For those unfamiliar with the popular animated series, Code Lyoko, it is the story of five boarding school students who use a supercomputer to enter the digital world of Lyoko and do battle with an evil virus known as X.A.N.A., bent on world domination.
Team Lyoko about to be all up in X.A.N.A.'s base, killing his d00ds.
In the upcoming game for the Nintendo Wii, Code Lyoko: Quest For Infinity, you take control of four of the students as you enter the digital world, with the fifth offering support from back home, uploading power ups to you at specific locations. It’s somewhat similar to the Matrix, in that your digital self can and must download new abilities in order to progress.
We were fortunate enough to get a hands-on preview, and our experience playing the game was a lot of fun! Code Lyoko: Quest For Infinity looks to be a significant improvement over publisher Game Factory and developer Neko’s most recent cartoon franchise game, the somewhat lackluster Legend Of The Dragon.
The digital world of "Sector 5", or an Ikea warehouse? Not entirely sure.
You begin the game at the Kadic Junior High School, which exists both as a menu and a hub world, sort of like the cantina in Lego Star Wars. When you are ready to enter the digital world, you are able to access a nexus of worlds that slowly unfold into replicates (twisted mirror worlds) space shooters and boss levels. All of the levels can be revisited with new powers and abilities in order to unlock more and better gear, adding much to the replayability.
The four playable characters can be switched between on the fly, similar to Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, and all have different attacks and special powers that must all be utilized in order to proceed and unlock all of the game’s secrets. The abilities range from telekinesis and flight to Ninja Gaiden-esque wall jumps, stopping time and building bridges. All of the powers make clever use of the Wii-mote in order to make the experience more immersive.
Materializing in the digital plane. Sort of like Nightmare on Elm St: The Dream Warriors, only less gory.
The problem with many Wii games and the way that they use the Wii-mote is that it often seems tacked on. From what we’ve seen of Lyoko, however, the Wii-mote has been incorporated seamlessly into the gameplay, as this title has been developed exclusively for the Wii right from the outset. Flapping your arms to fly, bouncing along with your wall jumps and tilting the controller to stay balanced on narrow platforms was the sort of thing the Wii-mote was designed for.
It’s too bad that there just aren’t enough buttons on the Wii to offer total player controlled cameras as well, but the game’s camera system works well enough to make the platforming sections flow pretty seamlessly. Within no time I was charging up and down mountains, blasting enemies all the while. A frequently occurring checkpoint system saves you from having to re-do the more challenging sections over and over, saving you from frustration.
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A particularly hairy platforming section.
The space shooter levels were another treat that made good use of the Wii-mote in that your vessel is piloted entirely by motion control. I’m not sure that I understand completely how the game differentiates between steering and aiming directions, but somehow it does. I wouldn’t mind seeing this sort of control incorporated into the next Starfox game, as it actually works quite well.
The graphics and sound are pretty good for a Wii game, although the backgrounds and textures could still use a little work. Game Factory still has a couple of months to add polish though. The boss fights had a cell-shaded look to them that was very cool, and the action itself was challenging and fun.
Sweet, cel-shaded boss monster. I hope you like lasers...
Although the demographic of the show, Code Lyoko, skews a little young, Code Lyoko: Quest For Infinity looks like it might have legs to be the kind of sleeper hit that anyone can enjoy. In fact, it reminded me a bit of (critically lauded) Psychonauts when I was playing it (albeit significantly less demented).
For those of us that would like to see more Wii games that are actually made for the Wii, Code Lyoko: Quest For Infinity is a step in the right direction. If you like action platformers and have had enough of the millions of minigame collections that developers keep cramming into stores, I recommend you give this one a try this November.
Gameplay footage from Code Lyoko: Quest For Infinity
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