The Munchables Review (Wii)

Sometimes, it’s good to be proven wrong. When I received The Munchables for review, I feared the worst and was pretty sure I’d be writing a scathing review slamming another shallow, pointless ’casual game’ on the Wii. Instead, I found myself playing all the way through it in a few marathon sessions and will now be letting you know why it’s a good game.

The Munchables is best described as a cross between Pac-Man and Katamari Damacy with small influences from Super Mario Galaxy, resulting in a solid 3D platformer. You get to control a cute, limbless blob with a big mouth who finds their world overrun by pirates... who mostly happen to look like food. The solution is obvious: Go through roughly twenty-four stages, devouring all foes in your path. If it moves, you can probably eat it. If not, chances are you can slam into it until it breaks into smaller copies of itself which can then be eaten, or you can feast on smaller foes until you’re big enough to take on the larger ones.

Along the way, you’ll face some basic puzzles and plenty of platforming action. None of it is very hard since the game clearly wants you to win, but it is fast-paced and satisfying. Scattering a pack of enemies, then chasing them down while you listen to fast, upbeat music accompanied by a very colorful world somehow just works, even if it is simple and easy. This is a game you can pick up and learn within just a few minutes, and is accessible to just about everyone.