The NewZealand Story
| The New Zealand Story | |
|---|---|
 Bob Wakelin's artwork for the OCEAN ports of The New Zealand Story | |
| Developer(s) | Taito |
| Publisher(s) | Taito |
| Platform(s) | Arcade, NES, Amiga, C64, Master System, ZX Spectrum, Sega Mega Drive, PC Engine, FM Towns, Sharp X68000 |
| Release | 1988 |
| Genre(s) | Platform |
| Mode(s) | Up to 2 players, alternating turns |
The New Zealand Story (ニュージーランドストーリー, Nyū Jīrando Sutōrī) (also known as Kiwi Kraze in its American NES version) is a 1988 arcade game by Taito. The player controls a sneaker-wearing kiwi called Tiki, and the aim of the game is to rescue several of his kiwi chick friends who have been kiwi-napped by Wally, a large blue walrus/leopard seal. The player has to navigate a scrolling maze-like level, at the end of which they release a kiwi trapped in a cage. The game shares several elements from previous Taito games (such as collecting letters to spell out "EXTEND", from Bubble Bobble).
Gameplay
The weaponry starts out as arrows, but pickups can change these into bombs, lasers, or bouncing fireballs. These act a little differently, and what is useful depends upon the player's location. A distinctive feature of this game is the ability to ride a variety of flying vehicles, including balloons, blimps, and UFOs. Vehicles can be found ready for use or can be stolen from an enemy.
Other features include the many secret areas and shortcuts hidden throughout the game, accessed using special hidden "warp" portals. On certain later levels, if the player loses their last life due to being killed by a projectile weapon, they will be sent up to a special "Heaven" round. Here they can either receive a special ending, or find the secret route out of Heaven and continue playing the game.
History
After the release of the original arcade game in 1988, the game was converted to most of the game consoles and home computers of the time. Most home releases came in 1989, with some arriving later through 1990-1992. The game received even more publicity due to being included in the Amiga 500 Batman Pack, which was launched in September 1989 and sold over 2 million units[1]. Home conversions generally received good reviews in computer game magazines[2][3]. The game was also converted for the Japanese FM Towns and Sharp X68000 systems, providing arcade-perfect conversions, but these were machines were largely unheard of in the West[4].
Ocean's home computer versions refer to Wally as a walrus on the packaging; however the original arcade version specifically mentions him as being a leopard seal during the closing credits.
Tiki the Kiwi also makes cameo appearances in other Taito games such as Liquid Kids, Bubble Symphony, and Pop'n Pop.
Ports and remakes
The Taito Legends pack includes an emulated version of The New Zealand Story, allowing it to be played on the Xbox, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable and the PC.
On February 2nd, 2007, Rising Star Games published the Taito-developed Nintendo DS title, New Zealand Story Revolution. It combines the use of both screens for action on the top screen and a map on the bottom screen. During certain instances, the game shows play on both screen and asks the user to "Touch the differences" between the two screens to unveil a door to continue. It also introduces a four-player wireless mode, Normal and Expert game modes and improved graphics over the original.
Revolution received average critical reception. IGN awarded Revolution a "mediocre" score of 5.9, and Eurogamer gave 6/10. Whilst reviews highlighted the challenging and fun retro gameplay, they criticized the touch-stylus and spot-the-difference events as poorly implemented, and the level design sometimes seen as spiteful.[5][6]
References
- ^ A500 Batman Pack
- ^ "Amiga Format #1, August 1989"
- ^ "Your Sinclair #45, September 1989"
- ^ "The New Zealand Story Guide"
- ^ Burman, Rob. "New Zealand Story Revolution UK Review". IGN. Retrieved 2009-05-31.
With a little more thought about level design and a more thorough graphics overhaul, Revolution could have easily stood its ground alongside New Super Mario Bros. As it is stands Tiki's deserves to go the same way as another famous flightless bird - the dodo.
- ^ Reed, Kristen (7th February 2007). "New Zealand Story Revolution". Eurogamer.
... in small doses, it's a game that finds its own old-school groove, and an enjoyable one for the most part. The touch-screen nonsense does it little favours, though, but luckily doesn't completely ruin the fun.
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