Developed by former Sonic head Yuji Naka, Ivy the Kiwi? features a cute li'l kiwi that wanders back and forth on his own accord while you, the player, have to draw vines beneath him in order to adjust his trajectory. The demo previewed an early level and one 30 stages in where Ivy must avoid spikes and leap over blocks to get from Point A to Point B. The game includes 200 stages with only 100 needed for completion. The Wii version allows up to 4 players to draw vines while the DS only supports single player.
What We Think:Meghan: If I had just seen the first level, knowing there'd be much more throughout the game, I'd say this adorably drawn, quirky platformer has a lot of potential. Unfortunately, when I asked about other mechanics/obstacles that may appear later in the game, I was shown another level that looked nearly identical to the first, except now there were blocks that Ivy could destroy rather than leap over. Apparently, a boulder comes into play later in the game. That's about it. So it sounds like it's one level repeated 200 times. On the bright side, I got to see Yuji Naka. Woo.
