Rising Star Games hopes to add another title to the recently neglected "must have" list, and has secured the European rights to Ivy the Kiwi?, a new platform game from the co-creator of Sonic the Hedgehog, Yuji Naka.
Despite having a title that Ron Burgundy would be proud of, Ivy the Kiwi? looks incredibly suited to the DS. It follows the adventures of a baby Kiwi called Ivy as she searches for her mother, and instead of controlling Ivy directly, you must guide her through the 2D levels by creating and controlling vines for her to interact with.
With such a good gaming pedigree behind the title, it's hard not to get a little bit excited. Martin Defries, managing director of Rising Star Games, obviously feels the same: ''We're elated to work on a game that's so closely associated with Yuji Naka. I'm delighted we've managed to scoop the European rights. We hope to see Ivy the Kiwi? reach out to fans the way a little blue hedgehog did all those years ago.''
With an interesting visual style, and over 100 stages to beat, Ivy the Kiwi? certainly has the potential to be a hit. For those that want to try before they buy, there are plans to release a "lite" version of the game onto DSi Ware, although with 50 levels, it will certainly be much more than a taster.
Gamestyle believe that the key to Ivy the Kiwi?'s success will be its innovative control system. Environmental control is not a new concept, and was well-implemented by Kirby: Canvas Curse, one of the console earliest titles, and more recently Maestro: Green Groove, another DSi Ware platformer. Gamestyle are keen to put Ivy through here paces, however, and although it's hard to see her becoming such a gaming icon as the speedy blue hedgehog, it's refreshing to see someone try.
