Feel the Magic XY XX was one of the best games to have come out at the beginning of the Nintendo DS’ life, so it should come as no surprise that the sequel, appropriately titled The Rub Rabbits!, is a game many people are looking forward to. Of course, the sequel will retain the quirky humor that made the original such a hit, and also retain the main style of gameplay-- strange and amusing minigames in the Warioware vein.
Just like in Feel the Magic, The Rub Rabbits! has you performing stunts to catch the attention of a girl, specifically, the girl of your dreams. However, it’s up to you to perform well because you aren’t the only one trying to catch her attention, and others will try to get in your way-- here’s hoping you don’t suffer from performance anxiety.
The Rub Rabbits! uses the DS capabilities in almost every way imaginable. Two examples have you shooting down enemies with a blowgun by blowing on the screen, and tossing "discs of love" at her using the touch screen. Of course, the Rub Rabbits, the group of stunt-performing characters the game is named after, require the player to live up to his name by rubbing female characters using the touch-screen. Fans of Feel the Magic will be surprised to see the ante upped considerably regarding the amount of "enjoyment" it produces for the rubbed individual.
Other hilariously strange, and sometimes extremely erotic acts will be presented to the player, so it should be noted that this game is more for adults than the previous game in the series was. Also, it’s important to note that the game includes more minigames than Feel the Magic did, hopefully bolstering the short length of the previous title. Regardless, the content presented in a game once titled "Where Do Babies Come From?" shouldn’t be a shocking discovery.
There is a new mode called "Baby Making Mode," which has two players cooperating to complete tasks on the same DS. Each person enters his or her age, blood type, and marital status, and the game will tell them how compatible they are depending on how they perform as a team. Tasks such as cutting a cake will be performed, with one player using the face buttons, and the other using the D-pad, and they will have to time their button presses according to how the game prompts them. The accuracy of the players will determine the attributes of the baby made, and when it’s born they can sign the birth certificate using the touch-screen.
The game uses the same style of graphics, so fans of the i-Pod commercial style graphics will be ecstatic to see it return. However, this time the 3D engine is used on both screens, which will hopefully open up more doors for gameplay purposes, and not just for cut-scenes. Of course, the quirky style of music from Feel the Magic makes a triumphant return, so presentation-wise The Rub Rabbits! doesn’t seem to be much different than its predecessor.
Will The Rub Rabbits! be able to stand as strongly as a minigame-based title now that so many full-fledged games have come out? It’s hard to judge right now, but if it plays as well as the first title and carries the same sense of humor, it’s hard to imagine not enjoying this game. Watch for the release of The Rub Rabbits! early in 2006.
