Blast into the best cat n’ mouse value on the GBA.
Chu Chu Rocket for the Dreamcast was great. But Chu Chu Rocket for Game Boy Advance is awesome. The Sonic Team title has it all – 4 player linkable battle, create-a-stage, create-a-character, and some of the best darn puzzles that ever made it to a portable.
The CCR battle mode is simple to play. Players put arrows on the screen to divert ChuChus (mice) to a rocket. The plain as cheese concept makes the game real addictive. Each player can place up to three arrows on the screen to try to get the most mice into their rocket. To spice things up KapuKapus (cats) eat mice on the field and can take away a chunk stored mice when they hit rockets. When a random pink mouse in diverted into a rocket, a roulette-type action ensues and changes the gameplay. Actions include “Mouse Mania!” to unleash a slew of mice onto the playing field, “Slow” and “Speed” to slow down or speed up action, and some new actions like “Kitten Mania!” release a bunch of cats in the field.
CCR can link up to 4 players on one cart. The setup is straight-forward and there isn’t much loading involved. After link-up the mice seemed a tiny bit slower than their usual pace. But arrow placement and cursor movement are instantaneous. The cursor movement could be faster since winning a game depends on it. But the default is adequate.
Control can be set up 3 ways – cycling B or A till you get the correct arrow, D-pad and A, or using B, A, L, and R. The latter is the most efficient but takes getting used to. The game would work much better with a 4 button face layout, but it has to accommodate the GBA and sacrifices the ease of use – particularly in battle mode. Sound is also very crisp, and all voice and music samples seem to be ripped straight from the Dreamcast.
The puzzle mode is one of the best found in the portable. There are a whopping 2,500 puzzles stuffed into the cart – all created by CCR fans worldwide (17,000 were sent in!). Some puzzles are easy but there are some real brainteasers in here. The puzzle factor is perfect for the nature of the GBA and could be an entire game on its own. If there’s 5 minutes to spare, wherever you are, it’s a great time to take out CCR and take on a puzzle.
If the 4-player battle mode and puzzles aren’t enough, you can make your own puzzles and send them to friends via the link cable. Players can also create their own characters with a paint editor. The character created will take the place of ChuChus or KapuKapus. A full four frames can be drawn and animated after you’re done. So if you don’t like the cat and mouse war, create your own enemies.
Sonic Team has created the best blast for your buck with Chu Chu Rocket. There’s such a great package here that no GBA owner should be without it.
