Armillo Review

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FuzzyWuzzyGames have mirthfully rolled onto the Nintendo eShop with Armillo, a cool action adventure-puzzle game that seems to pluck elements from various game styles and bring them together in a nifty little package.

You play as the titular character Armillo, a small armadillo who travels through five worlds hunting for his brother who has been captured and brainwashed by the Darkbots. On the way, you collect critters and orbs that help you unlock a variety of power-ups and stages.

The bulk of the game is done across a small spherical planet, with navigation done by rolling as Armillo across the paths using either the analogue stick or the Wii U GamePad’s accelerometer. You have the ability to jump, as well as to attack any enemies you find.

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On the odd occasion, you will find a portal to a parallel world where you only have a very small time to complete the puzzles and discover a successive portal. When you get to the end of each world, you get sent to its circling moon to collect orbs, again with a very limited time, that granted being determined by the amount of critters you have collected in the level. There’s enough collectables in each level to keep you coming back, especially for those that wish to 100 percent it, and you’ll be ranked based on parameters such as your score and completion time at the end too!

Hidden within every level is an item that gives you access to the secret levels. These are 2D platforming stages that have a timer and require you to get to the end to collect the red orb. These stages deliver the more challenging aspect of the game, and many require such precise movement in order to get to the end. You get the standard platforming fare here, with rotating platforms, spikes and other menacing hazards, but there are some instances when things are changed up with altering gravity, and they are definitely fun to tackle. There is one 2D level for each 3D level, so they are evenly distributed.

This is quite satisfying and addictive and had me coming back for more. However, this does feel a bit short lived as there are just four levels per solar system, and only a handful systems to travel, which is a bit disappointing, but as the greats always say “Leave them wanting more.”

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Graphically the game looks nice, harkening back to the Nintendo 64 and GameCube eras if those eras had much better textures. It looks quirky, but that just works for its charm. There are a few technical niggles that seem to crop up regarding the frame rate at times, but that should be fixed in an upcoming patch.

The music is great, with catchy tracks that match the aesthetics of the world. You can tell care was put into the creation of the music. Sound effects are cute and fit the game’s aesthetics to a tee. It all helps the package feel really well done.

Armillo is a really good, albeit a bit short, game. There are collectables and scoring that will ensure you come back to replay stages, but you’re still left with a desire to have more content to roll around in. Regardless, Armillo’s an enjoyable jaunt for those that like platformers such as this, and should definitely be a Nintendo eShop title that Wii U owners across the globe should play. FuzzyWuzzyGames did a good job.

Version Tested: Wii U
Review copy provided by FuzzyWuzzyGames

8/10
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