Boing! Docomodake - DS

It may have the strangest title you'll see all year, and chances are you've never heard of it, but Boing! Docomodake is actually a fun little game for the DS.

Who is Docomodake? Well it turns out he's the mascot for Japanese phone company NTT docomo, so it is somewhat surprising the little mushroom fella has made his way to these shores. Full credit, then, to Ignition Entertainment for taking a chance on this title and releasing it in the West.

The story goes that the Docomodake family have set off to get ready for the yearly village festival. However, they have mysteriously gone missing and it's up to you - Papa Docomodake - to search for your missing family.

The game takes the shape of a platform puzzler, and incorporates elements from Mario and Donkey Kong's DS adventure March of the Minis. You'll be jumping, digging, rolling about, manipulating blocks, stepping on switches and using weight-based brainteasers to accomplish your task.

Tapping Papa Docomodake's head creates mini mushrooms, which can be turned into ladders and bridges to reach previously unreachable areas. They can also access tiny passageways the full-sized Docomodake can't.

The game is clearly geared towards younger players, and with no time limit, you can spend as much time as you like exploring the levels. There's enough here to keep adults occupied, too, with optional coins and treasure chests scattered about the levels, and grabbing everything in the level becomes compulsive.

The game's clean art style and upbeat music add a lot of charm to Docomodake's adventure and while it won't win any awards, the game is challenging and fun to play.

With a tutorial for younger players and a good price point of £19.99, Docomodake gets the thumbs up from me and is definitely worth picking up.

Images courtesy of Ignition Entertainment