Viva Piata Xbox 360 Review Denver CO

provided by: 

There have been a lot of Saturday morning TV shows for kids in the history of world wide television, but not many have been as unique and original as Viva Piata. In turn, when it was announced that Viva Piata was being developed into a videogame - an Xbox 360 game at that - it was hard to imagine just how it was going to be pulled off. It is here now, and while the cutesy nature may turn some 360 gamers off, this is actually a pretty advanced strategy game.

Viva Piata tells the story of thousands of live piatas living on a place called Piata Island. These half piata half animals are eager to one day become piata for kids to enjoy at parties, which comes off as a little disturbing as I'm sure if someone actually told these cute little piata what their role at a party is, they might reconsider, but in any case, that is their long term life goal and it is your job in Viva Piata for the Xbox 360 to help them on this quest. To do this, you have to manage and maintain an environment on the island that wild piata can flourish in and call home. If you want to break down Viva Piata into its simplest form, it is basically a garden simulation game. Now, that may sound incredibly boring and basic, but the way in which this game plays is definitely something you've never experienced before.

First of all, while I've already pointed out Viva Piata is a reasonably involved strategy game and hence easily playable by teens and adults alike, it is still very much designed for kids who may or may not be fans of the TV series. This fact is evident right from the get go - the game begins with a very easily to follow interactive tutorial with information popup's every step of the way in the game. These do come off as a little excessive at times but they don't detract from the experience and are obviously very handy for the younger less experienced gamers. Another element to the game that appears to be designed for ease of play is the fact that, outside of your main cash resource, just about everything else in Viva Piata is unlimited in supply, as to avoid micromanagement that might confuse the younger crowd.

However, what Viva Piata lacks in depth due to its limited resource management and other micromanagement, it makes up for in the way the game is actually designed. Starting with a deserted, rough lot of land, it is your job to turn this into a sparkling fresh garden worthy to be the home of any wild piata, which there are many of, ranging from bug and beetle look-a-likes to larger animals and traditional piatas. To do this, you have an array of tools to use which are unlocked as the game progresses, which include a shovel to pound and prepare the damaged soil for seed plantation or grass growing, a water bucket to maintain your plants and trees, and a grass seed bag with unlimited seeds to actually plant your grass. All of these are very simple to use thanks to the game's incredibly effective interface - no matter which tool or item you have handy, all your available options and the buttons associated with said options for the inch of soil you are currently over will be displayed at the top right of the screen.