Geekscape Games Reviews ‘Wreckateer’
As the years post-Kinect launch drag by, the peripheral is still being backed by Microsoft and third-party developers who still see potential in the little motion controller that could. And while the software out there is hit or miss, there are occasionally some fun little apps that are content to wallow around in the allure of arm-flailing and “look what you can do with no hands!” that make an appearance on the Xbox Live Arcade. In the case of Wreckateer, the latest Kinect release since Kinect: Star Wars and Kinect Rush, you have a fairly standard concept: destroy everything. In fact, you could liken it to Angry Birds minus the freakish pigs and irritated chirpers, only with hordes of goblins transplanted in their place.
You’re dropped into the shoes of a fledgling Wreckateer, toiling as part of a team to blast the aforementioned goblins out of the castles and towering strongholds they’ve managed to overtake. It doesn’t matter if you destroy every last piece of castle, as long as you kill every last goblin out there. It seems counter-productive, and we can think of better ways to flush the creatures from a place where, you know, people might live, but it’s all in good fun. Once you’ve cleared the score threshold of each level you’re cleared to head on to the next one, where you’ll knock down more walls, obliterate towers, and leave a huge mess in your wake.
Of course, you’re not just flinging your body at the medieval structures. You’ve got an arsenal of cannonballs, bombs, and other shots to utilize in your makeshift demolition derby. Some, like the gliding flying shot, can be guided by your own hand as they zoom toward the target, and others explode on contact or when you activate them. The basic cannonball is launched as you would expect, and smaller split shots require your guidance in order to hit the bullseye. Once you’ve chosen the correct set of ammunition and approach for the level at hand, it’s prudent to survey the level and certain points where goblins have affixed bundles of dynamite to augment the explosive damage you’ll be causing as well as score multipliers.
Of course, accuracy is key when it comes to effectively crippling the goblins and the various defenses they’ve set up along each level in addition to strategically placing shots and Depending on whether or not your Kinect setup is optimal and sometimes how your luck runs, you’ll find the ballista moving on its own, firing off shots before the decisive signal, and basically behaving in ways that aren’t conducive to scoring tremendously. Just when you think you’ve set the stage for a perfect run, your efforts are foiled due to poor motion control detection. And it’s a real shame, as there’s much to enjoy with the career move to becoming a Wreckateer. Gleefully participating in wanton destruction is most of the allure, but when that’s foiled by shoddy controls a times, that glee turns into seething frustration.
Like you may have already surmised, Wreckateer is a fun time when and if the motion controls work correctly. It’s intriguing and quite a blast when played with others if you’re looking for some simplistic “blow things up” gameplay, but it could have been so much more had it not relied entirely on the allure of motion control. If you’re looking for a new “check this out” app to run to when company’s over, this isn’t it. If you need a new excuse for busting out the Kinect, you might enjoy its easy-to-learn mechanics and the silliness. If you’re looking for something a little meatier, you’d be better served looking into the earlier selections from the Kinect library.
