphic mushrooms on the cover. It read "Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars". At first, I was skeptical to buy it, and figured I'd do my homework on it by going onto Amazon to see if any review on this game are available. Lo and behold, a few reviews, and all together it was a 4 1/2 star rating. I figured that a game like this would have star quality to it (like Psychonauts, Monster Rancher 2, and Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath), and I'm glad I saw a few reviews to get my trust built up to buy it. The designs reminded me oh-so fondly of Oddworld's design, and the story intruiged me. The story goes like this:

Not too long ago, a meteorite crash landed on Earth, and scientists told us all was well. Unfortunately, this is not true at all because the meteorite had a strange effect on most plantlife and smaller animals. For the animals (like moles, rabbits, spiders, and scorpions, for example) it drove them crazy. For plantlife, most of them had gained sentience. From the viney Kudzu, the gigantic Cactos, to the main character focus in this game: the Mushrooms. YOu play as Pax, an orphaned Bolete Mushroom, who has a strange ability to absorb meteor chunkc into his body, has been thrust into the spore wars, along with the industrial Morels, the vile Amanitas, and treacherous Lepiota.

I haven't finished the game yet, but I do love its simplicity, its world's lushness, and unique and varied design of each plant race (also, each race has its own "language", complete with subtitles... even the Shiitake Mushrooms have a faux Japanese accent, lol). But the two things that mater the msot, by far, is how A: Pax can collect items throughout the game, and with each little item gives Pax the chance of creating new and unique weapons for him to use (he starts off with just a PDA stylus, but he gains enough parts to make an Iron Thumb, using his stylus, a wad of gum, and a thimble), ad also how you do have to hunt for Meteorite chunks to, literally and unknowingly, give Pax more health (when you get enough of a certain number of chunks, his cap changes).

Speaking of the mushroom's cap, that is his health indicator. You first cap has... I believe four quarters to it, and each tim you're hit, a bit of your developed brain is exposed. To regain health, you ahve to attack spore-laden objects (plants, and dying rats and other animals you fight and defeat... just look for the putrid green glow). Along with regenerating your health, getting spores also keeps your Sporekinesis powers ready for you to use. YES, you get "weird plant powers" that allow you to pick up and throw spore-laden loose objects that are covered in green dots (baseballs, oil bottles, honey jars, etc), and control certain spore-infected plants (leaf/platform stability, movement, and being flung like on a pinbal flipper). Although getting the hang of throwing objects in this game take a lot of time and practice (the mechanics are THAT exact. Throw something the wrong way, and you won't hit whatever needs to be knocked down).

Lastly, though this isn't a vital aspect of this game, it IS quirky and give life to it. The music. The music was made by both Les Claypool (the bass player from Primus), and GL33K (I don't know if GL33K is a band, or a programming company), and really does give an odd life to your gaming experience when you play Mushroom Men.

When I finish this game, I will give a more indepth review, but for now, I have to give Mushroom Men the Spore Wars four and a half splats out of five. I do recommend this game, and I suggest you all try it out, if you find it.

[EddieG]

I heard of Mushroom Men before but never really had much interest to learn more about it. Apparently there are both DS and Wii versions but each is a different game that develops different parts of the Mushroom Men world.

The DS game seems to be earlier in the Mushroom Men world when the plant life was still just coming to terms with their new way of life. While the Wii version is sometime later in the world’s storyline and the new forms of life are warring with each other.

After reading through MegaSquid’s post I decided to take a closer look at the Wii version of the game. I like the comparison to Psychonauts and Stranger’s Wraith, both games that are fun and creative in ways I find much lacking in the general gaming climate. I’m still trying to delve deeper into Mushroom Men but I’m having a deal of difficulty in maintaining any interest. I’m not having much luck learning more with my normal sources and the Wii in general just leaves me disappointed.

[MegasquidMan]

Any further luck?

BTW, I did KINDA beat the game... kinda, but I'm sure you have to get all Meteorite chunks inorder to get the "real ending", but the final boss was creepy, and awesome (dealing with Pester, a Lepiota Mushroom Man, with his suped-up abilities, and "The Misses"... aka ROBO-WIFE! Imaine a overly fat human female with jointed parts and a TV for a head.. and you have Robo-wife... who, honestly, is more of a battleground than an actual boss... Oh, also, mutant chihuahua OF DEATH!)

Oh well, When I fully get everything, and see if there's any differences in the game's end, I'll update you all.

[MegasquidMan]

Ok, LAST update concerning this game.

I just got ALL 81 Meteortie pieces, and ALL 38 collectable crap!

Do I get some neat little ending for all my hard work? NO!

All I get, after the game tallies up my total score after kicking Pester's butt for the fourth time, are the words "Unicrons are real!" on the bottom of the screen!

Hold on just a sec...

*goes away from the computer, to scream into a pillow*

Well, crappy not different ending aside, I felt this game had a semi-solid play rate, after all, plus good music, neat mini-games, and PLENTY of concept art.

My rating goes from 4 1/2 splats, to just 4 splats out of five.

This game is certainly no Psychonauts, or Stranger's Wrath, but it has some entertaining playback value... for a limited time. After that, the ware of stagnant gameplay and waggling the wiimote around just to get the same swing gets boring (at Least Twilight Princess didn't completely suffer from THAT aspect).