Early in a new system’s lifecycle,
there are almost always games released that have no real draw except for being
the first title of a certain genre available for the system (Eternal Ring,
anyone?). Despite typically being low-budget releases and riddled with problems,
they usually sell fairly well, bought by fans of the genre desperate for a fix
on their new system. Escape From Bug Island (known as Necro-Nesia, whatever that
means, outside the US) is the first original survival-horror title available for
Wii, and is, in fact, a low-budget release riddled with problems.
Players control Ray, a college
freshmen and one of the most poorly-designed game characters of all time
(between his oversized vest, cutoff jeans, sandals, soul patch, bracelets, and
fanny pack, it’s evident that Ray was designed by Japanese artists whose
experience with American college students was limited, to say the least). Along
with bug nut/love interest Michelle and gun nut/supposed friend Michael (whose
chief character trait is an inclination to pump his shotgun at the drop of a
hat), Ray travels to Bug Island for reasons that are never adequately explained.
After being awkwardly hit on by Michael, Michelle runs off into the night, with
Michael close behind. When they both fail to return, Ray begins searching for
his friends, ostensibly so they can (ahem) escape from Bug Island. Beyond the
opening cinematic, the game’s story is handled in a slipshod, erratic manner,
with new characters introduced and then either killed or forgotten for the
remainder of the game. While the game is obviously trying to emulate cheesy
B-horror films, the story is largely nonsensical; still, it does provide some
entertainment in the form of unintentionally hilarious dialogue.
From a gameplay standpoint, the game
is firmly stuck in the late 90’s. Remember the legions of Resident Evil
knockoffs that populated the PS1 and Dreamcast, circa 1997-99? I’m talking about
games like T.R.A.G., Countdown: Vampires, Carrier, and Blue Stinger. Escape From
Bug Island would have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with these titles, and honestly
isn’t really that much worse than any of them. Unfortunately, time marches on,
and what was passably generic by 1999 standards is ridiculously dated and
primitive by today’s. These games’ structure, best described as key-hunts
interrupted by infrequent boss fights, was obnoxious when it first appeared in
games 10 years ago.
Even graphically, the game is stuck
in this era; there’s nothing here that wouldn’t have been possible or looked out
of place on the Dreamcast. In addition to simply looking dated, the game
contains frequent graphical glitches, collision errors, and a fog effect
covering the entire game that prevents the player from seeing more than 10 feet
in front of Ray. About the only neat graphical trick the game’s got up its
sleeve is the flashlight, which throws light on the environment in a relatively
realistic manner. Still, this is far from impressive, as it’s been done in
countless other games just as well, and in many others better.
Problems exist in this game
everywhere you look. Controls are stiff and unresponsive, in addition to being
needlessly complex. For instance, attacking requires holding down at least one
button (more if you’re attacking with a ranged weapon) and swinging the
controller. Succeeding in combat is nearly impossible, since attacking also
stops Ray dead in his tracks, which gives his quick, agile enemies ample
opportunity to swarm, surround, and kill him. Even simply walking through the
environment poses problems, since Ray controls in the tank-style manner that’s
been hated since the original Resident Evil. The Wii’s motion controls feel
tacked-on and unnecessary at best, actively obstructive to controlling the
character at worst. For instance, I found it nearly impossible to consistently
perform the “strong swing” attack, supposedly activated by a wide swipe with the
Wii remote; even by increasing the size of my movement to the absolute limits my
body is capable of, I successfully launched the strong attack less than 50% of
the time.
Despite its myriad, pervasive
problems, the game did contain a handful of entertaining elements. Some monster
designs, specifically the lizard-women and giant tarantula, were satisfyingly
creepy and visually interesting. And while it was consistently irritating,
navigating the game’s environments from event to event was, at least, relatively
straightforward, as the game makes use of a Grand Theft Auto-style radar system
that effectively eliminates much of the fruitless wandering which characterizes
so many similar titles. As I mentioned earlier, the game’s storyline bits are a
frequent source of inappropriate humor, as are the comments Ray sometimes makes
when he picks up items. (A personal favorite: “I hope this doesn’t kill me”,
said in a dead monotone. The item’s a can of spinach, which actually heals Ray
completely.)
While it’s refreshing to see
original, single-player games being made for Wii, this game would be a detriment
to any system it appeared on. Luckily, it isn’t the only option for
survival-horror on the system, as it was released within days of the release of
Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition, an exponentially better game.
Review Scoring Details for Escape from Bug Island |
Gameplay: 3.9
Maneuver Ray clumsily from one boring area to the next, looking for items and
trying your best to fight giant bugs despite crippling control problems. No
one’s definition of “fun” is generous enough to encompass these activities.
Graphics: 4.2
Between the PS1-caliber environments and the Dreamcast-caliber character models,
the graphics are criminally dated. Frequent glitches don’t help, nor does the
all-encompassing fog.
Sound: 4.5
Hilariously bad voice acting is accompanied by stunningly repetitive music (most
of the game’s score consists of the same three piano notes, over and over
again, seriously). Assorted buggy noises and other sound effects aren’t quite as
bad, but don’t do much to uplift the whole.
Difficulty: Medium
The game’s difficulty comes more from a total inability to accurately control
your character, rather than any sort of genuine challenge.
Concept: 5.7
There could be a cool game made from characters exploring an island infested
with gigantic insects, especially with a B-movie vibe. Guess what? This isn’t
it.
Overall: 4.1
Escape From Bug Island could very easily be a long-lost Dreamcast title, with
hastily-added motion controls. Were that the case, I think I’d rather it had
stayed lost; I can’t even imagine anyone enjoying this.
