Welcome to Modojo, 
Rub Rabbits! Review
Written by Robert Falcon on Saturday, February 11, 2006
Tons of modes and stages to complete; multiplayer madness!
Doesn't differ too greatly in design from the first game.
So, remember the Nintendo DS launch about a year and a half ago? At the time of its release, only a couple of the launch titles put the touch-screen duties to proper use. One of those games was Sonic Team and Sega's weird-as-hell collaboration Feel the Magic XY/XX, stringing together a series of mini-games to help you woo the girl of your dreams. The game was inviting in terms of style and gameplay, but became too limited for its own good once all the challenges were completed. Still, it was a hard title to overlook, and I'm sure a few of you hardcore DS owners still have it.
Well, make room for another member in this strange little family, as the sequel, The Rub Rabbits!, has arrived for the DS. Like the first game, it follows a structure where you have to try and win a girl's heart by following instructions in a series of mini-games, with five levels apiece that grow harder and harder with progression. However, winning the girl is just one of the goals here, as the game goes on quite a bit further. It seems like Sonic Team's learned their mistakes from the first game, and makes Rabbits well worth the rub.
There's a variety of games here, which will force you to rub the screen like mad, rotate the system ninety or even a full one-hundred eighty degrees, and blow into the microphone for dear life, namely during stages where jackasses try to parachute in on your love life and you have to literally blow them away with a blow gun. Never mind you have the lung capacity of an air machine to get this done, it's all just a bow to the silly nature of the game.
The longevity is improved upon with these games, which are fun to play and quite challenging. However, once you complete them, the game isn't over yet. A new set of mini-stages open up, even harder than before, and a sub-story takes place to keep you working on your precious love life with this girl. This is a nice touch that will keep players from getting bored with the game, and will challenge them greatly as they put their touching and breathing to good use. (Good gravy, I sound like a lamaze coach.)
The design is very similar to the first Feel the Magic, so those looking for an exceptional new direction in design will probably be slightly disappointed. However, I for one like the design that the series has created, with dark silhouetted characters and strange stage layout that can only be from the corners of Sonic Team's twisted minds. The music is just as goofy as well, including some twists on classical themes, as if they were done by Bobby McFerrin. Don't worry, be happy, I suppose.
But the game really sticks it out in the long run with its longevity. The gameplay in each of these stages is great, and even if you don't beat a stage triumphantly the first time, you can always try again. You can also practice these stages in the Memories mode, so you can get really good at playing the piano or rolling balls around.
The surprise, though, comes in the form of multiplayer. The Rub Rabbits! has a number of cool options, including being able to have several players through downloadable play with one cartridge and taking part in an interactive mini-game, where you can pass around one DS and play in a Twister-like puzzle. It's rather fun, especially if you're passing the system around as frequently as, say, a 12-pack of beer. On top of this, you can also create a baby with the help of a friend, and see what kind of twisted results you can produce and share with others. Oh, if only Conan O'Brien got wind of this option...he could make it a part of his "If They Mated" segments! (By the way, the twisted child I created with my friend Megan...well, maybe it was the alcohol.)
Feel the Magic XY/XX had a formula for success, but just needed a bit more depth to keep in the running for "must-keep" status. Fortunately, Rub Rabbits! happily achieves this goal, both in terms of single player and multiplayer. It's just as delightfully weird and soothing as it's ever been, and the numerous options will keep you hammering away on your virtual heart throughout the night. Dig right in and rub those rabbits!
(Note: no actual rabbits were harmed in the playing of this game. But we did kill an innocent pepperoni pizza. It was just asking for it.)
posted February 14, 2006