Each Piñata has 3 varient options, simply feed a specific item to change their colour, adding another element to customizing. The Piñatas themselves are really the true beauty of this game though, it seems a lot of passion went into creating and designing each Piñata, giving them each their own unique identity. Another nice touch are the water droplets that appear during a rain cycle. Thunderstorms are also an occurrence - I found myself rushing all my Piñatas back into their homes, even the annoying stray Whirlms.
Sunset gives a beautiful monotone shade much like a summer’s evening. The day/night cycle helps bring a touch more realism to your garden. If you take a couple of minutes to soak in the fairytale like scenery you can spot various Piñatas in the distance, such as a Fizzlybear plodding down Terror Mountain, or the unwelcome Dastardos, whose decrepit house lives on the outskirts of your plot. Part of what makes your garden feel special are the surrounding backdrops - waterfalls, snowy white mountains, rivers flowing into your garden, and of course the town where all your helpers live - I'll touch on that later. Oh, and to fend off the sinister Dastardos - Piñata Island's very own grim reaper! Your ultimate goal, though, is to follow in the great Jardiniero's footsteps and become the Master Gardener. Piñatas are flung out of a conveniently positioned cannon dubbed Cannoñata at the core of the Island, ready to charm and entertain children all across the world. When they're ready, it's Langston Lickatoad's job to make sure the Piñatas are sent to the right party - no place is too far. Piñata Central, located at the centre of Piñata Island, hosts multiple gardens, where Piñatas are lavished with toys, sweets and even fancy dress costumes. The story keeps things pretty simple and stays focused on the target audience. The adorable Piñatas and picturesque environment is more than enough to keep even the youngest of kids attentive, whilst the challenges and actual building of an "ecosystem" make Viva Piñata possibly the 360’s first adult/kid combo game. Viva Piñata takes all the best parts of games aimed at kids and merges it with structure and more complex gameplay than your first impressions thought possible. Delve past the bright, flamboyant, almost hypnotic, flashy opening titles and things start to look up. You could be forgiven for thinking Viva Piñata was just another attempt to cash in on the lucrative kiddy/casual audience, after all its accompanying television show certainly gives you that impression, but are Rare giving off mixed signals? Yes and no.
By Miles Taven, posted on 21 July 2009 / 6,529 Views
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