Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure

Overview

Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure is an action-adventure Wii game published and developed by Capcom and released in 2007. The rarity of adventure games released in recent years generated a large amount of interest in fans of the genre, and Zack and Wiki received generally positive reviews. When the game was first announced, it was known as only Project Treasure Island Z. The game is primarily single player; however, a second, third and fourth player can play, but they can only draw hints on the screen.

Plot

The game follows the adventure of Zack, a kid who wants more than anything to become the greatest pirate in history. To achieve this, Zack and his magical monkey friend Wiki become members of The Sea Rabbits, a notorious band of pirates Zack intends to use to make his rise to fame and fortune. On course toward the Rabbits' hideout, Zack and Wiki beach themselves on an unknown island. There they find a treasure chest containing the enchanted skull of Barbaros, legendary pirate captain and infamous ruler of Treasure Island. Barbaros strikes a deal with Zack and Wiki, telling them he will lead them to his secret hideout on Treasure Island and will give them his legendary pirate ship if they agree reassemble his body, which has been split into pieces and scattered throughout the world.

The game takes place over seven different areas that Zack and Wiki must explore to find Barbaros' treasure and his parts.

Levels

• Jungle Ruins
• Frozen Temple
• Volcano Cavern
• Airship
• Barbaros' Castle
• Pirate Ship
• Treasure Island

Gameplay

The game's camera is set in a third-person perspective, and makes use of the Wii Remote's accelerometer hardware by using it both as if it was a mouse in a PC-based point-and-click adventure game, as well as using specific aspects of the accelerometer to perform in-game activities like cutting through wood or fishing.

The Wii Remote is used to direct Zack, and also to select certain items and points of interest. By shaking the Wii Remote, Wiki transforms into a bell and can transform other creatures into objects, for example a frog would turn into a bomb. HirameQ is the score awarded based on how well and how quickly the play completed the level. When it came to solving the puzzles in the game the player would have to use the Wii Remote in some specific and unique ways. This was used in the early puzzles turning the Wii Remote into a joystick to control objects in the world over even into a see-saw to direct certain items.

Whenever the player is not in the puzzle levels they are able to explore Zack's hideout where they can view their found art and treasure. They also have the option to purchase items such as "Platinum Tickets" which lets the player continue if Zack dies during a mission or "Oracle Dolls" which allow the player see a puzzle hint at anytime during a stage.

Reception

The game was looked upon very highly. It was praised for its great puzzles. It gained a 87% on Game Rankings and a 87 out of 100 on Metacritic. Despite the critical acclaim, the game sold poorly overall, selling under 150,000 units in the U.S and around 300,000 world wide.