Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars Review

Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars is what it is -- a visually novel action-platformer on the Wii developed by a new studio -- and bears the markings and scars of those associations. It may be uniquely envisioned, but such a fully realized world deserves a more cohesive execution. Mushroom Men's gallery of concept art is the best place to enjoy the purity of the character and art design -- the creepy-crawly hordes of anthropomorphic fungi and their dim subterranean haunts summon volumes of potential adventures at a glance. Clearly a creative mind's vision, the creatures and environments make their way into the game world itself with fair success. Though the earthy color palette and muddy texturing don't exactly pop on the Wii, the appreciable scale and loving details still help the world feel engrossing. Everyday objects serve as sprawling terrain, and gazing over a messy kitchen from atop a refrigerator inspires meticulous exploration. (link)