A weird name, cutesy graphics inspired by The Wind Waker, and the status of a third party Wii game. Pre-release, I didn't have too high of an opinion on the game.

Then, I played it.

To call Zack and Wiki a new classic, as trite and cliché as it may be, is the only way to properly describe the game. Filled with the kind of magic usually only reserved for nostalgia trips with gameplay so simple and rewarding that anyone can jump in and enjoy, Zack and Wiki stands as one of the best games of the decade.

Starting into the adventure, the style quickly makes itself known as “quirky” moreso than “cute.” The intro starts out with a lawless lagomorphic pirate pilot flying through the clouds to an unknown destination. Soon, a massive gunship pulls alongside and starts barraging the rickety plane. Captain Rose, the larger ship's captain, grins, applying a swath of lipstick then drawing a stereotypical pirate facial scar on her cheek. Suddenly, the rabbit pilot elects to save his own skin, leaving Zack and Wiki to find the best way down. All the while, it's hard to not be awed at the style in the game—or the consistent, beautiful application of it.

Gameplay is made of two simple parts: point and click, and a parroted action via the Wiimote. Even given the ability to see everything on the map and what exactly can be interacted with, the game still, in classic Lucasarts style gameplay screen design, proves to be rather clever. In even the earliest levels, the solution to a puzzle includes spanning a pit, grabbing a coconut, dropping it onto a snake, then poisoning a vat of stew before grabbing a Wiimote-looking flute to get to the end goal. Throughout the game, that sort of thing gets more and more complex—although at no point does the player feel threatened by the impending death if one misstep is had.

Now, even though Zack and Wiki's difficulty level never gets so high that it would be impossible, the game still gives the option to players to purchase, via in-game gold, extra lives and hints. Even then, the real fun is taking on a level and figuring it out all by yourself—the concession is nice, though.

As such, Zack and Wiki stands as one of the best games I've played in a long time, with my only (aforementioned) complaint being the ridiculously steep hill that the rather odd name puts between it and consumers. Get past that, whether by reading a review or getting some word of mouth advice from a friend, and you'll find yourself knee-deep in a fantastic voyage featuring a boy pirate and his magical monkey.