Bright eyes, burning like fire...
The bright designs of the animals, the cute noises they make and the simple control system will no doubt appeal to children, but Viva Piñata is far deeper than we expected and adults will become immersed in the addictive gameplay. It took me an approximately an hour to appreciate Viva Piñata and get past the initial tutorial stage which only really gives a hint of what’s to come. The game does become rather hectic as you dash about with a million things on your mind, it’s even occasionally overwhelming, but for the those with a creative mind the world is your oyster and you'll be motivated by the desire to improve your garden and attract those cute piñatas.
In Viva Piñata you begin with an untidy piece of land, full of junk that you need to smash with your shovel so that you lay the foundations for your new garden. By smashing the junk you’ll pick up chocolate coins which can be spent later in the game in the village shops in exchange for a wide variety of items, such as seeds, garden furniture, homes for the piñatas and dozens of accessories.
Click for larger imageBy flattening the area you attract your first piñata to the garden in the form of a whirlm (worm). As you add more features, plant seeds and fruit trees and add items to the garden, such as ponds and bushes your garden becomes a hive of activity as more and more piñatas decide to take up residence. Every action you take in Viva Piñata affects the creatures in the garden and determines which creatures will be attracted to your plot of land, meaning that you could create a dozen different gardens and the piñatas will react in different ways every time.
Click for larger imageEach piñata that comes to your garden starts off as a visitor - maybe a Lickatoad has been attracted by a new water feature or a Fudgehog has come to thieve an apple that has fallen from your fruit tree. By hovering over the piñata and pressing the ‘y’ button you can see the two requirements that you need to fulfil in order make them a permanent resident. These requirements start of pretty low (for example having two whirlms in your garden will cause a Sparrowmint to visit), but as your garden evolves and you rise up the levels you’ll need to meet more challenging requirements in order to attract the larger or more bizarre piñatas.