Joystiq hands-on: Ontamarama (DS)
Ontamarama! It really is fun to say, a polysyllabic power trip, if you will. Naturally, we were more than a little disappointed when the folks at the Atlus E3 booth proceeded to tell us about the game in a restrained and entirely professional manner. We think of "Ontamarama" as something you scream with cheerleaders doing cartwheels in the background, fireworks exploding and confetti raining down from the sky. Perhaps they're saving that for the launch party.
Much like its name, there's an oddly fun and somewhat unhinged element to be found in the game itself. Though the version shown was still very much cloaked in the Japanese language, it was the music-and-rhythm gameplay itself that initially perplexed us. After several bouts of tapping the DS screen and pressing directional buttons in tandem with the music (what little we could hear over the blare of Barker Hangar), we repeatedly wound up staring at the same screen. The colorful characters displayed were just being polite about it -- we failed miserably at this game. It took a few more tries and some helpful coaching from Atlus before we heard a more familiar sound... "click."
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Oh, that's how it works: As is the case with many rhythm titles, the touch screen hosts a scrolling sequence of directions. You need to press or hold down the appropriate direction as the icon reaches the top-left corner, making sure to let go once the icon has fully passed. The trick, however, is that most direction indicators won't work until activated. Those that are empty, outlined circles need to be "filled in" first, which is where the colorful blob-like creatures gyrating on the rest of the screen come in.
They'll arrive in groups for your poking pleasure, with each tap transferring one of the little guys into a corresponding direction icon. If you've got a blue left coming up, you'd best tap a blue blob before you miss the input window. Larger fellows have to be tapped multiple times and large groups can be dispatched by quickly circling them with the stylus or disintegrating them with your wretched microphone breath. Prioritizing colors according to upcoming directions is crucial and gives the game quite a frantic pace, especially during faster songs. Having your attentions torn between the touch screen and the d-pad feels a bit like patting your head and rubbing your stomach at the same time, but once you get used to it, you'll appreciate the madness.
The game's adorable tone and off-beat gameplay certainly brings to mind games like Elite Beat Agents, which in turn highlights a key aspect of the title we've not yet heard enough of. If the music is memorable and fitting to Ontamarama's style, we may have another great rhythm title on (and in) our hands. If that happens this Fall, you'll be sure to hear us shouting about it.
